The seasoned psych-rocker/punk/thrasher waxes nostalgic about the glory days of recording, the ghosts of gear’s past, and how some guitars just write the riffs.
Black Mountain’s fourth LP, IV, may be chock-full of eight-minute psychedelic outings, but it’s no rambling noodlefest. Packed with careful arrangements and thoughtful orchestration, the Vancouver, B.C., quintet led by guitarist and founder Stephen McBean creates a textured, brooding, sophisticated mood that captures and holds your attention—an unexpected perk from a band critics tend to mislabel.
McBean started playing acoustic guitar when he was 8, later got a paper route to save up for an electric, and then began performing in the early ’80s with bands playing a mishmash of thrash, hardcore, noise, and Northwestern Pacific weirdo music. His other projects—which he still tours and records with—include indie outfit Pink Mountaintops, and a hardcore band called Obliterations.
We recently spoke with McBean about remembering riffs, playing loud, the ghosts lurking in his arsenal of beat-up gear—some of it classic, some of it cheap—and the merits (or lack thereof) of recording to tape.
When did you first start gigging and playing in bands?
The first show was in ’83. We were like 12 and 13, and we actually opened for Scream from Washington, D.C. They were the band that the now-famous Dave Grohl played drums for—although he wasn’t with them yet. It was at OAP Hall in Victoria. We were so young and we had these weird ideas. Like, we tuned the third fret of the bass to open E so that me and the bass player would be on different frets but still be in tune—we figured that if it was just tuned lower it would be more bass-y. So we really had no clue, which was kind of the beauty of it—the whole beauty of that era of punk, hardcore, and American and Canadian weirdo music.
You were playing punk and hardcore?
We did that. There were three of us, and we all just started playing. Then we morphed into more crossover metal stuff—kind of thrashy stuff—as that scene happened. We were the right age for that. I think some of the older punks were into Gang of Four and stuff like that, and we were like, “Fuck that. We’re playing fast.”
Ennio Morricone vibe.”
What was the genesis of Black Mountain?
That was me and Josh [Wells, drums]. I got a 4-track and while learning how to use it, I made these demos of this band called Jerk with a Bomb. It would be everything from folk to noise to whatever. We did it for shits and giggles—you know, like, once a year or something. It grew out of me wanting to just strip everything down to this minimal songwriting—after being a punk/metalhead for a while, I just wanted to write riffs again, turn up the Marshall or the Hiwatt, and kick on a fuzz pedal. Then Amber [Webber, vocals] joined and we started combining the folk with stuff like the Velvet Underground or whatever. Slowly, the sound morphed as the band expanded. We got a bass player and eventually most of the first record was written before we became Black Mountain. We recorded the record and then Jeremy [Schmidt, keyboards] joined.
How do you keep track of the riffs you come up with?
Phones, computer, or sometimes if they’re good enough, they’ll just stick with you.
You don’t ever forget them?
I do more now. When I was a teenager and we were playing the thrash stuff—when you’re learning your instrument and you get excited about learning, you go through certain periods where you’re into being really technical—we’d have these songs that would be four or five minutes long with, like, 15 parts.
The band's fourth album—simply titled IV—is their first since 2010's Wildnerness Heart.
Can you talk a bit about arranging and orchestration? The new album has a number of fairly long songs, but they aren’t boring and they don’t aimlessly wander.
On the first record, there were more songs where we tried to find a vibe and maybe ride it out more. On this one, things keep moving. Most of the time there is a rough song—it can just be the chords and the lyrics—and we’ll just jam on it. There is a certain layering process. Usually we do a lot of the drums, bass, and guitar live, and Jeremy usually has a few first parts for each song. As we start overdubbing, we start throwing lots of things on here and there—almost to the point where it’s like, “This song sounds gross. There is way too much now.” We strip it back in mixing through trial and error and people agreeing or arguing. But it also has to do with Randall Dunn’s production and the way he mixes. We mixed on a really cool API Legacy console that had the Neve Flying Faders. Every pass that we’d go through when we were mixing, he’d be doing little automation bumps here and there. He’s got a really good ear for adding orchestration or whatever to rock music. Guitars come up, guitars come down, the Mellotron comes in—pushing different perspectives and different focal points of the song throughout.
Was Randall involved in the creative process—like, did he write songs with you in the studio or did you go in prepared?
We had most of them already. A few of them were just jams, but he came up to a couple of rehearsals and we went through everything. When it got down to doing the overdubs, he was basically our trusted ears for when we had,“The Take.” There were a few songs, like “Space to Bakersfield,” that were the second take. We just played it twice and the guitar solo is live. We started recording that and my friend Phil—who’s a really good guitar player—showed up, so I was all, “I’m going for the solo live.” When you get live takes, you’re on the seat of your pants because you don’t want to fuck up or everyone’s going to be, like, “Ahhh—we gotta do it again.” Also it’s all happening in the moment more, as opposed to layering things later when you’re playing along in your head to what you think might be there. If I just bust into a fuzz wah solo it’s going to affect the way Jonn [Ollsin, aka Arjan Miranda, bassist for the IV studio sessions] and Josh are interacting on the bass and the drums, the energy, and the push and the pull of the pocket.
McBean’s musical journey dates way back to his first gig with a punk band in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1983. He’s fronted several bands since, including Black Mountain, Pink Mountaintops, and Obliterations. Photo by Amdo Photo
When you play live, do these songs take on a life of their own?
We always go through phases of improv jams versus just putting on a good rock show. Usually by the time you finish a record, there’s a point where you love it so much, and then there’s a point where you hate it. But then there’s that fun thing where you get to reinterpret it all live—you get to deal with different things like playing to the audience, their interaction, their energy that you feed off of—and you also have the sheer volume of it. Volume is a part of our live show. I mean, we’re not as loud as, say, Sunn O))), but we’re pretty fucking loud. It’s quite a big wall of sound.
But you don’t play that loud in the studio?
We’re pretty loud in there. At certain times you have to, sadly, baffle things off—it always has to do with cymbals or something a little weird.
All recording shit is so far beyond its peak. The peak was in the ’60s and ’70s. But people now—with Pro Tools—are, like, “I need 48 tracks.” No, you fucking don’t. Black Sabbath didn’t need it. Jimi Hendrix didn’t need it. The Beatles didn’t need it. Just get better at your shit [laughs].
Keith Richards’ says his favorite way to record is just 8-track to tape.
Yeah, there is something about committing to tape. We recorded the beds to tape. Unfortunately, tape is really expensive now. The chemistry of making tapes and the people that calibrated the machines at all the studios—it’s a bit of a lost art. Now you have “Pro Tools Edit Guy” who comps everything up really quick—and that’s cool, too—but the people who ran the tape machines and kept them in order, I don’t think there’s as many of them anymore. I mean, if you’re recording on a shitty, broken-down tape machine it’s like … I don’t know [laughs], a song is there or it’s not.
But you went to tape for basics?
Yeah, we did the drums, bass, guitar, and one or two of the keyboards—like, maybe the Hammond or something that sounds really nice burnt all gritty to tape. You go for the vocal, too, and if you get it, same thing. Awesome. Because the vibe’s just there and there is no second guessing. It’s just trying to keep that commitment. Like, when I used to use my 4-track, maybe I’d have it filled up and then I would have a guitar solo or a vocal on there and I’d think, “I can do that just a little bit better.” But it also means that to record that take I have to record over what’s there—there’s no Pro Tools Playlist. There’s a commitment. And it’s exciting, it gives you butterflies in your stomach and it’s going to make you play or sing a certain way and not fuck around.
What guitars did you use on the album?
There was a ’50s Les Paul Special with P-90s that I used a fair bit. I have a ’77 Les Paul Standard that I used a bit. I used a Squier Jazzmaster—the J Mascis model—and I threw some of those Seymour Duncan Antiquitys in there. I actually used that a lot. It’s a cool, cheap guitar. I mean, guitars are weird—they just feel good. Sometimes it’s just the look of them, but they either write riffs or they don’t. I’ve got some really crappy Teisco Del Ray guitars that sound amazing and have little boost buttons on them. Gear is weird. There are so many germanium fuzz pedals, which I really love—like Colorsound stuff and Tone Benders—and, of course, Echoplexes, but sometimes tone is just in the hands. You can have as many fuzz pedals as you want, but don’t let your pedals control you.
Stephen McBean’s Gear
Guitars1977 Gibson Les Paul Standard
Squier J Mascis Jazzmaster
Gibson SG 1961 Reissue
1970s Guild Acoustic
Gibson Gospel acoustic
Amps
Marshall Super Bass
Hiwatt Custom 50
1970s Fender Twin reverb
Fender Super Reverb
Effects
Union Tube & Transistor Swindle
Fulltone Soul-Bender
Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive
Diamond Pedals Memory Lane Jr.
DOD Phasor 201
Vox V848 Clyde McCoy wah
Strings and Picks
D’Addario .010–.046 strings
Jim Dunlop Nylon picks (.60 mm or .73 mm)
Boss TU-2 tuner
Is the main Les Paul you use live the one from the ’70s?
Yeah, the Les Paul Standard. I bought it because it was essentially the same finish as the wine finish of the Les Paul copy I had when I was a kid. I put in PAF clones called [Sheptone] Heartbreakers that are based on Jimmy Page’s tone. The guitar had the Gibson original humbuckers in there before that, which were okay, but I didn’t totally love them. I also really like those old P-90s, they just bite. They sound so good through an early ’70s Marshall or Hiwatt. We had a couple of Hiwatts and either a ’69 or a ’71 plexi Super Lead in the studio. There were a couple of little Fender Champs, which are great for putting up to 10 even though they’re only 5 watts—put a mic in front of them, and they sound huge. I also have a really weird, broken-down ’70s Fender Twin that’s got a whole bunch of ghosts in it—like, all these weird pops and crackles, and the reverb has a really good spaghetti western, Ennio Morricone vibe. I guess there is something about the old gear. It’s kind of romantic to think about who could’ve played all these guitars, pedals, and amps, and what songs may have been written on them.
Do prefer to get distortion from your amps?
Sometimes. I’ve tried every boutique overdrive or distortion pedal that I could find, but I just settled back in on the Boss Super OverDrive. I was like, “45 bucks? Sounds great.” But I just got a pedal from Union Tube & Transistor in Vancouver, which is known for a collaboration they did with Jack White on some crazy oscillating fuzz pedal [the Bumble Buzz]. It’s this distortion pedal—the Swindle—that is loosely based on Steve Jones’ guitar sound on [Sex Pistols’] Never Mind the Bollocks, which is kind of perfect. It’s good for a little bit of riffage, but it’s also good for rock ’n’ roll. It’s kind of got that Neve bite.
How were the acoustic guitars on the album recorded?
We usually mic it and run it through an amp in the other room, usually a Fender with a bit of reverb. Usually I just put a pencil condenser pointed at where the neck meets the body.
In addition to Black Mountain, you’re involved in a few disparate projects, like Pink Mountaintops and Obliterations. How do you keep them separate?
It just kind of happens that way. Obliterations is almost a return to my young teenage self, but knowing some of the tricks of how to play that way. It’s kind of strange to play really primitive music—we don’t do it all the time—but it’s a blast and it feels really good to just go.
YouTube It
This recent performance in Madrid, Spain, exemplifies how Stephen McBean and Black Mountain weave a massive tapestry of sound.
When I was a kid learning to play guitar and listening to bands like Black Flag—or even when I heard Metallica, like the palm-muting thing—I was, like, “How are they doing that?” Or, “How does Greg Ginn get that insane guitar sound?” But then you learn what kind of gear they used or how they did things. For example, Greg Ginn was playing through solid-state Peavey heads. Coming back to that at this point in my life, it’s like, “This is how they got there,” as opposed to wondering. That and keeping it primitive and simple as fuck.
In a career defined by evolution, Joe Bonamassa is ready to turn the page once again. The blues-rock virtuoso has just announced Breakthrough, his most adventurous and genre-blending studio album to date, out July 18th via his own J&R Adventures.
At the heart of the announcement is the release of the album’s powerful title track—“Breakthrough' —a soulful, hard-hitting anthem about letting go, moving forward, and finding your fire again, available today on all streaming platforms.
Crafted across multiple continents and infused with a world’s worth of inspiration, Breakthrough marks a bold new chapter for Bonamassa—one that leans on fiery solos, emotionally rich storytelling, groove-driven arrangements, and stylistic exploration. Produced by longtime creative partner Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, The Black Crowes, Journey), the album was shaped by sessions in Greece, Egypt, Nashville, and Los Angeles, resulting in a vibrant sonic tapestry that shifts effortlessly from funky blues and Texas swing to acoustic ballads and swaggering hard rock.
Joe Bonamassa “Breakthrough” - Official Lyric Video
Watch the official lyric video for "Breakthrough" by Joe Bonamassa
“I think this album, Breakthrough, marks a shift in the styling of Joe Bonamassa’s recording output,” says Shirley. “While there are plenty of guitar solos on this record, his emphasis has been on songs primarily. Each time Joe undertakes a new recording project, he seems to access a different part of his vast library of music genre from the jukebox-in-his-head! This album is a round-the-world musical trip—from Little Feat funkiness to Texas swing, from hard rock power to acoustic singer/songwriter-style songs.”
The newly released single “Breakthrough,” co-written with longtime collaborator Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd), captures the emotional core of the record—an uplifting anthem about transformation, persistence, and letting go of the weight that holds us back. With gritty vocals, melodic guitar lines, and lush instrumentation, the track embodies Bonamassa’s signature blend of power and finesse while ushering in a bold new direction.
“Breakthrough” follows the success of Bonamassa’s recent singles “Still Walking With Me” and “Shake This Ground,” both of which hinted at the adventurous spirit behind the full album. “Shake This Ground” delivered a moody, introspective edge, while “Still Walking With Me” leaned into warmth, gratitude, and classic soul. Each track reflects a different facet of Bonamassa’s evolving songwriting approach, rooted in emotional honesty and anchored by his unmistakable guitar work.
The album announcement caps a stretch of extraordinary momentum for Bonamassa. Next up, Bonamassa recently began his extensive *European Spring Tour, followed by a June run with his powerhouse supergroup Black Country Communion* (featuring Glenn Hughes, Jason Bonham, and Derek Sherinian). After another round of summer dates across Europe—including sold-out shows in Ireland—he’ll return stateside for his just-announced* 2025 U.S. Summer Tour*, a limited amphitheater run featuring stops at The Greek Theatre, Red Rocks, and more iconic venues.
With over 50 albums, 28 #1 Billboard Blues albums, and a lifelong commitment to evolving the genre, Bonamassa shows no signs of slowing down. Whether headlining iconic venues, mentoring rising artists through Journeyman Records, or supporting music education via his Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, Bonamassa continues to shape the future of blues-rock with every note.
For more information on Breakthrough, tour dates, and VIP packages, visit jbonamassa.com.
Delicious, dynamic fuzz tones that touch on classic themes without aping them. Excellent quality. Super-cool and useful octave effect.
Can’t mix and match gain modes.
$349
Great Eastern FX Co. Focus Fuzz Deluxe
Adding octave, drive, and boost functions to an extraordinary fuzz yields a sum greater than its already extraordinary parts.
One should never feel petty for being a musical-instrument aesthete. You can make great music with ugly stuff, but you’re more likely to get in the mood for creation when your tools look cool. Great Eastern FX’s Focus Fuzz Deluxe, an evolution of their très élégantFocus Fuzz, is the sort of kit you might conspicuously keep around a studio space just because it looks classy and at home among design treasures likeRoland Space Echoes, Teletronix LA-2As, andblonde Fender piggyback amps. But beneath the FFD’s warmly glowing Hammerite enclosure dwells a multifaceted fuzz and drive that is, at turns, beastly, composed, and unique. Pretty, it turns out, is merely a bonus.
Forks in the Road
Though the Cambridge, U.K.-built FFD outwardly projects luxuriousness, it derives its “deluxe” status from the addition of boost, overdrive, and octave functions that extend an already complex sound palette. Unfortunately, a significant part of that fuzzy heart is a Soviet-era germanium transistor that is tricky to source and limited the original Focus Fuzz production to just 250 units. For now, the Focus Fuzz Deluxe will remain a rare bird. Great Eastern founder David Greaves estimates that he has enough for 400 FFDs this time out. Hopefully, the same dogged approach to transistor sourcing that yielded this batch will lead to a second release of this gem, and on his behalf we issue this plea: “Transistor hoarders, yield your troves to David Greaves!”
The good news is that the rare components did not go to waste on compromised craft. The FFD’s circuit is executed with precision on through-hole board, with the sizable Soviet transistor in question hovering conspicuously above the works like a cross between a derby hat and B-movie flying saucer. If the guts of the FFD fail to allay doubts that you’re getting what you paid for, the lovingly designed enclosure and robust pots and switches—not to mention the pedal’s considerable heft—should take care of whatever reticence remains.
Hydra in Flight
Just as in the original Focus Fuzz, the fuzz section in the Deluxe deftly walks an ideal path between a germanium Fuzz Face’s weight and presence, a Tone Bender’s lacerating ferocity, and the focus of a Dallas Rangemaster. You don’t have to strain to hear that distillate of elements. But even if you can’t easily imagine that combination, what you will hear is a fuzz that brims with attitude without drowning in saturation. There’s lots of dynamic headroom, you’ll feel the touch responsiveness, and you’ll sense the extra air that makes way for individual string detail and chord overtones. It shines with many different types of guitars and amps, too. I was very surprised at the way it rounded off the sharp edges made by a Telecaster bridge pickup and AC15-style combo while adding mass and spunk. The same amp with a Gibson SG coaxed out the Tony Iommi-meets-Rangemaster side of the fuzz. In any combination, the fuzz control itself, which boosts gain while reducing bias voltage (both in very tasteful measure) enhances the vocabulary of the guitar/amp pairing. That range of color is made greater still by the fuzz’s sensitivity to guitar volume and tone attenuation and touch dynamics. Lively clean tones exist in many shades depending on your guitar volume, as do rich low-gain overdrive sounds.
The drive section is similarly dynamic, and also quite unique thanks to the always versatile focus control, which adds slight amounts of gain as well as high-mid presence. At advanced focus levels, the drive takes on a fuzzy edge with hints of Fender tweed breakup and more Black Sabbath/Rangemaster snarl. It’s delicious stuff with Fender single-coils and PAFs, and, just as with the fuzz, it’s easily rendered thick and clean with a reduction in guitar volume or picking intensity. The boost, meanwhile, often feels just as lively and responsive—just less filthy—lending sparkle and mass to otherwise thin and timid combo amp sounds.
Among this wealth of treats, the octave function is a star. It works with the fuzz, drive, or boost. But unlike a lot of octave-up effects, you needn’t approach it with caution. Though it adds plenty of the buzzing, fractured, and ringing overtones that make octave effects so wild and distinct, it doesn’t strip mine low end from the signal. The extra balance makes it feel more musical under the fingers and even makes many chords sound full and detailed—a trick few octave effects can manage. With the fuzz, the results are concise, burly, and articulate single notes that lend themselves to lyrical, melodic leads and power chords. In drive-plus-octave mode, there are many hues of exploding practice-amp trash to explore. The boost and the octave may be my favorite little gem among the FFD’s many jewels, though. Adding the octave to boosted signals with a generous heap of focus input yields funky, eccentric electric-sitar tones that pack a punch and are charged with character in their fleeting, flowering state.
The Verdict
It’s hard to imagine adding extra footswitches to the Focus Fuzz Deluxe without sacrificing its basic elegance and proportions, and without elevating its already considerable price. Certainly, there would be real utility in the ability to mix and match all three excellent gain modes. On the other hand, the output level differences between fuzz, drive, and boost are pretty uniform, meaning quick switches on the fly will shift texture and attitude dramatically without delivering an ear-frying 30 dB boost. And though it’s hard not be tantalized by sounds that might have been, from combining the fuzz and/or boost and drive circuits, the myriad tones that can be sourced by blending any one of them with the superbly executed octave effect and the varied, rangeful focus and output controls will keep any curious tone spelunker busy for ages. For most of them, I would venture, real treasure awaits.
Why is Tommy’s take on “Day Tripper” so hard? And what song would Adam Miller never play with him? Plus, we get Adam’s list of favorite Tommy Emmanuel records.
We call guitarist Adam Miller in the middle of the night in Newcastle, Australia, to find out what it’s like to play with Certified Guitar Player, Tommy Emmanuel. Miller tells us just how famous Tommy is in Australia, and what it was like hearing him play from a formative age. Eventually, Adam got to open for Emmanuel, and they’ve since shared the stage, so we get the firsthand scoop: Why is Tommy’s take on “Day Tripper” so hard? And what song would Miller never play with him? Plus, we get Adam’s list of favorite Tommy Emmanuel records.
Adam’s newly released trio album, Timing, is out now.
Plus, we’re talking about new recordings from Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton, as well as Brooklyn Mediterranean surf party band Habbina Habbina.
Peavey Electronics announces the Decade preamp pedal. The internet and social media have been abounding with chatter about the current recording secret of the modern-day guitar gods – the Peavey Decade practice amp.
The discontinued amp has reached unimaginable demands on the secondary markets. So much so that small pedal builders have made attempts to capitalize and duplicate the proprietary designs themselves. Tone chasers can now rejoice as the Decade preamp pedal now brings those highly sought after tones back to market in a small, compact footprint.
Guitar players will find a single input, single output preamp pedal straight forward and easy to navigate. Faithful to the original Decade circuitry (circa 1980), the control layout will be identical to the original amplifier. The GAIN section features PRE and POST controls. PREGAIN sets the gain of the input circuitry. POST GAIN sets the gain before the out. Built off the legendary Peavey Saturation patent, the new, switchable SATURATION allows tube-like sustain and overload at all volume levels, suitable for bedrooms, rehearsals, stadiums and apparently, those very expensive recording studios. The traditional BASS, MID, and HIGH equalization controls provide the tone shaping enhancements any guitar should require. Upgraded pedal features include an internal 24v supply from the standard 9v supply/battery and worldwide EMC/FCC compliance approval.
To learn more, visit online at www.Peavey.com
Street $199.99 USD