For those of you in a band, an all-too-familiar scenario is a pedal breaking, an amp burning out, or any number of other instrument related muck ups you hope to avoid.
For those of you in a band, an all-too-familiar scenario is a pedal breaking, an amp burning out, or any number of other instrument related muck ups you hope to avoid. But what if you were someone who actually knew how to fix those problems? Better yet, what if you knew folks who could make you unique instruments, pedals, pickups and everything in between?
Well, the folks at RVA recording studio Sound of Music are hoping to put musicians and gear-geeks in touch with local experts this weekend at the first ever Richmond Area Gear Expo (RAGE).
“We have a wealth of craftspeople around here who make their on modifications and equipment they play through,” said Chrissie Griffith, one of the RAGE coordinators and Sound of Music’s Studio Manager. “So I just wanted to get them all under one roof.”
And that she and her compadre Natalie Quick plan to do tomorrow when more than 11 area pedal makers, instrument makers, and sonic-tinkerers well gather for RAGE.
The event promises a mixed bag and it should deliver, with folks like Wombat Amplification known for the amp production (duh) to James Seretis Laboratories, Sound of Music’s own in house tech guy and nationally renown pedal maker.
The day’s events will involve demos, speakers, and a chance for people to actually check the gear out for themselves, split into 15 to 20 minute segments.
“I hope that people who are into building things can get a chance to learn from some of the pros,” Griffith said ahead of the event. “I hope somebody can find an instrument they fall in love with and maybe radically change the way they approach their art.”
Griffith, who plays in local bands Lady God and Fear of Music among others, admitted she doesn’t do any modding of her own, but that’s one of the reason’s she’s excited about this weekend.
“I don’t make anything except a mess,” she joked. “I wanted to showcase all the local people who make sounds sound better.”
It all goes down Saturday, 4/18, from noon to 4 at Sound of Music – 1515 W. Brad st.
Speakers and vendors include:
James Seretis Laboratories
Lindy Fralin Pickups
noiseKICK FX
Wombat Amplification
Dominion Amp Cabs
Rodriguez Guitars
Domestic Woodcraft Guitars
[Carry The What?] 3D Fabrications
SRC Effects
RVA ToneBrewers
Dave Watkins
…and many more!
