Steve Clayton Press

Strong as Steel

I thought that this design for custom guitar picks was an especially cool one. There is a high level of detail to the artwork, but even on the small guitar picks it comes out crisp and clean. This customer also utilized our “full bleed” option for the design. This means that, instead of having a border aroundScatter2 their design, the art extends all the way to the very edge of the pick to allow maximum design space, and full coverage on the base pick material. Incidentally, the picks were made using our acetal material, which are some of the strongest picks that we offer for custom printing so they are perfectly for the “Steel” name printed on them :-) To order your own custom guitar picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

For Dads That Rock

front_maskFather’s Day is almost here (coming up this Sunday, the 16th)! If you have just realized that custom guitar picks would be the perfect gift for your dad, it is not too late to get them on time! If you place your order today, and choose one of our faster production custom pick options (colored delrin, white pearl, or acetal), the picks usually only take about two days for production, and we offer both Second Day and Overnight shipping options for orders shipping within the US. For international orders, we also have a Rush 2-3 day ship option available! So don’t wait a minute longer, order a personal gift that is also useful for your rock star Dad!! Order today at www.claytoncustom.com!

We <3 Pearl

One of the best combinations for guitar pick materials and a custom design is the white pearl pick material Scatter1with pink printing on it. Pink always turns out on our white pearl picks, and it looks vibrant and eye-catching on the marbleized background. They work perfectly for promotional items or for wedding favors. The design shown on the picks to the right is one that is frequently ordered by this particular Clayton customer. The design is sometimes done on our black celluloid picks, which also looks awesome. However the white pearl picks have a faster production time than the black picks so this is sometimes preferred. To order your own custom picks with a design that pops, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

Judd Hoos To Release Second CD

After nearly five years, the highly anticipated Judd Hoos sophomore CD is now a reality.  Rarely does a recording effort involve such a length of time and such a monumental effort to produce! The actual recording was juddhoos1(1)accomplished in two separate commercial recording studios, one hunting lodge in rural South Dakota, numerous motel room/studios and a few sessions that occurred as the band was rolling down the road on the way to covering the nearly 40,000 miles they travel each year.  Logistics aside, the CD is a labor of love for the guys in Judd Hoos.  The process is also unique for another important reason.  The band underwent a major line- up change a year into the initial songwriting and after the recording had started.  Drew Lerdal, guitarist and a founding member of Judd Hoos left at the end of 2009 to pursue a career as a producer/studio engineer in Minneapolis.  The decision was made to bring in two exceptionally talented guitarists,  Andy Young & Zach Fronce in order to fill the void created by Drew’s departure.   Although Lerdal was no longer on the road performing, his contributions to Judd Hoos were far from over.  Lerdal continued to work as a producer on the project even contributing vocals and guitar on a few tracks.  “Drew will always be a part of Judd Hoos in my mind”  says bassist Chris Hornick.  It’s clear that Lerdal’s experience as a member of Judd Hoos gave him the insight and trust from the band to wield the kind the creative control a producer needs to bring out the best qualities in the music.  Judd Hoos “Two”  contains 14 tracks covering a wide variety of musical territory.  The heavy hard-rock groove of “Stand Up” and “The End” the up-tempo power-pop of “Mistakes” and “Again & Again” and the dramatic tension of songs like “Livin” and “Selfish”, all demonstrate  the maturity and confidence that has developed within the group. “All the time we spend together on the road travelling, playing shows and basically living like a second family, made it possibly to come together creatively a lot quicker than I thought,” says guitarist Andy Young.  The CD captures the intricate balance of two distinct guitar styles complimenting the soaring vocals, unique harmonies and powerful drive from the rhythm section. “It’s a fun trip through our collective influences, this CD shows you why Judd Hoos is hard to define in just one genre,”  says drummer Shane Funk. After selling nearly 5,000 copies of “Better Intentions” the bands first album, the interest from fans for a follow album up has been constant.  Bob Zwart, the bands frontman and vocalists says, “We’re excited to see how people react to this one!” The reaction from a number of radio stations in the Midwest has already been positive with the single “Stand Up” getting airplay in several markets including KDDX (XROCK)  and KSQY (KSky) in Rapid City, SD. The calendar for 2013  is nearly full and will take Judd Hoos to at least 8 states performing 120-130 shows and cover a  vast number of miles.  “We love playing live and experiencing the crowds reaction to the new songs everywhere we go,” says guitarist Zach Fronce.  Judd Hoos “Two” will also be available at Juddhoos.com  and on  iTunes, Amazon, Zune, CD Baby  as well as dozens of other online sources in early June.

Colorific

The design for these guitar picks immediately caught my eye because of the detailed art and fearless use of color. Instead of having the text and grim reaper logo in just a simple black on white, the customer chose to have these picks really catch the eye! The design was made on our carbonate guitar pick material. Carbonate is one of the newer materials available in our custom pick line. The picks are bright white, with a glossy finish, and we have found that they work very nicely with bright colors, which is why this design turned out so well. To order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.comColor!

Pink Elephants on Parade

I personally love elephants so I had to show off this cool custom guitar pick design! These picks were made for musical artist Florent Mothe.

Florent’s first album “ROCK IN CHAIR” is currently available on iTunes for download, or to Elephantspurchase as a CD in France. Here is a link for iTunes : http://bit.ly/Mothe_RIC
Official Website is www.florentmothe.com
Official facebook page is : www.facebook.com/florentmotheofficiel
Official Youtube Channel : www.youtube.com/florentmotheofficial
Official Twitter account : @florentmotheoff
We love the whimsical design of the picks. Also, note how the picks look like they are yellow, but they are actually white pearl in base. The “full bleed” print option was utilized, meaning that the yellow background extends all the way to the edge of the pick, making it look like it is actually a yellow pick. This is a great option if you are wanting to print multiple colors, but still have the look of a colored pearl pick, because our true colored pearl material can only support black ink designs.
To order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

The Second Wave

Spring 2012 the Swedish band La Fleur Fatale embarked on a journey to and through California. During two intense weeks they played with legendary psych musicians and met people who was part of making the 60’s into what it later became both musically and spiritually. And in the meantime connecting the past with the present. What is the difference between then and now? Is the Anonymous movement now what 60’s anti war movement was back then?  May 3rd the documentary was released, for free, on YouTube. And May 3rd the band also released a new single, “How Long Is Too Long”, written by Duncan Faure of Bay City Rollers and Rabbitt who they met when filming. “They are really one of my favorite bands now along with Beatles plus a few others.” Duncan says.

During Easter they also recorded yet another single together with Ebbot Lundberg (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) that will be released after the summer.

The documentary can be found right HERE (link to YouYube).

http://www.lafleurfatale.com

Ssss Snake Picksssss

Check out these custom picks made for the band Nest of Snakes!

NestThe design is a simple black artwork, and it was made on our yellow delrin pick material. Even thought the colors are basic, we liked the intricacy of the design and how it fits really well into the pick shape…they just look cool!

To design and order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

“Nest of Snakes is a trophy case of local talent. It consists of Jason Boten formerly of Superchief, who plays guitar and sings, Larry Enos who also plays with Sons of Walter on bass, Tom Brighton who splits his time with September on guitar and vox, and drummer Derek Deutramont who was formerly with the Albino Spiders.

Their sound is heavy but not all-encompassing. It’s composed of a variety of different influences from all over the rock and roll map. The two tracks I heard brought to mind such classic acts as Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, but I also heard glimpses of early Soundgarden and Motorhead. Despite having a heavy foundation, the music is also rich with melodies, a trait that sometimes gets lost in the Des Moines metal scene.”

To find out more, visit

https://www.facebook.com/NestOfSnakes

Carl Verheyen

We recently just endorsed Carl Verheyen. If you are not familiar with Carl, we wanted to share his official biography. In his 40-plus years of playing the instrument, Carl has created a wildly successful, multi-faceted career. Carl VerheyenHe is a critically-acclaimed musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, producer and educator  with 11 CDs and two live DVDs released worldwide. Carl is commonly regarded as a guitar virtuoso capable of playing any style of music with remarkable mastery and conviction. He has been one of LA’s elite “first call” session players for the past 25 years, playing on hundreds of records, movie soundtracks and television shows. Carl has graced the pages of countless industry publications and been the subject of numerous articles chronicling his rise to the forefront of the modern day guitar scene. Carl has won numerous polls and musical honors in the US, Germany, France, Italy and the UK. A member of the smash hit British rock group Supertramp since 1985, Carl has played to millions of enthusiastic fans in sold out arenas worldwide. As the creative force behind The Carl Verheyen Band, he has released an impressive and eclectic discography that showcases his endless talents across a wide array of musical genres. A much sought after studio musician, Carl plays on other artists’ CDs whenever his busy schedule permits. He has recorded and played with a virtual who’s who of the music industry. His vast collection of movie soundtrack and television credits are enviable. Carl was heard by 67, 000,000 people as a featured soloist at the 2009 Academy Awards. He will also be heavily featured in the forthcoming film documentary about the electric guitar, Turn It UP!  On the educational front, Carl has produced two instructional videos called Intervallic Rock Guitar and Forward Motion as well as various on-line lessons. He also has a book/CD detailing his unique “intervallic” style called Improvising Without Scales. Another book entitled Studio City is a compilation of all the columns Carl wrote for Guitar Magazine between 1996 and 1999. He has written a monthly column for Chitarre, Italy’s #1 guitar publication as well as Guitar World and Guitar Jam Daily, a website devoted to serious guitarists. He currently writes a monthly column for Guitar Player, contributes to other guitar publications, and blogs regularly for GuitarPlayer.com and his own site. Carl also lectures and teaches at clinics regularly when not on the road. Carl recently co-designed a signature guitar with LsL Instruments, the “CV Special,” combining the best elements Carl seeks in his ideal guitar; they are now available for purchase worldwide. As if that weren’t enough, working closely with Dean Markley, Carl developed a line of signature strings for the electric guitar that perfectly balance the tremolo bridge of the Fender Stratocaster, the Carl Verheyen Balanced Bridge Helix HD string set . Also working with Dean Markley, Carl helped develop a top-of-the-line guitar lubrication in addition to his numerous existing endorsements. Carl uses our Black Raven 0.50mm in Rounded Triangle, and Acetal 0.63mm in standard shape.

Blacklist Union

We loved these custom guitar picks made for the band Blacklist Union. Black and red Blacklistis always a classic design color scheme, and it looks fantastic on our white delrin guitar pick material. Their design has a fair amount of detail on it, but it turned out really clear and easy to see, even on the small guitar picks.

Blacklist Union is a Los Angeles based band touring on their 3rd cd called “until death do us part”.  They have been in the game for 8 years and will be touring most of 2013 in the Midwest and East Coast.  Their singer Tony West sang and toured with LA Guns, which lead him to form his own band when LA Guns decided to take a break.  They play from the heart rock and roll influenced by Mother Love Bone to Guns & Roses!  Their live show is full of energy and they have been receiving rave reviews! Check out www.blacklistunion.com for a full bio and to download music. The custom picks were ordered by bassist Erik Hatchett, and he testifies that he “will only use Clayton picks because their tone and durability surpass the rest!” Thanks Erik!!

To order your own custom guitar picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com!