What I am listening to: The Civil Wars - Barton Hallow

Joy Williams and John Paul White met at a songwriting camp in 2008. Since then, their performances have gained attention of the world. They have toured with Adele, and played at almost every big event in 2011 when this album came out. This album won Grammys for best Country duo and best folk album. I caught their very brief performance and was stunned at how great they played together. I finally picked up the album and these two have great songwriting chemistry. With the help of Producer Charlie Peacock, The Civil wars have created a stunning album with so much ear candy it's hard to take it all in at once. All the delicate nuances have been picked up as if the players are circled around the listener. Please enjoy.

What I am Listening To: The Life Aquatic

Wes Anderson fans know this quirky movie about Steve Zissou, an aquatic explorer who is reunited with his estranged son and together they search for the shark that killed Steve's his best friend. The soundtrack drew me in with numerous David Bowie songs done by Bowie and Seu Jorge. Seu Jorge is the Portugese speaking guitarist that appears at the end of many of the scenes playing Bowie. Somehow to me, Bowie in Portugese is awesome. What surprised me is the original music is composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. Mark has become an established composer after years being the front man for DEVO. His original songs are well written and fit the scenes perfectly.  Mark's website has some portfolio work and a really cool interface: Mark Mothersbaugh

Gear Review: ModTone Aqua Chorus II

I recently received the ModTone Aqua Chorus II hoping it would replace my Danelectro FAB pedal. The flier stated that it has vintage chorus sound and great leslie effect. I hooked it up to my Fender Blues JR II playing my Silvertone 63. I was hoping for a really wet and wacky sound, but all I got was a very soft, gentle chorus effect. No matter how far the I turned the knobs, it would reciprocate with a gentle chorus or rotating leslie. I believe this is because the pedal only offers two knobs: Rate and Depth. No mix or tone knobs limit its capabilities. That said, the sound is fine for a simple chorus: safe and normal. If that's all you want, I am not sure why you wouldn't just pickup the Boss Chorus which can probably be found used anywhere on the planet for cheap, and it has stereo and more controls; but if you must have "boutique" this one is a good one to go with. It keeps it simple. Sometimes that is nice.