Who is Jon Black

1. Yes, I got a haircut. Thank you Liz.

2. Gary Louris is a fantastic songwriter. I still prefer him with and as a part of the Jayhawks but seriously, his new album Vagabonds (release by Ryko) is easily one of my favorite albums of this year. It was produced by Chris Robinson (Black Crowes guy) and it’s very well done which surprised me because honestly I thought he was good for a couple of things: smoking pot and being the front man for a band that, in my opinion, doesn’t get the credit they deserve. Anyway, back to Gary… I suggest listening to the country ballad “She Only Calls Me On Sundays”, “We’ll Get By”, and the horribly-named “I Wanna Get High” (which I’m assuming was named and spelled by Chris Robinson). This album takes three listens to stick with you. I suggest, as always, listening with headphones.

3. I’ve been geeking out on music lately. Listening to Boston on vinyl, discovering for the first time Electric Light Orchestra thanks to a Honda Commercial, re-learning how to play my electric, and so on. It’s been fun. For a while I’ve been tired of playing guitar (which is crazy) because I felt like I hit a plateau but thankfully I was forced into picking my electric back up just so I could, as my musical friend Micah Dalton puts it, play the solos.

So, in a true musical nerdiness I’m going to share with you my electric setup that is starting to slowly build. A note to readers: No one will be upset or offended if you stop reading because you’re not interested in music gear.

1. 1996 American Standard Strat - replaced the plain white pick guard for the pearl/flashy/honky-tonk pickguard.
2. Epiphone Valve Jr. Head (with first step mod in place) - I replaced the tubes with JJ EL84 (power tube) and JJ ECC81 output tube. I like the tubes so far. It seems that my goal of having the overdrive sound nice around 3:00 has worked. Also, seriously, if you haven’t played with one of the Valve Jr’s you’re missing out. It sounds way better than it cost and it’s all tube.
3. Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb Pedal - I like this pedal. It looks good. Sounds good. Jeff Tweedy uses it.
4. Boss RC-20 Phrase Recorder - The only thing I’m finding this good for with my electric set up is reversing stuff and making noise. It’s also good for practicing since you can record forever
5. Ernie Ball Volume Pedal - for voluming and such.

Electric Guitar Wishlist:
1. Gibson ES-335
2. Fender Telecaster (American)
3. Electro-Harmonix Memory Man - I don’t know why but I really like a lot of Electro-Harmonix pedals. Not sure about anything else they make. Can I get an endorsement please?
4. Pedaltrain board (I used one for my acoustic set up which we can discuss at a later date) and I love it. Pedaltrain makes the best travel cases and pedal boards in my opinion. Check them out here.
5. Second Boss Tuner (totally not necessary but I like convenience).

That’s going to do it for now…

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