One of the new generation of modern guitar masters interviews an OG. Fender presents Nick Reinhart interviewing and jamming with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth fame, as well as a performance by Moore’s group. As a bonus, I include the EarthQuaker Devices series Show us Your Junk, featuring Reinhart wittily describing his massive collection of sound generating gear. PS: If you haven’t watched the HBO Max series, Irma Vep, it is worth it just for Moore’s creative score.
I interviewed Sarah Lipstate over a decade ago after seeing her put on a terrific show of solo looping in Brooklyn, over a decade ago. In the years since, she has gone on to open shows for another great aliased modern guitarist, St. Vincent (nee Annie Clark), as well as touring, recording, and writing with Iggy Pop. For EarthQuaker Device’s series, Show Us Your Junk, she waxes at length about her gear and her origin story.
People, and by people I mean non-guitarists, wonder about the amount of overdrive pedals on the market, seemingly growing like mushrooms after a wet winter. Ah, but like mushrooms, each type has a distinctive flavor and effect. Earthquaker Devices new Special Cranker sounds like no other, so if you feel like there is a particular piquancy missing from your tone palette, this might be the answer. For specs, click on the ad to the right.
I deem November 4th Fuzz Day, as two major pedal companies have chosen it to reveal their latest entries into the fuzz world. The new Hizumitas is a collaboration with Wata of the Japanese band Boris and EarthQuaker Devices. It ticks off the Big Muff box, while Boss’ new FZ-1W Waza Fuzz resides more in Fuzz Face territory.
The pedal world is rife with cryptic stompbox names that give no clue to what the pedal is or does. While the name on EarthQuaker’s new pedal, Astral Destiny, doesn’t specifically mention that it is a reverb, it’s description “An Octal Octave Reverberation Odyssey” does accurately represent the feelings this device will evoke: a literally awe inspiring trip through the cosmos. There are plenty of pedals with “shimmer” functions out there, but with its octave up and down options, and its stretch feature, which doubles the reverb length while adding an adjustable pitch bending effect, Astral Destiny carves out its own place in the firmament. A must for ambience lovers, it is also just a great sounding reverb. Thankfully it allows presets, as you are quite likely to find at least eight sounds you won’t want to lose. (See “more” for specs).
