Jeff Bober -- EAST Amplification, Columnist
What am I listening to?
Joe Bonamassa,
Driving Towards the
Daylight; Grace Potter and the Nocturnals,
The Lion the Beast the Beat; Warren Haynes
Band, Live at the Moody Theater; and of
course—one of my amps!
What is your power tube of choice?
Why,
a 12AT7, of course! When used as an output
tube, it can be glassy and full sounding
or compress up and become very harmonically
rich when pushed into distortion. A
very cool little performer.
Rebecca Dirks -- Web Content Editor
What am I listening to?
Regina Spektor,
Begin to Hope. I’m rediscovering
this favorite
from a few years ago. Simultaneously funky,
pretty, and strong—I love this girl’s voice.
What is your power tube of choice?
Fresh
off a 14-hour video shoot with the nine
spectacular “Champions of Chime” amps
—closed out by the simply amazing Justin
Derrico—I feel I have no choice but to
say EL84. Go watch the videos. Now.
Andy Ellis -- Senior Editor
What am I listening to?
Matt Munisteri,
Still Runnin’ Round in
the Wilderness: The Lost
Music of Willard Robison. Swinging interpretations
of tunes by an amazing—yet largely
forgotten—1920s songwriter and bandleader.
What is your power tube of choice?
Currently, a lightly used, vintage Mullard
EL34 running in my single-end THD
UniValve head—an ideal “tube tasting”
machine. But with dozens of single tubes to
savor, I might say a NOS Philips 6V6GTA
next week.
Shawn Hammond -- Editor in Chief
What am I listening to?
The National, Sad
Songs for Dirty Lovers.
The 2003 sophomore
effort from inimitable vocalist Matt
Berninger and twin 6-stringers Aaron
and Bryce Dessner has all their trademark
moodiness and atmospherics, plus some
pretty rad electric-piano and vocal-chordstrafing
moments.
What is your power tube of choice?
In
general, 6V6s suit my playing best, but for
the last couple of years I've been getting the
best tones of my life with 6973s.
Chris Kies -- Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
I’ve always lived and
died by Queen’s debut
because of thrillers like
“Liar” and “Keep Yourself Alive” alongside
psych-tripper “Jesus.” But after reexamining
their catalog, A Night at the Opera takes the
crown thanks to new B-side faves “The Prophet’s
Song,” “39,” and “Death on Two Legs.”
What is your power tube of choice?
My current setup is an EL34-monster
Marshall combo, but after hearing the
“Champions of Chime” in person, I’m
ready to get a bit cleaner.
Rich Osweiler -- Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
A Place to Bury
Strangers, Worship. With
elements of Bauhaus, the
Jesus and Mary Chain, and a meat grinder
plugged into an overdrive, the fuzzed-out
chaos served up from these Brooklyn-based
noise rockers is aggressive, yet hauntingly
melodic at the same time. Pick out your
best shoes to gaze upon.
What is your power tube of choice?
Give me 6550s and their oh-so-nice,
big-and-clear warmth.
Tim Schroeder -- Schroeder Audio -- Guest Picker
What am I listening to?
I’m a bit obsessed
with a little-known
Wisconsin band, Fragile.
They’ve made one album. I stress the word
album because, while the tunes are strong in
their own right, you are rewarded by sitting
and listening to the whole CD, start to finish.
What song pumps you up before a gig?
As I’m a big fan of headroom, I’m partial to
the old GE-made 6550s. Big and beautiful!
Charles Saufley -- Gear Editor
What am I listening to?
All over the map,
but keep returning
to the amazing Jim
Sullivan U.F.O. LP reissue (killer, circa-’69,
baroque-country rock with Earl Palmer on
drums!), Blues Control’s Valley Tangents
(genre-obliterating, twisted mood-manipulation
instrumentals), and White Fence’s
Family Perfume Vol. 2. (sweet Kinksian/Syd
Barrett/Skip Spence jigsaw puzzle pop).
What is your power tube of choice?
The
fresh ones my repairman puts in after a
tune-up! No worries for another two years!
Jason Shadrick -- Associate Editor
What am I listening to?
Pink Floyd, The
Wall. After seeing Roger
Waters’ epic production
at Wrigley Field, it gives me a new appreciation
and insight into the greatest concept
album ever made. Hearing Dave Kilminster
play the “Numb” solo from 60 feet in the
air makes you reconsider everything.
What is your power tube of choice?
My usual tone recipe starts with a robust,
clean tone and then I color that with pedals.
To my ears, an EL84-powered combo
usually does the trick.