Victor & Penny hail from Kansas City and have combined the tone of the 1920’s with their own modern take to form what they call “Antique Pop”. Featuring the musically trained Jeff Freling playing an old Kay Archtop and Erin McGrane, the talented singer and Ukulele player who also stars on the silver screen. The two combine their talents to produce a unique sound that is both soulful and playfully entertaining. They are currently travelling the US playing shows, and when not playing shows, they are putting on a show in their car.

How did you get started playing? 
ERIN: “I love to perform and my family would tell you that I’ve been doing that in one way or another from the start  – dressing up, putting on plays, writing stories and poems, doing interpretive dance to my mom’s Broadway albums in the living room by myself – you name it. I started piano lessons as a child, then like lots of kids I joined concert band where I learned flute and sang in the school choir. In college I studied theatre and that training informs everything I do on some level. Next, I formed a rock band with the guys in the orchestra of a musical I was in. In that group I played flute (I had a Barcus-Berry pickup in the headjoint), hand percussion and sang. During that time I also formed a women’s a cappella trio singing songs of the 1930-40s and that’s where I first fell in love with the music of that era. Eventually I learned guitar, started writing music and played solo for awhile.  In early 2003, I was approached to co-create a cabaret band in which I sing lead and play guitar. Now, I’m in Victor & Penny and am thrilled about it.”

JEFF: “I found an old guitar in my parents attic right around the same time I was hearing players like Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and Angus Young for the first time. I was immediately hooked and started playing every day trying to learn as much as I could. I definitely wanted to be a rock star!”

Erin, is the ukuele your primary instrument?
ERIN: “I started playing ukulele about two years ago. My first instrument was piano, then flute, then guitar. But since I picked up my little Hofner Uke, I’ve hardly played anything else. It’s totally captured me!”
You also have an impressive resume on the silver screen, appearing alongside George Clooney in Up In The Air. How do you balance your screen career and your musical career?
ERIN: “It’s difficult and requires a lot of careful scheduling. For example, I have a new indie feature film NAILBITTER that is winning awards on the film circuit right now and I’m trying to schedule around appearances for that. I also co-host a TV show in Kansas City about the film industry in the Midwest CINEMAKC and we just wrapped shooting our second season, so I stay very busy. But my heart lies with Victor & Penny. Since Jeff and I started this project, it’s been a pure joy and we are both committed to it. So, that’s my focus now. We’re touring the US this year and our dream is to tour overseas next year.”
Do you think your being musically educated has helped in your playing and performing? 
ERIN: “It has me for sure, but I have a lot to learn. Jeff’s musical training is much more in-depth than mine and his technical ability is just amazing. But beyond that, he’s a gifted and very musical player with an incredible ear – I learn from him every time we play together. He inspires me. My theatre training has helped me be confident on the mic and hopefully put together an interesting show that highlights both our music and also who we are as people. I love to tell stories and the more we travel, the more stories I have to tell.”
JEFF: “I’d say it has certainly helped in my playing as there’s a lot of skill required to play this type of music with any degree of authenticity. As far as performing goes, nobody has helped me as much as Erin. Just as she’s saying that I inspire her musically, she inspires me with her skill as a performer. She has “it” in her soul and it’s a huge part of why V&P has been successful to this point. Being around her is an education in that regard. I think this is why we’re a perfect team.”
How did you both meet and become Victor & Penny?
ERIN:  “Jeff and I have known each other since college when our rock bands often played together in Kansas City. But, we didn’t really hang out together and in fact I’m not sure we ever even had a real conversation. We re-connected in 2008 when I was working in Chicago. I was looking for KC connections when his profile popped up on Facebook. I contacted him and he invited me to a Blue Man Group show – of course I said yes!  We have tried to play music together several times over the years, but nothing clicked until Victor & Penny. Two years ago, I produced and acted in a new cross-discipline play in KC, and we brought Jeff in from Chicago to be the music director and co-composer. During that time, I got hired to host a live event and I asked Jeff to accompany me on a few songs (that’s a funny story too).  And voila – Victor & Penny was born!”
What is the significance behind the name?
ERIN:  “The name Victor comes from the play we did together in KC.  The band was, “Victor California and the Dead Ringers”. I came up with the name Penny Arcadia which is a take off of penny arcade – a line from the song “Paper Moon”. We thought that the name Victor & Penny evoked the vintage feeling we’re interested in and was memorable.  The duo is so much about the two of us and our relationship, that it seemed appropriate that it be our names. However, Sometimes we play as a trio or even as a quartet with drums, and then Victor & Penny represents the group.”
Tell us about the gear you are using.
JEFF:  “We feel that the instruments we play are part of what gives this duo it’s charm. Erin is playing a 1951 Hofner ukulele given to her by her dad who purchased it in Bremerhaven, Germany in 1952 while he was in the Navy. That’s a whole other story in itself. My guitar is an early 1960s Kay arch top outfitted with a D’Armond pickup that was recently hand rewound by Seymour Duncan himself. It’s never sounded better! I play through a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket with reverb provided by an EH Holy Grail strapped into the back and wired into the effects loop. I also run through an Ibanez Tube Screamer that I’ve taken apart and mounted in a 1940s Crosley radio. Erin sings through a Shure Super 55 that she claims can read her thoughts and I sing through a Shure Green Bullet to get that 1920s recording sound.”
Tell us about your album Antique Pop.
JEFF:  “We were talking one day about exactly what kind of music we are playing. Up to that point we were describing it as 1920-30s jazz, but that didn’t seem quite right. It certainly has it’s roots in early jazz but we see it as the earliest form of pop music. Antique Pop seemed a fitting title for what we do and also for the album because it’s  A- accurate, and B- catchy!”
ERIN:  “We like to say that we play music we call “Antique Pop” because it was the equivalent of the top 40 hits from 60, 80 and even 100 years ago. Now we call these songs standards and classics, but they were the new, popular music of their day. We also like to search for deep cuts and less well-known songs – there are gems out there.”
JEFF:  “The album was recorded in October of 2011 over three days at Hi Style Studio in Chicago, IL. We chose Hi Style for it’s use of vintage gear and it’s cool vintage vibe. The proprietor, Jimmy Sutton, is a fantastic, not to mention well sought after upright bassist who joined us on all 11 tracks. Also joining us on a couple of tracks is Gonzalo Bergara, a fabulous gypsy jazz guitarist from Argentina who we met in LA last summer on our first west coast tour.”
ERIN:  “Making the album was a wonderful experience. We recorded all the instrumental tracks together in one room live with no overdubs. I love the feel and sound of that – so warm and real. Jimmy’s dog, Little Man, even sat in the room with us on a couple of tunes! Then, Jeff and I recorded our vocals together live with no overdubs on these fabulous vintage mics. It was a challenge to know you had to get it right or we all would have to start over together from the beginning, but I love the result. The highlight for me was playing with Gonzalo. Besides being a master gypsy jazz guitarist with an incredible musical ear, he’s also a bright spirit in the world. Generous, warm, joyful, funny – it was truly our pleasure to work with him. Playing with Jimmy and Gonzalo was a dream and really pushed me to do my best. Jeff wrote two of the songs on the album (Victor’s Dream, Rickshaw Chase) and they are my favorites.”
 What do you see in the future for Victor & Penny?
ERIN:  “We will continue to tour, see America and eventually the world. We are enjoying our project and traveling together and we feel so grateful for the opportunity to do that.  We’ve met amazing people everywhere we go and we are humbled by the kindness shown to us. As for goals, we want to incorporate more original music into the set.  We are also inspired to learn more about the era and the sophisticated songwriting and melodies of the early 20th century music. For me, I want to continue to improve on ukulele as well as continue to find my voice in these wonderful old songs.”
“We are also working on a travel show/reality web series concept based on our adventures together on the road. We started making videos on the road (Car Concert) and people seem to love them. That gave us the idea to share our experiences and stories as well as highlight the fantastic people we meet, cities we visit and venues that host us. I’m also working on a travel blog. We are just so excited about the future – everything seems wide open and full of possibility. The key is that Jeff and I are taking this adventure together for love of the music and each other, not to find riches and fame. Our definition of success is making music together for a living, meeting people, traveling and growing as musicians and people.”
JEFF: “More traveling and playing. Finding more creative and efficient ways to reach people. Bringing this fantastic old music with us into the modern world and introducing it to a whole new group of fans. And of course, more odd experiments with guitar gear.”

For more information on Victor & Penny, please visit:
http://www.victorandpenny.com

In this weeks edition of Voices of

Metal we turn to Ryan Knight, lead guitarist for the metal band The Black Dahlia Murder. Ryan talks with us about his history with Arsis, joining The Black Dahlia Murder, his thoughts on touring, gear and advice for guitarists.

Click here to hear our interview with Ryan Knight of The Black Dahlia Murder

For more information on The Black Dahlia Murder, see the links below:
http://www.myspace.com/blackdahliamurder
https://www.facebook.com/theblackdahliamurderofficial

In episode 3 Seymour Duncan and Maricela Juarez talk about all the artists we have worked with over the years. We also show the Ken Meyers 911 guitar, talk Dynasonic, Seth Lover, and have a special interview with Jimmy Vivino of Conan.

In this episode of From The Custom Shop, we talk Charlie Christian pickups, The BIG Pickup, take questions about splicing wires, the uniqueness of P.A.F’s and several questions on good recommendations for Telecaster tone.

In our first episode, Seymour Duncan and Maricela Juarez take you into the Custom Shop and talk tone, history, and answer your questions.

In this week’s edition of

Voices of Metal we turn to Simon Johannson who plays alongside Mike Wead in the Swedish band BibleBlack.
You have a pretty long history in the Swedish death metal scene, including playing in Abstrakt Algebra and Memory Garden, how do you believe the metal scene has changed in the last several decades?

“Yeah, as you say I have a long history in the scene and I would say that the biggest change must be internet. It’s both good and bad for the business as I see it. The good things are that it´s easy to find out news and info about the bands you like. It´s also easier to promote your own thing through different channels.”

“The bad thing is the download part of it. It´s really hard for bands, labels, studios etc to get the economy to work and because of this you can see a lot of smaller label struggling to exist. If we talk music wise I think that the more extreme types of metal has reached a wider audience nowadays. For like 15-20 years ago death metal was really underground while it’s pretty much mainstream today.”

What is BibleBlack currently working on?

“We are for the moment writing and recording our second album. Been some time since our first album “The Black Swan Epilogue” was released so it´s about time we get something new out. We also have some shows coming up here in Sweden. Hopefully we will be able to go out on a proper tour when the new album is out.”

What gear do you use to get your tone?

“I use this great guitar brand called Jarrell. It´s a pretty new brand which I totally love. The model I use is called JZS-1. I have one which is loaded with a SH-1 in neck position and a TB-5 in bridge and one that is loaded with chromed Blackouts, really cool!!! Love both configurations and I can´t really say which I prefer, both are great. When it comes to amps I usually play Blackstar Series One, on the last tour I used the 104EL34 and that one is just awesome. I also love the Peavey 5150 amp which I think is great for metal sounds.”

“When it comes to pedals I always use the Ibanez TS-9, a cry baby 95Q wah pedal and the Boss TU-2. I also have a Phase 90 pedal as a must have on my pedal board. Last but not least I connect this to a cab equipped with celestial V-30 elements, when this is fired up it’s metal time.”

Sweden seems to be the de facto capital of brutal metal, why do you think this is? 

“Well, we do have a long dark winter and there´s not much to do besides playing music…hahaha!! To be serious I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we get the chance to play a music instrument in school from 3rd grade. It´s a great opportunity for you kids to get started and a lot of people gets hooked and continues. We also have really good rehearsal places all over the country where you can rehearse in fully equipped rehearsal rooms. You don´t have to buy all this expansive equipment and that´s a big advantage. Also the fact that we have a lot of bands that are doing well makes young people inspired. I think those things are a big part of the Swedish scene.”

Any tips or tricks you can offer to aspiring metal guitarists?

“Practice, practice and practice. Have an open mind and ear to all sorts of styles, not only metal or rock or whatever you are into. There’s always good things to learn from all kind of music. Also, get together with friends and play in group. What´s also really important is to listen to your own playing, record your playing and listen to what and how you play, there´s alway things that can be better and improved. Last but not least, enjoy what you do and the rest will follow!!”

 For more on Simon and BibleBlack, check out the links below:

www.bibleblack.se
www.facebook.com/pages/bibleblack/111570675547276
www.myspace.com/bibleblackofficial
www.wolf.nu
www.facebook.com/officialwolf
www.myspace.com/wolfheavymetal
www.facebook.com/pages/Memory-Garden/143196479072029
www.myspace.com/memorygardenofficial

Several weeks ago we asked you who you wanted to see on Vocies of Metal and we got several responses to interview Alex Skolnick. We tracked him down among his busy schedule of touring, recording and writing to talk about the many tones of the man who has been rocking and diversifying his sound since the ’80s. You can listen to the full interview below.

Click here for the interview

For more on what Alex has been up to, check out the sites below:

http://www.alexskolnick.com/

http://www.testamentlegions.com/

http://www.alexskolnick.com/SkolNotes/

http://www.alexskolnick.com/alex-skolnick-trio/

During NAMM, we had another oppurtunity to meet an incredible musician named Dave Reffett. Dave recently produced, was the lead guitarist and singer on the album The Call of the Flames which featured performances by George Lynch, Michael Angelo Batio, Chris Poland, Glen Drover, Joe Stump and Mike Mangini. This album was widely praised among metal critics and his skills were on display when we sat down to talk.

For more on Dave Reffett, click here.

At Seymour Duncan, we are all about the players and their quest for the right sound. For every band that has achieved critical mass, there are thousands more who are putting in their dues at local bars and coffee shops across the world. Seymour Duncan Underground is a new continuing series to showcase unique musicians and bands that have not quite reached the mainstream. About 2 months ago, we came upon a very talented musician who was uploading videos to YouTube with some real soulful playing.

Having made 74 videos, we tracked down this mysterious player named Mike Baker (whose videos usually are shot below the neck) and had a chat with him about his life as a guitar player. How did you get started playing guitar?
“I started playing a little at about 11 years old I guess after getting a Sears acoustic for Christmas and after a failed attempt at drums (my parents were thrilled). I just learned a few chords at first from books on the acoustic by myself. Around the age of 14, I wanted an electric as I was becoming more interested and serious about it. My parents bought me a Les Paul copy for my birthday that played quite nice and I started to learn some simple solo stuff. That same year my dad asked my cousin who is about 12 years older than me if he could give me lessons. He is a good country style picker so I learned a lot of country flavored licks early on like pedal steel type bends and double stops and some basic theory.”

“After a year of this I got past where he could show me anymore so I just started learning solos from my favorite bands and started jamming with other guys from school in garage bands. By 16, I was playing fairly well so my folks said if I got good grades that year they would get me a better guitar. So a trip to a good music store where I tried many Les Pauls and such but ended up with an ’78 Ibanez Artist 2617 model which I still have today, a great guitar still. So now the better bands start to come and I start playing out at gigs in bars at 16 (folks not thrilled). At 18, I took the place of a guitarist in a working band who gigged a lot. The former guitarist and I became friends and he started giving me lessons. He could rock like nobody in the area but was a real jazz/fusion type guy who knew his instrument well so this was a huge step up for me learning from this cat.”
“After one year or so of lessons from him I was quite comfortable playing most rock tunes. Even though I came up during the guitar virtuoso era in the late 70’s – 80’s I never really took the path of the shredding/tapping type stuff. I stayed more in the bluesy and southern type stuff doing tasty bends and learning to play slide quite well as nobody around my area could do it or do it very well. In my mid 20’s I started gravitating towards the fusion and jazz type stuff. I figured after the great stuff I was taught I should try to put it to use a little. So now at 49 years of age I still am learning things on the guitar to try to keep somewhat fresh if possible.”

You have many videos on YouTube that are well regarded by people, everything from the blues to pure rock, what inspires your range?
“Over the years I have played in classic rock bands, hard rock bands, progressive country bands and most recently a blues/rock band. I think all of these styles have inspired me in one way or another. Sometimes the mood will just strike me for something I just feel like playing and that is usually what comes up on these videos.”
What kind of gear do you use?
“Right now I play through a variety of live rigs depending on the gig. A 30 watt Crate Palomino 2-12 combo that I modded. A 100 watt Plexi clone head with a Marshall 1936 2-12 with greenbacks. A rack mount rig with a Marshall JMP-1 preamp, a ART multiverb delay/reverb and an old ADA TFX 4 analog flange/chorus/doubler/echo that I use for the chorus and flange and this is powered by a Peavey Classic 50/50 EL-84 power amp, this is all switched via a ADA MIDI pedal. I also have a Crate V-18 2-12 combo I modded that gets a great Clapton Bluesbreaker tone and an old Boogie Mark 3 I’ve had since 1985 and a Mesa Tri-Axis preamp that needs a trip to Mesa for an over haul.”

“My pedal board when using my amps other than the rack mount include a Korg pitch black tuner, Morley Bad Horsie wah, T-Rex Comp Nova compressor, EHX Stereo mistress flange/chorus, EHX LPB-1 line boost, a variety of overdrive/distortions that I have modded or built(depends on amp at the time), a EHX digital delay and a EHX Cathedral reverb unit. I run these into the clean channel and use pedals for overdrive. Main gigging guitars are a 2007 Gibson Les Paul standard with Duncan ’59s in it, a 2009 Carvin CS-6M,  a 2010 Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Les Paul, a 2002 Gibson Les Paul Classic with my own hand wound pickups, a 2009 and a 2009 G+L ASAT classic Tele style that just sounds great. My other guitars included a 1978 Gibson Les Paul custom, a 1978 Ibanez Artist 2617, a 1997 Blade Texas Standard Strat, a 1979 Gibson ES-335 with a Duncan JB in the bridge and a Duncan Pearly Gates in the neck, A 2000 ESP H300 with a Duncan JB in the bridge, a 1993 Carvin DC200 Koa, a 2006 Epiphone Les Paul plus top with Suhr pickups.”

What players have inspired you personally?
“Early on guys like Duane Allman/Dickey Betts, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Gary Rossington, Ed King, Steve Gaines, Allen Collins, Brian Robertson, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker. A little later guys like Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Steve Morse, Eric Johnson, Gary Moore, Joe Satriani , Steve Vai, Steve Lukather, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and too may more to keep going. Some guys that have inspired me to give up *laughter* are Guthrie Govan, Paul Gilbert and the late great Shawn Lane. Those type guys are from a different planet that I can’t comprehend most times.”
To hear more of Mike’s music, visit his YouTube page.

In celebration of the huge festival that Slipknot is playing in Australia that is going on today, tomorrow and Monday – we are having a special contest to win a set of Mick Thomson EMTY Blackouts.

All you have to do is post a short slogan that describes the EMTY Blackouts in the comments below. On Tuesday, we will take a look at the entries and select a winner who will receive a set of Mick Thomson’s EMTY Blackouts. The winning slogan will appear on the ad seen below and ran for three months on the Decibel Magazine website.

Rules: This contest is open worldwide. Please keep submissions under 8 words and while it can be funny, it cannot contain profanity.

In Australia? Enter here to win a double pass to Soundwave in Perth.