Signal To Noise

Episode 13: Guitar “Pickers”

Welcome to episode 13 of the Signal To Noise Podcast. On this episode I am joined once again by Scott Thompson of Focus On Metal to talk about our most fun and unique finds in the great gear acquisition quest! Inspired by TV shows like "American Pickers" and "Pawn Stars" Scott and discuss all the great place we have acquired used gear. When you have G.A.S (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) you learn that soon your wallet can not keep up with your desires. But what to do? Turn to the used markets of course! Hear Scott tell the legend of Daddy's Junky Music stores. Listen to Aaron spin yarns of Powder Pink Peavey Vandenberg (say that 5 times fast) guitars. Want to hear about a killer deal on a Joe Perry Boneyard? Check! $25 for a Digitech Scott Ian Black 13 pedal? Check! Whether is be a pawn shop, a used gear store, a guitar show or even a flea market, we cover it and what we have found there.Looking for a guitar show in your area? Head on over to Guitar Digest's Events calendar to find one near you. Here are some Pictures of our finds:

Episode 12: LifeBlood Guitar Picks and Mike Watt

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Podcast! In this episode we sit down to talk to bassist Mike Watt and we bring you a new piece of gear to check out. First up is Frank Fyock of Lifeblood Guitar Picks. Frank Started designing guitar picks after a hand injury made it difficult for him to play guitar. Frank's design focuses on forming picks to the natural curve of the hand so the pick moves less. We talk to Frank about how all this started and why he launched his Kickstarter Campaign. Next up is legendary Bassist Mike Watt. Mike was part of the famed California Hardcore Punk scene where he and his bandmates in the Minutemen forged new musical directions that merged Punk and Jazz together. Mike and I discuss the gear he uses in the studio and on tour. Mike also has a new book out and you can learn more about that at Iron City Rocks. Featured at the Top of the show was the song "All is Lost" by the band "Bleed The Freaks". I recently spoke with guitarist Mike Roberts for Iron City Rocks, and really enjoyed their music. Check them out when you have a chance. Until next time, make some noise!

Episode 11: Ibanez

In Episode 11 my co-host Sean and I discuss all things Ibanez as the company celebrates 25 years of the RG series! Topics Discussed: The History of the Hoshino Corporation The Launch of the RG Series Iconic Ibanez Guitars Iconic Ibanez Players Sean's RG 550 30th Anniversary TS-9 Getting an effects pedal through Airport Security  

Episode 10: Nick Catanese

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Signal To Noise Podcast! In this episode I have another guest host, my buddy  Sean (the owner of the blue Ibanez RG 550 I wrote about a while back). Sean and I talk about the the 30th anniversary edition TS-9 that Ibanez released this year. We also talk about the gear we are lusting after and some classic effects like the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal. In our interview with Nick Catanese, we discuss Nick's newest Paul Reed Smith Signature guitar, his signature Dean Markley Strings and Black Label's upcoming European tour. Guys like Nick are a great thing in the music industry. Nick is a great player, yet still humble and modest about his abilities. It's that kind of attitude that has kept Nick grounded and pouring out great music with Black Label Society year after year. Nick was a delight to talk with and...he is a Star Wars fan! Check out this picture of one of Nick's guitar Picks.  

Episode 09: The NAMM Show!!!

The January NAMM show is one of my favorite events of the year. It's the show where all the music gear manufacturers pull out all the stops and show off their new products. Months are spent planning for this show. In this episode I am joined by Scott Thompson of the Focus On Metal Podcast where we discuss our highlights of the NAMM show.   

Episode 8: Hamell On Trial

Since the dawn of music there have always been musicians who challenged the norm. Bach was notorious for telling off the nobles that supported him. Mozart was probably the original wild lifestyle rock star. And really who can blame them? In the times of Bach you had to be a very skilled musician to earn a living and you were barely paid for it. Now fast forward to 1950’s. Rock and Roll was taking off and stars were born every minute. Some became famous and made a ton of money, and others were slaves to the "nobles" of the time, you probably know them as Record Labels. Fast forward yet again to today and the music world is in turmoil and the labels blame illegal downloading. Looking at the last 400 years of music history, and realizing that is was essentially the same business model, I say something have to give. We live in an exciting time. It's easier than ever to make and distribute music. Thanks to the Internet, we now have easier access and more choices of music than ever before. And we also have a new emerging way of helping to raise money to put out your album, Kickstarter. Kickstarter lets anyone with a dream or an idea raise money to get their project off the ground. Filmakers, artists, writers, musicians, you name it, someone has a project for it on Kickstarter. I like Kickstarter because it is a pledge system with "rewards" for different levels of contribution. But most of all I like it because your project is funded (or not funded) based on the merit of the project and your hard work to promote it and get backers. If you are a solo musician who has been working really hard taking every gig you can and building a fan base, chances are you will be able to use Kickstarter to raise the money. One of my favorite artists, Hamell On Trial, has started a Kickstarter Project to raise money to record his next record. He set a modest goal of $7,000 dollars and in a about two weeks he reached that goal. In fact with 15 days to go (at the time of writing this) he has currently raised $8,023. In Episode 8 I talk to Ed about his Kickstarter project, his next steps and his approach to recording in the studio. If you have never heard Hamell's music, I recommend you start with "Tough Love" and then either "Ed's Not Dead" or "The Terrorism of Everyday Life". And after that, go see him live. You will never anything like a Hamell show. You will laugh,sing, shout, and probably have the best time you have ever had at a live show. I also encourage you to go to Hamell's Kickstarter page and make a donation to support the next great Hamell record. I am already backing it and I am waiting with anticipation to get my copy of the new disc. And since we are talking about the recording studio, we also feature a segment on Peavey's Revalver software done by Scott Thompson of the Focus On Metal Podcast. I have been using amplitube for about 5-6 years now and other than being a resource hog, I have been happy with it. Hearing the Peavey software and seeing how affordable it is, will make me a convert.

Episode 07: Paul Hanson of Boss Tone Radio

It's been a while since my last episode, but I am Back! Episode Seven features Paul Hanson, Boss Clinician and host of Boss Tone Radio.  Paul is a true musician. He understands and applies music theory, writes and records his own music, and he has amassed a backlog of stories! In one of the most interesting interviews featured on our show yet, Paul talks with us about a variety of topics from working as a guitar coach on the movie "Back To The Future" to the column he wrote for Boss and Guitar World Magazine called "The Pedals That Make The Tone". Paul was once an instructor for GIT (Musicians Institute for those of you who were not guitar players in the 80's like me) and has worked with and influenced a lot of the players we know today. Paul also writes and records his own music, the latest of which is available for free on CDBaby.com. Need your Rock and Metal Fix? Don't forget to visit www.castironring.com to get the best Rock and Metal shows the net has to offer!

Episode 06: Rob Caggiano and Ted Aguilar

In Episode 6 of the Signal To Noise Podcast we sat down with Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Ted Aguilar of Death Angel to talk about their current Tour. In 1990 I saw Death Angel play at a little place called "City Limits" it was an old Roller Rink that was used for small shows. It was one of my favorite places to see a band because you could get right up against the stage. It was small, but probably still held 500 people. After that show Death Angel seemed to just disappear. This was in the days before the internet, so I really had no idea where they went. It was great to sit down with Ted and talk about where they have been and how far they have come now. We discuss everything from Ted's guitars to the guest appearance from Rodrigo y Gabriela on their latest Release "Relentless Retribution". 1991 I saw Anthrax for the first time ever on what may been the perfect show for the times. The bands were in order: Young Black Teen Agers, Primus, Public Enemy, and Anthrax. It was probably one of the best lineups in a show I had ever seen. I have followed Anthrax since 1986 or 1987 and to this day there is still nothing like the sound of Anthrax. They re-defined the term"heavy" and the set bar in a place where few bands will ever be able to reach. 20 years after that first show I saw Anthrax again. And now I can can say that the show I just saw was probably the best line up for a show I have  ever seen. I had the opportunity to sit down with Anthrax's lead guitarist, Rob Caggiano, and discuss his role as a producer and how he captured the classic Anthrax sound while still sounding modern.

Episode 05: Garage Band on the iPhone

In Episode 5 we discuss using Garage Band on the iPhone, The Boss TR-2 Tremelo pedal, and we hear from Hank III about his gear. Apple just updated the Garage Band App for the iPad this past week, and the biggest part of the update was making the app available to the iPhone and iPod touch. This makes Garage Band one of the best portable composition tools on the market. Other Updates include being able to do 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures as well as being able to make custom chords for the smart instruments. I am a big fan of Boss Pedals because they are reliable, consistent and virtually indestructible, in this episode I sit down with the TR-2 Tremelo pedal and expolore some of the tones you can create with it. A special treat for this show was Hank III taking a moment out of his day to talk gear with us real quick. Hank is continuing the family tradition of putting out great Country music and causing a ruckus. Join the ruckus at Hank3.com .

Episode 04: Making Music On The iPad

I first started doing home recording in 1992. I had a Fostex X-28h, a Boss DR-550, a guitar and my P-Bass. It was a cassette recorder and was one of the best home units at the time. The recordings were rudimentary at best and rarely had more than 4 tracks. Still, I did a ton of writing and even recorded some other people. 8 years later I upgraded to the boss BR-8. Now I had 8 tracks, built-in drum patterns for roughing out ideas, COSM amp and mic modeling and it was all digital. In just 8 years home recording had changed DRASTICALLY. A year after that I started using my computer to do my recording, and in 2011...I can now record on an iPad. Garage band on the iPad blows me away. It boggles my mind to think that this self contained flat piece of glass and metal has more recording power in it than the Beatles had to record "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band". And yet here it is. I started my recording endeavor on a cassette tape, and there are no moving parts to be seen and it is a much more graphical interface than I ever had. What I like best about Garage Band for the iPad is that not only is it a great platform for sketching out ideas. It is also an empowering platform. With "Smart Instruments" it gives the beginner a solid starting point. It is nearly impossible to play a wrong note and it teaches chord theory in a round about way. Recently,  I had the opportunity to watch this empowerment first hand. I work with guy named Mike. He does not play any instruments, but he loves music and can sing. I thought Mike would enjoy a program like Garage Band, so I sat down with him, showed him the basics and let him go. In three weeks I watched him go from music enthusiast to music creator. The best part is with each song he writes he learns something and uses the smart instruments less and uses what he has learned from the start instruments and applies it to the other instruments in Garage Band. And that leads me to this episode. In episode 4 we talk with Mike about his transformation into music creator and how the iPad can be a viable tool for all musicians. All the Music in this episode was created by either Mike or Myself and done entirely on the iPad. So sit back and enjoy!