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!

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Anastasia and I playing guitar together

Last December I wrote a post called “Leaving A Legacy” about buying a Stratocaster for my son and speculating what guitar I would buy for our second child. Our second child was born in July and shares a birthday with my father. I ordered her guitar in May, and as I speculated it is a black and white, maple neck Fender Telecaster. I found it an interesting coincidence that the guitar I chose for my daughter just happens to be having it’s 60th Anniversary the same year she was born. I kicked around the idea of getting her the 60th Anniversary Model, but decided to go with the family tradition and stick to the black and white.

We picked up the guitar from Pittsburgh Guitars in September. Carl and the gang were

Anastasia with Carl and the Gang at Pittsburgh Guitars

once again very good sports and posed with Anastasia and her Tele, just like they had a year earlier with Nicholas. Carl even mentioned the kids in his weekly blog, “Carl’ Guitar Corner“. I really cannot say enough good things about Pittsburgh Guitars. They are a shop that really fosters a community environment among it’s patrons, and they really love guitars. I look forward to taking the kids down there when they get a little older to get “mini” Strats for them to start learning to play.

So about the Telecaster. Until September of this year, I had never really played one. After playing my daughter’s guitar, I understand a little more about the legacy that Leo Fender has left for all of us. The 2011 model Tele that I

Anastasia Playing her guitar "August Rush" Style

bought my daughter has not changed much at all in 60 years. It’s design is simplistic and functional, and by today’s standards very unremarkable. To me though, that guitar is quite remarkable. As I played it, I understood what Leo Fender had done. I understood why the Telecaster had remained the same for 60 years. Leo Fender did for the electric guitar and electric bass what Steve Jobs did for the home computer. He took existing ideas and concepts and made them reliable and easy to use. Contrary to popular believe, Leo Fender was not the first to market with an electric guitar or an electric bass, but he was the first to make them commercially successful. He took existing ideas and improved them, made them workable and reliable. The Tele is basically a solid slab of wood with a neck and strings, but somehow the sound that comes out is what is remarkable about the guitar. It sings, bright and clear. Even with single coil pick ups, it still has a punch and bite that was definitely not around in 1951, and is still unique today.

As guitar obsessed as I am I worry that I will turn into the overbearing parent who pushes the guitar on his kids. What I am hoping to do is create an open musical environment in the house where my children will be able to share my love of music. I do my best to play the guitar around my children and and with my children. The picture at the top of this post is not just for show. I love to sit down with one of the kids on my lap and play guitar with them. I pluck the strings and they work the fret board. I wish I would have recorded every time I have done this, becuase the kids have created some sounds that I never thought were possible. Recorded or not, I will always have these pictures and the memories that go with them, because the most important part of all this is just being able to spend time with my children sharing with them my love for music.

Zoom H2n

Happy Cyber Monday! I know I am not the first person to offer a holiday gift guide, but I plan on approaching it from a slightly different angle. For starters, ask your self a few questions about the guitarist on your Christmas list. Are they in an active band? What Kind of music do they like to play? Do you ever listen to them and think “That is just noise!”? Are they more traditional? Would you consider them “Artistic”?

Answering these questions will point you on the right track to finding the perfect gift for the guitarist on your list. To help the decision making along a little more I have a few suggestions based on the questions above.

Capturing Ideas -

If the guitarist on your list is in an active band, almost anything from strings and picks

Zoom Q3 HD

to a new guitar strap would be a great gift. But let’s look at this from a different point of view. To be a successful band you need to have great songs and a rabid fan base, so how about a way to record your ideas? Two suggestions come to mind for this. The Zoom H2n audio recorder and The Zoom Q3HD Video recorder.

When you have a band, the best way to improve and write more material is to record yourself. The Zoom H2n is around $199 at most retailers is an updated version the Zoom H2. It is easy to use and has great mics. I use mine to capture ideas on my acoustic or electric guitar. What I have learned to do is talk through what I am doing and how I am playing it so when I listen back, I can reproduce what I recorded. Another way I use the H2 is to record face to face interviews for my podcast. Since the Zoom has multiple mics, you can set it to record from both the front and back mics at the same time and set the reorder between the people who are talking. Once you have your recording you can easily transfer it to your computer (Mac or PC) via USB.

The Zoom Q3HD has the same great audio recording that the H2n offers PLUS it adds HD Video. Street price is normally $299. The bonus to this unit is that you can shut off the video and use it just as an audio recorder. I used one recently to record some video at a guitar show. You can see the videos on my YouTube Channel.

Creative Ideas -

A new piece of gear can sometimes stimulate the creative process for a musician, even

Spider Capo

a small one. A couple years ago I discovered a few special capos that let you get more than the standard capo. One that I really Enjoyed is the Spider Capo. The Spider Capo retails for around $30, which is pricey for most capos, but not for this one. What the Spider lets you do is Capo individual strings in any combination. Think of it as being able to re-tune your guitar on the fly. Add in some open tunings and the possibilities are endless.

Another capo that I found unique was Bob Kilgore’s Harmonic Capo. What this capo does is play a constant harmonic at the 12th fret. Musically it adds a great ambiance to what you are playing. At $34.95, it is again more than a regular capo, but for what it does musically it is worth adding to the capo collection.

Make Some Noise -

If you have a musician on your list that makes music that sounds more like “noise” to

Boss Feedbacker/Booster

you than music, then a new effects pedal would make a great gift. Boss recently introduced a new pedal that will let you add feedback to your sound at any time called the Feedbacker/Booster (FB-2). I am really happy to see this pedal come to market. The last pedal like this was the DF-2, Super Distortion Feedbacker back in the 80′s. I am on a quest to find one, and the FB-2 just might delay that quest.

For some serious noise and tones that no one will be able to duplicate look to Death By Audio. Death by audio came to my attention through a Guitar World article a few years ago. These pedals are custom made and very unique. Take some time to explore the site and listen to the demos to find that perfect pedal. These pedals are at the top of my wish list.

The Every Day Gift -

My last gift idea is a twist on something that guitarists use every day, the guitar pick. Why not do something unique and get the guitarist on your list their own custom guitar picks from Clayton Custom. A buddy of mine at work ordered custom picks to announce the birth of his son, which I though was a pretty cool idea. You can do everything from simple text to custom graphics.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Rob Caggiano of Anthrax

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.

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