00:00today's episode is pulled from the
00:02archives it was a much more simple time
00:05covin night team did not exist and I was
00:08in Anaheim California it was January of
00:112019 and I was in about day three of the
00:15NAMM show I'd lost my voice I was losing
00:18my mind and slowly hating guitar so I
00:21grabbed my good friend Jamie Stillman we
00:23escaped together to my rental home
00:26across the street and I interviewed him
00:28about my favorite Earthquaker pedals and
00:30his story of how Earthquaker started
00:33it's a riveting masterpiece of
00:35documentary information about one of my
00:37favorite people one of my friends and
00:40one of my favorite pedal company so grab
00:42some popcorn grab a loved one grab some
00:45gummy worms Sour Patch Kids and just
00:47pretend you're at the movie and enjoy
00:49today's presentation of who is
00:52Earthquaker devices let's roll the
00:55footage so the first part I guess into
00:58this camera just to introduce yourself
01:00that camera that now it's time for me to
01:05be uncomfortable I am Jamie Stillman
01:07from Earthquaker Devices and I'm
01:22we're gonna dig in to go dr. Phil on
01:24yeah okay yes please
01:26all right so when did music first become
01:29important to you as long as I can
01:31remember my parents have a recording of
01:34me from like I was like three singing
01:39hard to his night even beating on
01:41hatboxes and like I have a photo of me
01:45with my first drum set when I was like
01:47five and Christmas at Christmas I can't
01:51remember a time where I wasn't a
01:53musician that's cool or your parents
01:55musicians no that's the weird part
01:58but when I was younger we lived at my
02:00grandparents house and my mom's side of
02:02family is huge and my uncle had a band
02:06there in the basement and I haven't got
02:08a couple other uncle's who play
02:11instruments but my uncle Danny who his
02:14son Cory do a bit of works at
02:16Earthquaker okay he's the one in all the
02:18videos he's Eric Quincy Davis I'm
02:20listening his videos but his dad taught
02:22me how to play guitar of in drums when I
02:24was real young that's cool yeah my no
02:27one in my family either it's a strange
02:29thing my parents can't even operate a
02:31radio my dad was way in the music they
02:35have to keep the play drums a little bit
02:37I remember him like annoying out of
02:40us in the ladies on white boy be like
02:42yeah like he would come down and like
02:43want to play foxy lady and had one
02:46friend who could do it yeah my dad only
02:51listened to like Marty Robbins a lot of
02:54gunfighter ballads you know like every
02:57I had the you know that my parents
02:59wasn't the good music but I didn't
03:00realize it until way later when they
03:03listened to like New York Dolls here X
03:06but I just thought of it as old people's
03:08music until I probably just turn into an
03:11old person yes I gotta like all this and
03:13to be there kind of wild still how would
03:16you define Dadra I don't know anymore
03:19because I like all of that stuff and I'm
03:23so I just pretty much anything I kind of
03:26feel like it's like that depressing
03:29I am just it's like everything is almost
03:33like a cover band like that it does like
03:3538 special and it's almost all perfect
03:37but there's just something where is not
03:40like totally cohesive notice people are
03:43labeling like Wilco and the National
03:46yeah I don't think that standby yeah I
03:48don't know if you had asked me 20 years
03:50I have to tell you I don't like stuff
03:51like that goes way more into like punk
03:53rock stuff but then you're invested but
03:56now on the dad and now the National was
03:58good I don't know what were the bands or
04:01the artists when you got into guitar
04:03that you know what's the stuff you were
04:06into trying to learn being halen really
04:10yeah I have to see that extreme first
04:13song I ever learned on guitar was more
04:18Scizor revealing I was way in like that
04:22kind of hair metal sort of playing
04:24guitar and like started to hate it
04:27discovered like punk rock I'm like that
04:30jerk who like by the time Nirvana came
04:33out like I was away into bands that
04:35played there like four people in a
04:37basement like no one knew about it but
04:39me and I was like that's what I like
04:41Nirvana is terrible and now like doesn't
04:44a dolt have to go back and be like yeah
04:46it was very good I don't know what my
04:48problem is what are a couple of those
04:50punk bands the one that changed me was
04:53called born against I saw a board
04:55against when I was like 15 16 something
04:59like that yeah that's what I liked now
05:01and they're like a weird band like if
05:04you go back and listen to it as
05:05definitely I got like a a Black Flag
05:07meets kiss kind of vibe to it but it's
05:11that is all like in your face at all
05:14and kind of like antagonistic and that's
05:18like the louder and more terrifying the
05:21band is like the morally yeah and that's
05:23still how I am but now you listen to the
05:26nation' no I love the National now I
05:28like will willingly put on bread right
05:34the dispatch master I'll let you hold it
05:37you have that dispatch faster I think
05:40it's through those first like real
05:45digital I guess pedal beyond the PT
05:48$23.99 we had just gotten a bunch of FB
05:52ones and I was trying to see what it
05:55could do know that like the rainbow
05:56machine was actually made before it when
05:59came out after that at the time there
06:02were no delay in reverb pedals that were
06:05real small except that I mainly rv3 had
06:08like a real good name I think boss was
06:10making another one at that point but it
06:12was nothing like it I was like it sounds
06:15super good and is really easy to make
06:18and it kind of fills that hole at least
06:21it did for me and then it like you know
06:24kind of took off right away I think that
06:26this was the pedal that made it so we
06:28could move out of the basement that's
06:29the first one I ever bought you have
06:32played it and I plugged it up and I
06:34think had all the knobs at noon and I
06:37had this moment where I was like oh
06:39that's doing what I used these three
06:41pedals together to do right yeah all
06:43right I feel like that's what everyone's
06:45general reaction is it's like what no
06:47you know you can put the knobs anywhere
06:50and it just doesn't sound bad ever it's
06:53still one of our most popular pedals the
06:55acid everywhere is amazing and people
06:57still feel compelled to tell me what I
06:59should do with it like tap - yeah I put
07:01tap tap on a why isn't it stereo there
07:06octaves button that would
07:33talk about relaxer the earthquake care
07:36devices man yeah well it started out as
07:38not an earthquake er devices can but
07:40eventually morphed into just everybody
07:43here exactly how many members are four
07:47okay but when it started
07:49there's I'm the only original member of
07:52this band and that feels weird we have
07:54been around for seven years we've
07:55written 13 songs we barely do anything
07:58but uh it's I guess just my musical
08:02outlet but it started from like I was in
08:04those band drummer with Pat on the Black
08:07Keys and he got busy with the black he's
08:09so the rest of us started to play and
08:11then like everybody sort of fell apart
08:13and then me and Steve Clements who used
08:17to work at Earthquaker he played
08:18keyboards we just played for a while
08:20went through a series of drummers and
08:21eventually we just kind of people from
08:25Earthquaker found their way in I feel
08:27like every band that I've ever been in
08:29starts out with the intention of being
08:31something a little bit more experimental
08:33or like long-winded and just devolves
08:36into being a metal band and like none of
08:39us want to be in a metal band but it's
08:41sort of like it just turns into it every
08:43time so like now relaxer is kind of just
08:46like a heavy slugsy band with like a
08:49little bit of atmospheric elements to it
08:52where it used to just be all like the
08:54idea was to have these like long for him
08:56help like kind of cinematic prog rocky
09:00yes close to the edge was like my I
09:03think that's the kind of band that I
09:04want to be in and it was headed that way
09:07for a minute and now is just like oh
09:09yeah who has time was just just plays
09:13riff really loud and put a bunch of fog
09:17and lights around and like it'll works
09:21but I feel like it's you know morphing
09:24into something now you mentioned a pat
09:28so the band drummer so I had no clue you
09:30were part of that you know I've gotten
09:32to know him over the last year just a
09:34little bit texting and stuff so you have
09:37a history with the Black Keys yeah some
09:39people may not realize that yeah yeah I
09:41knew path before us on that band I met
09:43it was really young and I kind of fell
09:46into my job with them which like started
09:50as a person interview I was in a band
09:55for a long time and we toured just as
09:57much and we would like he is in my band
09:59got signed at the same time and that her
10:02band took off and mine didn't and what's
10:06called the party of helicopters that's
10:08my band and now we have broken up like
10:11right when they started really big and I
10:14had nothing to do I was just drinking
10:16coffee and listing all of my belongings
10:19on eBay and they hired me to drive their
10:23gear from Akron to Seattle and uh like I
10:27went with them for a couple days and
10:28we've watched what was going on pretend
10:31to be your tech and tour me in a dream
10:33and it turned into like I am really your
10:35tour manager now and that lasted for
10:39well I've heard you talk we've been on
10:42panels and stuff and I hear a little bit
10:44of your story I don't know all the
10:45details but is that where you started
10:48making pedals for Dan or no that was it
10:52was probably around that same time like
10:54she liked my band had just broken up and
10:56I was like getting my together to
11:00do something else and like that was
11:02really like I would always been into
11:04like pedals but never thought anything
11:05of it just thinking about this was kind
11:08of funny to me because like it's just
11:112003 I didn't at that point I've been
11:14touring for ten years playing guitar and
11:16band and like I didn't know like why one
11:19person's guitar sounded different than
11:21others and like I told I had crazy gear
11:24for like the kind of like playing in a
11:26house like smaller than this room and I
11:28had like two Marshall full sticks and
11:30like all these pedals and stuff and that
11:33was totally unheard of at the time for
11:35like punk rock bands like what does that
11:37second delay pedal like are you crazy
11:39like yeah so like I had all this stuff
11:42didn't understand it and then like I
11:44started to get really obsessed with you
11:46like right when the band broke up and I
11:47collected all these pedals and I have
11:49those old BW to 50 amp broke and I
11:51bought a new one to replace it and it
11:52didn't sound like the old ones I
11:54general guitar yet that's how to fix it
11:56yeah and that's what started it but that
11:58was like right around the time where I
12:01think I kind of really started working
12:03for them it wasn't good like tests like
12:05here you want this any wouldn't use
12:06anything you didn't matter its people to
12:09the Eruptor mm-hmm so I got this it's
12:12amazing thank the one knob Distortion
12:15essentially it's a super elaborate
12:18version of a fuzz face with like a
12:21transformer pickup simulation in it
12:24which I read about on some DIY forum
12:27works great buffered and that kind of
12:31gives it a little bit more clarity but
12:33if you play it's a real fuzz face you
12:35turn both of those knobs all the way up
12:37because that's the only way it actually
12:40sounds good so you don't even need them
12:42all so it turns out when you take those
12:43out like the pedal just sound better in
12:45general like mmm it's there's no more
12:48filter on the output so I was the bias
12:52as a center detent and this person I
12:57made several very elaborate versions
12:59before I was like just needs this one
13:02control this one control is the best
13:37so how did you end up being the creator
13:40owner of a puddle company I like the
13:45same way that I feel like I do anything
13:46I don't have you know how it goes and
13:50have any expectations for like anything
13:53I really have no plans beyond I'm just
13:56gonna be in a band for my whole life I
13:59went to school for graphic design I had
14:01a job for graphic design but even when I
14:03had it I was like well I'm just gonna
14:04eventually just be in a family I mean I
14:07feel like it's probably the same for you
14:09but like it worked in the way the
14:10business doesn't work anymore it was
14:12like old timey like word of mouth so
14:17yeah I had like a hot dogs day and they
14:19accidentally turned into a restaurant or
14:21something that's I'm just standing there
14:23with hot dogs and all the people are
14:25like your hot dogs are great make more
14:28hot dogs and then give them the
14:30restaurant and then get my wife to
14:33handle it because she's smarter than me
14:35yeah what are your peddle influences so
14:40like things that you just think are
14:43amazing and maestro stuff I love all
14:47that stuff the first era of DoD I would
14:50say it was a huge influence death by
14:52audio obsessed with him just that was
14:58like the first like thing morality
15:01their petals look like the Flyers I used
15:03to make animals like that it's cool I
15:06just want I don't care what they do yeah
15:08what what earthquake your pedal or maybe
15:11a couple what are you most proud of
15:16everything until the second it's ready
15:19to be released rainbow machine ARP
15:21Android ARP annoyed for sure is I think
15:24I've talked about it a bunch or it's
15:25like that was the thing where I was like
15:27the only time runs like people's heads
15:29are gonna explode and then people really
15:32doesn't have temple I every time I think
15:36I'm still blown away but like there's an
15:39eye thing with I've said this several
15:41times a few of my absolute favorite
15:45things I've done that are like really
15:48original like stuff that was just
15:51completely you know like pull things out
15:54of the cabinet do something fresh mm-hmm
15:56people don't really buy it but I put out
15:59a tube screaming with nine modes right
16:02and they buy the crap out exactly but
16:04they say they don't want the tube
16:06screamer right people don't know what
16:08they like it's always kind of proof like
16:12people are like yawn tube screamer well
16:14you've probably sold a billion of those
16:16channels and like no one wants to admit
16:19that they have it or that that's what
16:21they actually wanted they're like when
16:23something gonna do something new and
16:24original I got it you know and you know
16:28people watching like that no one knows
16:30what really what they want
16:34whether or not it speaks to them
18:35thanks so much for watching this episode
18:37I hope you enjoyed it I am a massive fan
18:41of Earthquaker pedals I think they're
18:43amazing but I'm an even bigger fan of
18:45Jamie and Julie who created and run
18:48Earthquaker they're amazing people
18:50they've been great friends to me over
18:52the years they've helped me we've helped
18:54them and they're a beautiful part of
18:57this amazing pedal community that I love
18:59to call home so I'd love for you in the
19:02comments to tell me what your favorite
19:03Earthquaker pedal is the one that you'd
19:05love to buy let's talk about it also go
19:08check out their stuff and go buy an
19:10earthquake or pedal right now if you're
19:12wanting to buy a pedal don't buy a JHS
19:15go buy an earthquake
19:16I love these people to death so go
19:18support them they are a plus plus so you
19:22liked the episode hit like oh and by the
19:24way I know there was no record time so
19:27put the guns away but go listen to
19:28relaxer that's the band that I love
19:31that's Jamie's band I have the vinyl
19:34it's not here at home but go listen to
19:36it it's epic hit like if you like the
19:38episode subscribe to the channel click
19:41the bell icon to get notifications of
19:43future episodes have a wonderful day and
19:46maybe we'll do this more I got a lot of
19:49footage in the archives maybe we will
