Zoom Choir

Back in the mid 90's Zoom released a few pedals that had some really cool functionality.  The pedals had a number of different types of sounds as well as the ability to set a preset and a current setting that was foot switchable.

I was fortunate enough to purchase the Zoom Choir 5050.  This pedal offered chorus,chorus and reverb,chorus and delay, delay, aura, and dimension.  While I mostly used this  pedal for chours and delay the other sounds came in handy at times.

Below is a video demo of my Zoom Choir 5050

Point Reyes Lighthouse

A few years ago my wife took a trip to San Francisco.  While up there she decided to fulfill one of her bucket list items, visit a lighthouse.

She made the trek down to the Point Reyes Lighthouse.  Established in 1870 it is approximately 300 steps down to this magnificent building.  Below is a video montage of the photographs she took on her trip.

Scott's Superdrive

As you may know I've dabbled in the DIY pedal scene for a while.  I love the smell of melting solder and the fly by the seat of your pants "will it work?" feeling when making a pedal.

A number of years ago I started trying my hand at creating something different by mashing different pedal designs together. Some of these were non starters and others were OK.  This particular experiment came out quite well.

Scott's Superdrive took the Tube Screamer type circuit and married it to a Big Muff type tone stack. Of course each of these parts of the pedal received their own tweaking and modifications.  At the end of it all was a Mosfet output stage to recover some of the signal loss from the tone stack.

The result was an overdrive with more drive than a Tube Screamer, less buzz than a Big Muff, and an overall interesting characteristic all it's own.

Digitech CF-7 Chorus Factory

Let it be known, well I guess you already know, I like chorus.  The lush deep swirly sounds, the subtle slow doubling sounds, even the over the top 80's over modulated chorus.

Back in the mid 2000's Digitech introduced the CF-7 Chorus factory.  This pedal was s modeling pedal with a remarkably good sound. It included models of Boss, Digitech, Fulltone, Electro Harmonix, and TC electronic pedals.

With a multitude of controls and all these models it was a chorus junkies dream.

I purchased one of these pedals and used it extensively for years.  Below is a demo of the pedal, which can still be had on ebay for not a lot of money. If you like chorus, you should check out this pedal.

Rivendale....gone but not forgotten

Rivendale started as a family home in Towsley canyon in the Santa Claerita Valley back in the mid seveties. At first just a home for a family looking to carve out a life for themselves it soon grew in to more than that.

 An equestrian center and stables which hosted many events over the course of many years were also built. First built to satisfy the desire for a little girl to have a horse it soon became a place where many could enjoy the beauty and serenity of the then quaint and quiet Santa Clarita Valley.

  While the equestrian center had laid abandoned for many years the house is still used by the park. I had long seen the abandoned Equestrian Center from The Old Road and finally, in 2013, I decided to visit this location. 

I'm glad I took that opportunity as well as my camera. Little did I know that I would document for myself a place that only a few years later would be torn down and gone forever, 

Below are the photographs I took on that December day in 2013.  Enjoy and share. 

If at first you don't succeed...walk away?

Have you ever had one of those days where you just couldn't get it right. You're trying to learn a part but you keep running into a wall. You try to get a track down, but you keep flubbing the take. So you keep trying. You don't quit right?...or do you.

Sometimes walking away is the best thing. Clear you head. Let your body relax. Give yourself time to rethink the process. I know it's hard when you are so focused on getting it right, but that focus may be misleading. You may not be focusing on the part but rather the need to get the part done.

It's amazing how the mind and body can come together when they need to, but sometimes you need to give them space.  Sometimes all you need is a reset button.  It's a hard thing to do when you have a deadline, a gig tomorrow night, or you are one track away from finishing the next big song.

Remember, music is made up of sounds and spaces where there is no sound. Allow yourself the spaces so that the sound that you make is spectacular.

Got gas?

America lives on fossil fuels.  While we are all leaning towards hybrids and fuel efficient cars, back in Detroit's heyday the gasoline was the the liquid that fueled our travels. 

Times have changed and gas stations now have multiples of pumps, mini marts, and even fast food restaurants built in. These one stop shops may service our needs but they lack the style that the gas stations of yesteryear had.

I am fortunate that I have been able to document some vintage gas stations that, while no longer in service,

still exist in one form or another.  These buildings remind us of the days of the family road trip, Route 66, roadside attractions, and in general, a simpler way of life.