Backstage Pass

Welcome to Fishman’s “Backstage Pass” blog. We’re proud of our extensive artist roster, particularly because every player who chooses Fishman does so without incentives other than a desire for the best possible sound.

Here’s the inside scoop on what these discerning musicians are up to, and the Fishman products that they love and depend upon. And to all the artists, a heartfelt thanks!

We rolled into July with some of the best weather the northeast had seen all year – and four killers shows within one week – Incubus, Dream Theater, Sugar Ray and Hall & Oates.

(L) Rodney Sheppard & Mark McGrath live; (R) Rodney's Loudbox on stage in Boston

Sugar Ray before a show in Boston

We spent some time with Dream Theater guitar god John Petrucci and his tech to discuss an acoustic amplification solution for a double-neck guitar (12-string acoustic and 6-string electric). John Petrucci uses Fishman Powerbridges in his Ernie Ball guitars and runs through an Aura Imaging Pedal for a little more “effect.”

   
(L) John Petrucci's Ernie Ball double neck; (R) John's secret weapon: the Aura Imaging Pedal

The guys from Hall & Oates are always so gracious and classy. I had promised John Oates one of the new Aura Spectrum DI units to use in conjunction with his Taylor and Gibson acoustics for H&O shows and his solo acoustic gigs. We spent part of the band’s soundcheck trying out different Aura Images and experimenting with the blend control, compressor, and tuner. The band’s front of house engineer was so impressed with the difference in acoustic tone that the new unit was immediately placed in the signal chain and used for the show that night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

Back last fall, Fishman did some custom Aura Images for Ray LaMontagne and Eric Heywood, who often accompanies Ray on tour. Eric played on The Pretenders new CD and tour, which passed through Boston in August. He’s not only an accomplished guitarist but also a super-talented pedal steel player. Eric really added a lot to The Pretenders trademark sound.

Chrissie Hynde and her Martin D-35 with Rare Earth pickup

The big country tour of the summer was without question Kenny Chesney, whose “Sun City Carnival Tour 2009” packed Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA.  Guitarist and fiddle player Nick Hoffman – who was the first to use the Concert Series Violin pickup in ‘08 – invited us down the day before the show for soundcheck, which proved to be a great opportunity to meet up with the techs and players in the other bands – Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry and Sugarland. The following day was a perfect Saturday of non-stop, energetic country music performances.

   (L) Sugarland's Kristian Bush; (R) Kenny Chesney flies over the audience

 

Speaking of violin pickups, Enter The Haggis’ Brian Buchanan needed a Concert Series pickup for his new fiddle. Not a particularly tall order except that he needed it on the day of the show (and on a Friday).  Thanks to the folks at Johnson String Instruments in Newton, MA, Brian was up and running with his fiddle before the band rocked Boston Harbor later that night. The Canadian quintet band played a blistering set of raucous Celtic rock to a packed audience.

Enter The Haggis' Brian Buchanan

August ended with an amazing show by The Black Crowes with special guest Levon Helm and his band opening the how. Both bands played a lot of new material from their respective new releases, “Before the Frost…Until The Freeze” and Helm’s Americana masterpiece, “Electric Dirt.”

  
(L) Jim Weider with the Levon Helm Band; (R) Larry Campbell, Levon Helm and Jim Weider

              
  
(L) Chris Robinson jams with Larry Campbell & Jim Weider; (R) Jim Weider at Red Rocks

WHAT THE PROS PLAY...

Here are just a few of the artists who picked up Fishman gear this summer:

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Matrix Infinity

Jimmy Mattingly (Reba McEntire band)

Nashville Series mandolin pickup

Stuart Duncan (out on tour w/ Elvis Costello)

Loudbox Performer and Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/DI

Jim Weider

Ellipse Aura, Loudbox Performer, AFX Reverb

David Crosby

Matrix Infinity

Bob Weir

SA220 Solo Performance System 

Train

Ukulele pickups

LeAnn Rimes

Pro-EQ Platinum

Steve Earle

Ellipse Aura, Nashville Series mandolin pickups

Willy Porter

Matrix Infinity

Daughtry

Tune-O-Matic Powerbridge

Danick DuPelle (Emerson Drive)

Matrix Infinity

Sugar Ray

Matrix Infinity, Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/DI

Steve Howe (Yes and Asia)

Matrix Infinity, Aura Spectrum DI

John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

Matrix undersaddle pickups

John Oates

Aura Spectrum DI

Jimmy Buffett

Matrix Infinity

Gomez

Powerbridges

Randy Kohrs

AFX Reverb, Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/DI

Craig Fuller (Pure Prairie League)

Rare Earth Humbucking

Travis Tritt

AFX Reverb and AFX Chorus

Jim Hurst

SA220

Jason Krause (guitarist for Kid Rock)

Loudbox 100, Aura Imaging Pedal (Jumbo)

Tommy Hannum (Clay Walker band)

Aura Spectrum DI, Nashville Reso pickup

All-American Rejects

Ellipse Matrix Blend, Tune-O-Matic Powerbridge

Larry Campbell (Levon Helm Band)

Loudbox Performer, Jerry Douglas Aura Imaging Pedal, AFX Chorus Pedal

John Jeansonne (Rascal Flatts)

Aura Spectrum DI 

Jon Pousette-Dart
SA220 Solo Performance System

Check back for Fall 2009 highlights!!

Artist News: Spring 2009

After a busy winter of touring, this spring was bustling with a lot of summer tours in the making. Artists and their techs were looking for the best sounding and most reliable live gear for upcoming performances so they called us here at Fishman.

After loaning some gear to Bob Weir for an annual (and traditional) New Year’s Eve gig in San Francisco, his tech raved about how much Mr. Weir loved the SoloAmp. He took one with him on The Dead tour which rolled through Boston this spring. In such a high headroom situation, the SoloAmp cut right through and made for a perfect backline monitor while feeding the house P.A. from the unit’s XLR outputs.

The live shows started to really heat up again in May. First off was Gavin Rossdale (and his amazing guitarist Chris Traynor), who played The Paradise in Boston. We did some custom Aura Images and installed Ellipse Auras in both Gavin and Chris’ guitars late last year.  The band ripped through Bush classics and lots of solo material including some off Gavin’s last CD Wanderlust.

Sarah Barielles passed through New England one last time before taking a break to write and record her sophomore release. Our good friend Mark Messner (Ryan Adams, The Offspring) was out doing a few dates with Sarah, who was very unhappy with her live ukulele sound. A quick and easy install of an AG-Series passive undersaddle pickup made everything right. Thanks Mark!

We heard from George Strait’s fiddle player, Gene Elders, who was happy to get his hands on the new V-300 Concert Series pickup and a Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/D.I.  The country music legend’s tour made a stop in the Boston area in late May.

When our phones ring, it could be just about anyone in the world of music. But the one call that can totally make your day is when the tech from Spinal Tap dials you up to discuss gear. Our good friend Thom Lowry (who’s main gig is with Fishman artist John Hiatt) was working with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer during rehearsals for their “Unwigged and Unplugged Tour.” This was the first time the actors/comedians/musicians toured to perform songs from both “Spinal Tap” and “A Mighty Wind” acoustically. We were happy to provide a Full Circle bass pickup, Pro-EQ Platinum Bass Preamp/EQ/D.I. and a pair of Matrix pickups.

      Harry Shearer with Fishman's Chris DeMaria

Another stellar show in May was Ben Harper and Relentless 7. It was great to see such a raw, emotional and high energy show in an intimate club setting. The band ripped through the new CD “White Lies for Dark Times” and threw in a few covers like Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times” and the Queen/David Bowie classic “Under Pressure.”

Ben Harper and Chris D.

Afterwards, we spent some time with Ben and Relentless 7 guitarist Jason Mozersky and talked about the Fishman-equipped Martin Signature Series M-size model introduced last year and the possibility of doing some custom Aura Images back at Fishman’s studio.

Grascals’s banjo player Kristen Benson called us to order a pickup and preamp for the band’s summer dates. We got a chance to catch The Grascals at MerleFest in April and they were simply fantastic!

Our friends at Fernandes Guitars requested a Fishman Powerbridge and Powerchip for a guitar they were building for U2 guitarist The Edge.

Veteran guitar and keyboard tech Tim Myer checked in during a break from touring with the great Jeff Beck. Tim was helping with rehearsals and pre-production for the upcoming Michael Jackson shows (Tim’s worked with MJ since ’87) and needed to get a better sound for guitarist Tommy Organ. Not sure which guitar Tommy would end up playing in the show, we sent out a couple sets of Aura Imaging Pedals for dreadnought and orchestra sized guitars. Tim, who’s worked with George Harrison, Eric Clapton, The Concert for George, and Roger Waters, is die hard Aura fan. He’s turned so many artists on to the technology that we may need to put him on the Fishman payroll.

The month of May ended with a blitz of four shows in four nights. First up was JD Souther, who played a solo acoustic show at the Tupelo Music Hall in New Hampshire. JD has been very happy with the Ellipse Aura systems in his three custom Gibson acoustics. For any aspiring songwriters reading this – this show was a perfect showcase of finely honed music and lyrics. You’ve gotta see JD Souther live.

The following night, we met up with Steve Earle for the kick-off of his solo acoustic tour in New Hampshire. Steve played a lot of tracks off his new CD, “Townes,” a tribute to his friend and mentor, the late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt.

Steve Earle solo acoustic in New Hampshire

Throughout the show, Steve played a couple Martin OM-21 Steve Earle Signature models, both equipped with the Ellipse Aura preamp system. For his bouzouki and mandolin, Steve relied on his original off-board Aura unit that he’s had since it was first introduced in 2004. Afterwards, we had a chance to talk about some new Aura stuff that Steve was excited about trying. Thanks to Steve Earle for being an Aura artist from Day 1!

Chris D. with Steve Earle at Umanov Guitars, NYC

We met up with Steve again the following night at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. At his suggestion (or insistence), we provided an Aura Imaging Pedal to Joe Pug, who was Steve’s opener. After demoing the Aura (with Steve looking on and adding his comments and praise!), Joe was blown away with the instant improvement of his guitar sound and immediately added the pedal to his very lean live set up.

Joe Pug is a truly talented singer/songwriter and guitarist. His music is ripe with sublime, heartfelt and flowing lyrical vignettes reminiscent of Dylan, Guthrie and Steve Earle, as well. He plans to release his debut full length record in 2009. We’re looking forward to seeing Joe again this summer at the Newport Folk Festival.

To cap off the week, Fenway Park hosted two Dave Matthews Band concerts with opener (and also a Fishman artist) Willie Nelson. There’s nothing quite like standing on a stage in center field (with the infamous Green Monster behind you) and looking out into Major League Baseball’s oldest ballpark on a Saturday afternoon! 

Fenway Park from the stage in center field!

Dave Matthews at Fenway Park

I got to spend the afternoon with Dave and Tim Reynold’s guitar tech, Craig Baker, and talk about… well, just about everything I guess – guitars, amps, touring, the new CD, and obviously Fishman (Dave and Tim both use the new Matrix Infinity). We also provided a couple Aura pedals and an AFX Chorus pedal (for Dave’s 12-string). 

Dave Matthews' acoustic arsenal

Derick Sebastian (Ukulele whiz)               
SA220

John Petrucci (Dream Theater)                        
Aura Imaging Pedal (Concert model)   

Craig Fuller (Pure Prairie League)                   
Loudbox Performer 
  

Martin Simpson                                                           
Banjo Pickup

Alison Brown                                                   
Banjo Pickup

Korel Tunador (Katy Perry band)                             
Matrix Infinity, Aura Imaging Pedal (Dreadnought model)

Adam Traum (Homespun Music Instruction)                                                  
Loudbox Performer

Kristin Scott Benson (The Grascals)
Banjo Pickup

Alan Bartram (Del McCoury band)                   
Full Circle Bass Pickups, Pro-EQ Plat. Bass Preamp/EQ/D.I.

Jim Weider (Levon Helm band)                                   
Matrix Infinity, Loudbox Performer

Jake Clayton (Jimmy Wayne band)                 
Nashville Series Violin Pickup, Cello Pickup

John Oates                                                     
Matrix Infinity, Aura Custom Shop Imaging

Artist News: Winter 2008 -2009

No surprise that this past winter was one of our busiest. When Fishman launched the SoloAmp in September, we started getting a lot of interest not only from dealers but from a few artists who thought it would be perfect for the types of shows and venues that they play.

In fact, Jerry Douglas used one during his four “Artist In Residence” performances at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Soon after, Smithereen’s frontman Pat DiNizio ordered one for his “Living Room Concert Tour, which is exactly what it sounds like. According to Pat, “I do solo acoustic concerts that last nearly three hours and they are "request only" sets. The audience calls out the songs and I do my best to entertain them... I am honored and grateful to have become close friends with most of the good people who have sponsored these concerts, and these warm friendships have brought great joy into my life.”

Pat also released a fantastic new CD, “Buddy Holly” in January, featuring covers of the late rock & roll pioneer's work. The new release came just in time to mark the 50^th anniversary of Buddy Holly’s death. For more on Pat DiNizio, check out his website http://www.patdinizio.com. He’s got great blogs, great music and lots of cool stuff on there!

A special thanks to our friends at S.I.R. in New York for supplying Loudbox amplifiers to both The Who (for their Madison Square Garden shows) and The Black Crowes who were also in town doing a one-off acoustic show at the legendary Town Hall.  Guitarist Luther Dickinson and tech Randy Stinson were amazed at how well the show sounded with the amps on stage.

There were some other outstanding shows that came through the Boston area. One of them was legendary singer-songwriter JD Souther, who performed a solo acoustic show and featured a lot of great new material from his latest CD, “If The World Was You.” JD also treated the crowd to a few Eagles tunes he co-wrote like “New Kid In Town” and “Best Of My Love.” JD was playing a pair of custom Gibson 00 guitars with Ellipse Aura in each. Last summer, he had the guitars sent to Fishman right from the Gibson factory so we could create custom Aura Images for each and install the Ellipse Aura system.

We also got to catch The All-American Rejects just before the release of their hit CD “When The World Comes Down.” Guitarist Nick Wheeler relied heavily that night on his Gibson acoustics, which are all equipped with Ellipse Matrix Blend systems.

AAR's Mike Kennerty and Nick Wheeler, Esq.

Other concert highlights were Tina Turner, John Legend, and British singer-songwriter James Morrison, all of whom had an array of Fishman gear on stage, including Loudbox amps, Aura Imaging pedals and Rare Earth soundhole pickups.

James Morrison and Chris DeMaria

Before the end of 2008, our good friend Mike Scott, guitarist for Justin Timberlake and Prince, phoned us up for some Loudbox amplifiers he needed for Diddy and Mark Burnett’s new MTV talent search snow, "StarMaker." Mike spent the early part of this year in a mansion, the setting for the band and the contestants, who are all vying for a shot to be signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records. From rock to country, pop to R&B, this show will have it all – and the super-talented and versatile Mike Scott will be playing it all!

February and March highlights included an evening with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, where we got to spend some time with guitarist Neal Casal and the rest of the band. Neal is releasing a new solo album in May titled “Roots and Wings.” We’ve been playing it a lot around the office and it gets a big thumbs up!

One of the toughest challenges we have is when two Fishman artists are in town on the same night. This occurred in March when Hall & Oates appeared at Boston’s Orpheum Theater and Fleetwood Mac rocked the TD Banknorth Garden. With a little creativity, a cab and some good timing, we made it to both shows and got some time beforehand with both bands.

                         with John Oates                                    Fleetwood Mac in Boston

Lindsey Buckingham’s tech needed a “house call” for a couple new Prefix Premium Blend systems for some old Taylor guitars he plays in the show. We got there just in time for soundcheck and then hopped over to the Hall & Oates show to hook up with John Oates and T-Bone Wolk and drop off a Rare Earth Humbucking pickup.

John and I talked about Aura Imaging technology and our amplifier line, as well as working with producer/engineer/Fishman friend Bil VornDick on his last solo CD “1,000 Miles of Life,” which he recorded with Bil in Nashville.

The band sounded amazing as they ripped through a combination of their hits and some early gems from as far back as 35 years ago. It was also cool to hear a lot of those songs played acoustic for the first time!

And, by the way, after the H&O show I took a cab back to the Garden to catch most of the Fleetwood Mac set. It was a long night but who could resist going to two outstanding concerts within 2 miles of one another?

We capped off the winter concert season with a performance by GRAMMY and Tony-award winning singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik, who played to an intimate crowd at the Berklee Performance Center. Duncan has been a Rare Earth artist since the early days of his career. It was a real treat to hear Duncan and a stellar band play songs from his musical, “Spring Awakening.”

According to Duncan, "I’ve struggled with the sonic difficulties of reproducing the natural sound of an acoustic guitar through a P.A. system for as long as I've been playing shows. Of all the systems I have tried (and there are many!), the Rare Earth Blend soundhole pickup has managed to strike a fantastic balance between authenticity and power. It is a truly versatile solution that makes all my guitars sing in even the toughest of performance situations.” We couldn't have said it better.

As if all these shows didn’t keep us busy enough, Fishman moved to its new headquarters in Andover, MA just before the new year. The new facility is a huge step forward for the company and takes our efficiency and processes to a whole new level.

WHAT THE PROS PLAY...

Here are just a few of the artists who picked up Fishman gear this winter:

Gavin Rossdale and Chris Traynor

AFX Delay, AFX Chorus & AFX Reverb, Aura Imaging Pedals, Ellipse Aura and Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/D.I.

Dave Keunig from The Killers

Aura Imaging Pedals

James Morrison

Rare Earth Humbucking soundhole pickup

Nick Hoffman (guitarist/fiddle player with Kenny Chesney)

Aura Imaging Pedals, Onboard Aura, Concert Series violin pickup and Matrix Infinity

Jeff Pevar

SoloAmp Performance System

Justin D’Errico (guitarist for Pink)

Powerbridge Tune-O-Matic

Bob Dylan

Loudbox Performers and Rare Earth Humbucking pickups

Tony Garnier (bassist for Bob Dylan)

Full Circle upright bass pickup

James Stewart (Brooks & Dunn)

Concert Series violin pickup and Nashville Series resophonic pickup

Jason Mowery (John Fogerty and Jessica Harp)

Nashville Series mandolin pickup, Concert Series violin pickup, Nashville Series resophonic pickup and Jerry Douglas Aura Pedal Imaging Pedal

John B. Williams

Full Circle upright bass pickup

Counting Crows

AFX Reverb pedal, Nashville Series mandolin pickup, Rare Earth Blend, Nashville Series resophonic pickup, Jerry Douglas Aura Imaging Pedal and Pro-EQ Platinum Preamp/EQ/D.I.

Joe Walsh

Matrix Infinity