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.
Festivals have been attempted and the jury is still out whether they were a good idea. As a new round boots up this summer, along with a new strain of Covid, here is a safe festival that somehow has been sitting in the can for almost a year (my how time flies). Legends, legends in the making, and some upstarts.
Bill Frisell Trio, Recorded July 3, 2021
Sarah Lipstate has become something of a modern guitar superstar. Between opening for major acts, demoing the coolest products at NAMM, and her raft of distinctive ambient records as Noveller, she has proved a master (mistress?) of the looper. Her records reveal a serious composer, and through her Instagram page has proved she can geek out about gear with the best of them. Here she talks about how she made the excellent Arrow, which you should pick up immediately at Bandcamp.
Modern guitar virtuoso, Sarah Lipstate A/K/A Noveller demonstrates how she uses the EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Thing to help her wrestle the pedals she employs for her magnificent soundscapes into submission.
NAMM 2018 was even bigger than last year, yet much more manageable. The brand new ACC (Anaheim Convention Center) North building housed most of the high tech and pro audio stuff, allowing guitars and related products to be centralized in one area on the main floor of the original building. NAMM further reduced the spread by offering the new boutique manufacturers—previously relegated to downstairs Hall E—smaller, more affordable booths in the main guitar product ghetto. Thus, I was able to cover the show in two relaxed, rather than three grueling, days.
The new AAC North building