I gotta start this edition of Straight Jive with a thick, veiny THANK YOU to everyone involved in the TCA Eterna Project. Friends are an amazing byproduct of human existence, and this project would have remained a kind notion if it weren't for the incredible concept of friendship and the subsequent friends that are the result of the concept. You know who you are. And now, lots of other people will know who you are also.
If you were one of the generous folks to contributed to the project and wound up with a neat little pedal, I wanna give you a special shout out. YOU are the reason this project reached completion. Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to some of the folks grinding behind the scenes to make it happen, and share some of the highlights of the project.
Meet Nic.
Nic and I have been friends for a little over four years now. He's a pretty rad dude and coincidentally enough, he owns a pedal company as well. Some of you are already familiar with Catalinbread, some of you are saying: "what the hell does Catalinbread mean?"
Catalinbread delivers some of the best fucking pedals available today. If you don't know, you need to. If you do, well hey, next beer is on me.
I think it was a wednesday? I dunno. I can barely remember my first name, how do you expect me to keep track of the specific day Nic came by the shop to handle the fine soldering? If you picked up a TCA Eterna, Nic soldered your pedal. When you see him, buy him a beer. He soldered 100 pedals that day, and that's not small cookies!
Say hi to Erik. He's over there!! -->
I know he looks like he's really focused and deep in thought, and that's because he is. Shhh!! Don't disturb him or this run of pedals will be bogus.
Erik is a professional.
Professional pedal builder.
He builds for Catalinbread, but he opted to help out and moonlight at the Mr. Black lab. For free no less! He's stuffing caps right here. QUIET!! Let the man work!
This is Jackson.
Jackson is a bad motherfucker.
The kind of cat you need by your side during the zombie apocalypse. This dude fears nothing and I am convinced he can cook an entire pig by just concentrating on it. Don't believe me? Go to the zoo with him.
Turns out he's a professional pedal builder as well.
I'd say he's a production manager, but he doesn't work for me. But! He did come down to the Mr. Black lab, sip a few bourbons and manage most of the big soldering. In one damned day. That's how bad this fool is.
Amanda called me about 4pm.
Actually, she sent me a text seeing if we were grinding and if she could stop by and get down.
Fuck yeah, Amanda! Of course you can. Bourbon or Beer? (as if I have to ask).
Amanda takes her bourbon just as she keeps her apartment: neat. She is one of the few people I feel comfortable loaning $5 to. She's good for it.
Trust that.
This is one of my best friends in the world.
The whole fucking world.
That includes A LOT of people.
Ladies and Gentlemen I give you: Mr. House.
His real name is Evan, but I call him Mr. House.
He's a sharp cat. Programmer by day (when they can trick him into showing up), musician all the time.
A fucking amazing drummer who can't play a straight rhythm to save his life. And that is why we play together. Evan and I have been playing music together as long as we've known each other. Which is going on five years now. Fuck 4/4. I know you feel me, Mr. House.
And the brilliant ray of sunshine to the right?
That's Katie. Mr. House's Mrs. Katie is a caretaker for adults with developmental disabilities by trade, but when she's not mini-golfing with a client, she stops by the Lab to build pedals!
Fuck yeah, Katie.
Hey, what did you tell Amanda about me to put that shit eating grin on her face?
This. Is. Chico.
His real name is Josh, but I call him Chico. Its a long story that started on a lonesome stretch of Highway 5 in a van in early 2011.
But enough about UFO abductions. The holes in the pedal where the pots, LED, foot switch, and jacks go? Yup. That was Chico.
Chico is a metal fabricator by trade. He makes really, really nice furniture. By hand. just like these pedals. Boutique furniture. WHAT NOW!?
There are very few people in this world who truly know how to tune a fuzz pedal.
This man is one of the few.
Please allow me to introduce the introduction of the first time you have met: Bryan. Aka: blunder. 20 points if you know what I'm talking about.
Turns out Bryan is a badass when it comes to making reverb pedals as well.
Not really that surprising. He handles shit at Catalinbread too.
And of course, the Man of the Hour: Mr. Justin Brown.
Such a fucking badass he shows up to work on his own benefit pedal. This fool is a fighter. You can't stop him. Trucks can't stop him. Cancer can't stop him.
Justin and I have been friends for a while now. You should probably check out his band
Lamprey. Its pretty fucking rad.
Damn, Jack!! Who is that lil fox?
Shit man. That's my sweetie Victoria. You better be careful. She packs a .38
Accountant by day, pole-dance instructor by night, Victoria managed the finances and a lot of other thankless administrative tasks for the TCA Eterna Project.
If your pedal arrived, you should thank her.
The gal on the right?
Her name is Kelly.
I had never met her before, but Sarah (the artist behind the phenomenal custom artwork on the TCA Eterna pedal) recruited her to help build and I'll tell ya man, she got it done!
Little more is known about this woman.
The artist behind the artwork: Ms. Sarah Crosley.
Next time you're in town, stop by and see Sarah. You'll be glad you did.
Meet Nic.
This is Jackson.
