Happy 3 Years of “In Strifes”

I can’t believe it’s been 3 years since I published that record. I was so happy to be done with it. It took a couple of years to get everything tracked right. I did rush through some things, that looking back I would redo. But that’s how it goes. Once you release your little art-baby, you have to just let it live out in the abyss.


The tracklisting of the record was done more chronologically. The record starts with a song of arrogance, Far From Home Sick. It comes out swinging, complaining about how all my friends are dumb and I’m the smart one for moving away. Spare Love and Reasonable Confidence should be more towards the end of the record if we’re going story-wise. I chose to move them up for the listener. They felt like “sturdier” songs as to keep up a momentum.

A Stand Off Waltz was important to me. It was one of the first songs I wrote for this record. When I finished its demo, I felt like I was a REAL songwriter. I’ve written dozens upon dozens of songs at this point, but it was the first one that didn’t sound like me… It sounded professional.

The middle of the record goes into snapshots of living in a toxic relationship. Wake Up Blondie was the weakest of the litter in terms of my songwriting. I chose to keep it in because it’s the only song that I blame myself. Lyrically the album is lopsided. I noticed that I played the victim in most of the songs.

The record concludes with songs of defeat. Blind Spot is a howling of denial. “I ain’t going to miss you, half as much as you’ll miss me” It’s almost a cliche you can’t quit you’re fired scenario. In End Of March, I talk about moving back home to all my burnt bridges and how I have to rebuild/repair myself.

I was convinced everything would start happening for me once I released this record. NO ONE GAVE A FUCK, but that’s life. Could I have advertised more? Yes. Could I have played more shows to promote it? Yes.

Maybe I should have documented my “process” better. Maybe I needed to give people a better look into how I made a record all by myself.

I believe watching someone make an album is like watching someone go to the bathroom. It’s intimate, but far from glamorous. I’d be too distracted, while trying to get my shit done (sorry for the pun). If you’re the type who enjoys that much attention, you’re probably making music for the wrong reasons.

At the end of the day I could/should have done things different. The record is a success in my eyes because I FINISHED it. I don’t care about sales or notoriety. There was a voice in my head telling me to make this album all on my own. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to progress without doing it. So I went for it.

Few “Artists” can say they wrote, performed, mixed, mastered, and published an album all by themselves.. WITHOUT FAKE DRUMS AND AUTO-TUNE, but I DID!

Pedal Build: Boost / Electra Drive – Part 2

This pedal is a mashup of a few different pedals.

The Double Barrel by JHS

The LPB-1 Boost by EHX

The EM Drive by Emerson

I like the idea of the Double Barrel,  where you  have two distortions with an order selector. This way you can slam one into the other for different tones.  I used a 4PDT toggle and this wiring diagram I found HERE

The left hand side pedal is my version of LPB-1 Boost. I added a toggle to the input capacitor value. 220nF or 47nF. This comes in handy when I slam the boost into another pedal on the Neck pickup. The 47nf cuts off some the low end to let it breathe. I also added a clipping diode selecting toggle. It’s similar to the tube screamer side of the Double Barrel. The CENTER position is off. The DOWN position is Silicon Diodes. The UP position is Red diffused LED’s.

The right hand side pedal is my version of an EM Drive. I added another clipping diode selecting toggle. This time a negative germanium diode remains in the circuit, but the toggle chooses between a positive Silicon or a positive Red Diffused LED.

Pedal Build: Tube Screamer Clone – Update

I put together the tube screamer last night. I couldn’t turn it on until today, because I was still waiting on the IC chip to arrive. The mail came, I popped it in, and I love it! I was expecting the pedal to be brighter, but from what I’ve read the RC4558 is supposed to be warmer.

Most of the parts were purchased from Mammoth Electronics. The PCB is from General Guitar Gadgets, and I used a few GGG’s ideas for mods. The left toggle is a fat switch. The right toggle is a on-off-on that lets you switch from (asymmetrical 914 diode clipping, no clipping – boost, red led’s – crunch). I also used the list supplied by GGG to switch out some parts like the Keeley Mod.

This was the first pedal project that I housed in a 125 size enclosure. It’s a third of an inch taller than the standard 1590b size. With that extra space I tried top mounting the jacks like Wampler!

Pedal Build: Tube Screamer Clone

I’ve never owned a tube screamer. I was never drawn towards them. The closest I’ve ever gotten, was when I played through a Double Barrel by JHS. I didn’t like it. If felt as though the bass was cut. I just recently learned that Stevie Ray Vaughan used to stack two in his signal path. That fact alone spiked my curiosity. I just got all the parts today, except for the RC4558 chip. I’m expecting that to show up tomorrow.

I was excited to work on a pedal today. I sort of rushed through drilling all the holes. The result of my haste is wonky holes. I’m not too happy with how the holes are spaced. I might buy a new enclosure and re-case this pedal, if I like the way this pedal sounds.

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