Featured Artists – Stompboxes

Soft Kill Talk about Pedals

“Punishing” isn’t the first word you’d think to describe Soft Kill, but the more its barrages of post-punk and shoegazer pummel into you, the more fitting the word becomes. On Savior, the Portland outfit buries most of its synths into a thundering vessel of fuzz. Moments of joy surface occasionally,…Click on the title for more

Soft Kill Talk about Pedals

Blac Rabbit’s Pedals and Creative Process

Psych rock is a genre that can encompass a spectrum of sounds ranging from pop-oriented songs to less-defined and at times downright chaotic jams. Risen to semi-celebrity status in NYC through busking in the subway to the tune of songs by the Beatles, Rockaway Beach, New York's Blac Rabbit create music that…Click on the title for more

Blac Rabbit’s Pedals and Creative Process

Q&A with Mass Gothic

Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri, active in the NYC scene since the mid aughts, released music separately through Hooray for Earth (Noel's first breakout project, disbanded in 2014) and Zambri (the electronic band Jessica still plays in with sister Cristi Jo) and became the two creative forces behind Mass Gothic.…Click on the title for more

Q&A with Mass Gothic

Native Sun’s favorite stompboxes and guitar gear

Brooklyn Native Sun's fast paced and heavy handed mix of garage and psych rock has earned a space in the soundtrack to our summer 2018 trips. Their recent EP "Songs Born from Love and Hate" features many flavors of fuzzed-out guitars, so we thought it might be interesting to ask the band…Click on the title for more

Native Sun’s favorite stompboxes and guitar gear

Future Generations’ Pedals and Synths

After the initial warped drum beat, it only takes 8 seconds for Future Generations to kick in to full alt-pop shine on new single “All The Same.” The track is the first from the Brooklyn group’s newly announced sophomore album, Landscape, out September 13 via Frenchkiss Records. “All The Same”…Click on the title for more

Future Generations’ Pedals and Synths

O Mer’s Pedals, Synths and Creative Process

Brooklyn by way of Tel Aviv artist O Mer employs DAW, synths and electric guitar to create minimalistic pop gems that are as catchy as they are arresting. Started as a one man band, the project has recently expanded to comprise a full band, which has brought the sound to…Click on the title for more

O Mer’s Pedals, Synths and Creative Process

The Beaches’ Guitar Pedals in Recording “Late Show”

Named after the area in Toronto where they grew up, The Beaches are just about ready to explode. Their debut album “Late Show” is a rippin' collection with sensible, catchy melodies and a '60s stoner voice that’s almost in Grace Slick territory. In 2016, the band's lead guitarist Kylie Miller…Click on the title for more

The Beaches’ Guitar Pedals in Recording “Late Show”

Caroline Rose’s Pedals & Synths

New York City-based songwriter/producer Caroline Rose has reinvented her sound on her sophomore LP Loner. Dawning an ironically sporty aesthetic, Rose delivers poignant tales of loneliness and disillusionment with a cigarette in hand. Contrasting the Americana sensibilities of 2014’s I Will Not Be Afraid, Loner combines elements of 70s punk…Click on the title for more

Caroline Rose’s Pedals & Synths

Casper Skulls’ Guitar Pedals

Casper Skulls latest LP “Mercy Works” showcases a softer sound than their abrasive post-punk influenced beginnings. The record’s overall vibe is reminiscent of the post grunge alt-rock of the ‘90s, with Neil Bednis’ charismatic spoken word providing an original, edgy signature, and Melanie Gail St-Pierre’s soft vocals triggering the tracks’…Click on the title for more

Casper Skulls’ Guitar Pedals

Walker Lukens’ Gear and Creative Process

One of the most creative singer/songwriters to claim Texas as home, Walker Lukens has put in the time to get where he is. Eclectic pop ditties exude from his pores, while at the recent Float Fest he proved to have one of the hottest live shows in the Austin music…Click on the title for more

Walker Lukens’ Gear and Creative Process

Melkbelly’s Gear and Creative Process

The music of Chicago's noise-rock band Melkbelly incorporates elements of industrial sludge, shoegaze and math-rock to create a burst of deftly controlled chaos. Their 2017 LP “Nothing Valley” features delicious references to the unforgettable Bostonian bands signed by 4AD in the late 80’s/early ‘90s (read Pixies, Throwing Muses, and The…Click on the title for more

Melkbelly’s Gear and Creative Process

Kino Kimino’s Pedals and Sources of Inspiration

Brooklyn darlings Kino Kimino's debut LP "Bait is for Sissies," featuring Sonic Youth Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley serving as session men, will throw you off-guard, just like the band's bizarre, at time nonsensical videos. The brainchild of Kim Talon, the power trio offers deadpan vocals, gritty guitars, and 90's-cool-kid vibes embedded…Click on the title for more

Kino Kimino’s Pedals and Sources of Inspiration