Devon Blue Whitaker of Boy Indigo
Phase Out
Okay…we know you love tacos. What 3 pieces of music gear (not necessarily something you own) would you trade all your tacos for, and why?
Another Mellotron. I own one of the smaller 1000$ dollar units but I’d love to own one of the larger original Mellotrons. When I was a kid my mother loved old movies, movies from her mother’s generation and into her own childhood. The original Mellotron was used in so many of those movies and shows...the classic Mellotron sound reminds me of lazy Sundays, the smell of pancakes and my mother singing in the distance. I believe time travel is possible but only by virtue of memory, the stronger the memory the stronger the connection to a period of time. Every time I play a Mellotron I smell pancakes....and sometimes when I’m alone I can hear my mother’s voice in the distance.
Windfall
What unexpected piece of music gear has inspired you?
I really love the Haunted Labs Dark Aura reverb. It’s enclosure resembles something from a Rob Zombie horror film but the sound it unleashes is ... perfection. Three knobs and an oddly satisfying modulation circuit makes this an unsung hero on my board.
Pine Away
What piece of music gear do you wish you still had, and/or perhaps something you regret not buying when you had the opportunity?
None...lol my wife won’t let me sell anything from fear that I’d only buy something larger, similar and ultimately more expensive...lol she knows me too well.
Wild Card
Stylistically, what piece of music gear has changed the way you write music?
The Ableton Push 2. I’ve only ever written loops and riffs but the push 2 lets me write whole songs based off those loops. Pairing up different vocal ideas with guitar loops, then keys and drums. Then one cohesive song has been created from a series of ideas. I can sample myself too, chopping up vocal ideas that would have otherwise been deleted into the void, reversing crappy guitar riffs and stretching them across keys for a full range of experimentations and machinations to no end.
Final Thoughts
Any shout outs, plugs, or random tidbits of advice?
Advice I wish someone, lol anyone would have told me earlier on. One should separate the creations from the creator. The opinion you have of your works won’t always be shared by the audience...in fact, in most instances a song you loath would be the very song the audience loves most. As creators we think that each creations should satiate us first and by virtue of that satiation others too will be satiated, but thats rarely the case. Belief in ones self isn’t the first step, it’s bravery...remember bravery isn’t the absence of fear. Put your stuff out there regardless of how you feel about it, there’s a audience out there waiting for it. They will love you when you can’t....ok bye!
