Graham Grimaldi is a guitarist based in Manchester, Connecticut. He plays in the alternative/midwest emo band Bluepenny, which performs regularly around New England and is releasing their debut full-length LP in Fall 2025. Graham is also working on a solo progressive math rock project, and creates guitar covers and content for social media. Graham is…
Interviews
Interview: The Tines
Read moreThe Tines are a band from New Haven, CT, who according to their Bandcamp profile "play cleverly crafted indie rock that focuses on the balance of tension and beauty", which sums them up pretty perfectly. Their newly-released self-titled album is a real pleasure to listen to and features excellent guitar playing by Sam Carlson and…
Interview: Kaz Kawamura (One Control, Animals Pedal)
Read moreKaz Kawamura runs the Japanese gear company LEP International, whose brands include One Control and Animals Pedal.
Interview: Kai Tachibana (Nobels, Nordland Electronics)
Read moreKai Tachibana is the Hamburg-based engineer behind the legendary Nobels ODR-1, which he's recently refined and released as the ODR-C. He shared his story with Var Guitar.
Interview: Ekaterina Gorbacheva
Read moreEkaterina Gorbacheva is an LA-based photographer who takes incredible concert photos.
Interview: Jeff Wright (Unconditional Arms)
Read moreJeff Wright is the musician behind the Unconditional Arms project. I interviewed him shortly after the release of his 2020 album "Formation".
Interview: Ryan Clarke (Dr Scientist)
Read moreRyan Clarke is the founder of Dr Scientist, the Canadian pedal company responsible for such pedals as the Atmosphere reverb and Dusk filter.
Interview: Zack Slater (Birmingham Sounds)
Read moreZack Slater is a Maryland pedalbuilder who builds the Twentyseventeen under the name Birmingham Sounds.
Interview: Ryan McGill (Vongon Electronics)
Read moreRyan McGill builds gear under the name Vongon Electronics and records music as Ryan Von Gonten. Vongon's latest pedal Paragraphs is an extremely flexible filter and envelope generator. I chatted with Ryan over email about his music and gear. Tell me about yourself and your musical journey. I’m an engineer and musician based in Oakland,…
Interview: Steve Demedash (Demedash Effects)
Read moreSteve Demedash, of Demedash Effects, is the man behind the T-120 Videotape Echo and the 112+ Drive Channel. Despite Steve's recent entry to the pedal market, the VHS-inspired T-120 has exploded in popularity, with a waitlist over a year long. I reached out to Steve to learn about his background, the inspiration behind the T-120,…
Interview: Joe Popp
Read moreThe best part of guitar blogging is making friends along the way. I met Joe Popp, a New York City-based pedal maker, by way of his Instagram page. His feed grabbed my attention with his colorful creations, the quality of his handiwork, and the oft-terrifying sounds his pedals make. I thought he’d be a great…
