Sometimes, the simplistic designs are the ones that look the best when it comes to custom guitar picks. Shown in the image below are some great examples of simple but awesome designs that were submitted by our customers. These were all created on our white delrin picks. White delrin material is a really nice, bright white that looks great with colors, or with black-only designs like these. White delrin picks are available in standard guitar pick shape, and in three gauges including .80mm, 1.0mm and 1.26mm. To create a cool black and white design like the ones in the image, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

This week’s Pick of the Week was created for the performer/songwriter/producer/musician; Eli. In an excepert from his website bio, we discovered that Eli “possesses the mettle of a rocker. He oozes charisma. Drawing on his Tennessee roots, Eli traded break beats for rock riffs and left behind his urban moniker, Smoov-E.  Eli is a self-taught musician, fueled by his desire to create different sound scapes with live instruments. His innate ability to draw people in is evident in his popularity on social media websites.  Eli’s YouTube videos have garnered 30,000 to over 100,000 views each, he has over 3,000,000 total plays on Myspace and is searched for over 60,000 times a month on Google–impressive for an indie artist. For the past two years, Eli has performed before sold out shows rocking for crowds numbering in the thousands while touring with San Francisco legend Andre Nickatina. Eli will change the way Rock-N-Roll is listened to by bringing back that good old feeling and nostalgia, with a twist all his own.”  Check out the full bio at www.onepopularguy.com/mediapage. His guitar picks were made on our red colored pearl material, using a simple yet eye-catching design. You can see another image of the picks on his home page at www.onepopularguy.com! Be sure to check out his music and find out about upcoming shows. Design your own custom guitar picks at www.claytoncustom.com!

Well, Valentine’s day has come and gone, but we wanted you to see some of the cute designs that we got from our customers! Custom picks with photos on them can make wonderful gifts. All of the picks shown in the image below were created on our white pearl material, which is often the best for photo designs. White pearl picks have a marbleized quality to them, which gives a classy look and also makes the images on them have a 3-D quality.  These types of designs have been very popular lately, both for Valentines day and for wedding guitar picks. Try out your own design at www.claytoncustom.com today!

A FRIEND CALLED FIRE.. is a high-octane rock trio hailing from The Windy City. With a foundation based upon an infectious rhythmic assault, the band’s music is a pairing of heavy grooves based in rock and metal influence fused with hooks and melodies both genuine and purposeful. The trio, consisting of Jon Allegretto (lead vocals, guitar), Powers (bass, backing vocals) and Aaron J. (drums, percussion) are quickly making headway in their native Chicago in addition to many regional markets through touring and relentless marketing and promotion. Lyrically Allegretto’s words seek to entice listeners to view their own lives and strive for improvements in the world around them. A Friend Called Fire’s music is the catalyst for songs concerning love and hate, grief and ecstasy, the current state and future of the world we live in and beyond. The band’s explosive live shows prove that much like their name implies, A Friend Called Fire in many ways creates and destroys with passion and power. Think Muse hanging out with Strata and Social D., while on the phone with Sevendust, Breaking Benjamin and Clutch who just left a party at System of a Down’s house that was just crashed by Mute Math in a rebellious frenzy. Or something.

http://afriendcalledfire.net/

Endorsed with Clayton since 2010, Photo by Sarah Scott.

Hey Clayton fans! Check out this awesome video that features Clayton picks!! It was created by one of our customers, John C. McCain. He is a teacher in South Portland, Maine, and he writes and records music at home. He uses our acetal small teardrop picks in a 1.52 gauge. It is a cute counting video that is also associated with learning music. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXz3lrERLXI

This week’s Pick of the Week was created for an alternative rock band called The Alarm. They emerged from North Wales in the late 1970s. They started as a mod band and stayed together for over ten years. As a rock band, they displayed marked influences from Welsh language and culture. By opening for acts such as U2 and Bob Dylan, they became a popular alternative rock band of the 1980s, retaining a small but loyal following to the present day. Their picks are made on our acetal material, in a rounded triangle shape. We love the bright colors of the design and the full bleed layout. The picks were created by Travis Tiffin as a suprise gift for the lead singer of the band, Mike Peters. He utilized the “Poppy” logo which dates back to the earliest incarnation of their branding…1981.  Although, he believes this might have been the first time it has been integrated with a Welsh Flag motif…since the band is from Wales. The picks were created specifically for an event called The Gathering: http://www.thealarm.com/gathering/news.html. Shown below is a photo of Mike Peters at the event, and if you look closely you can see him holding one of the picks in his right hand. Mike Peters also happens to be the founder of a wonderful charity organization called the Love, Hope, Strength Foundation. LHSF is an international, music-centric cancer charity dedicated to saving lives, one concert at a time. The mission is to save lives, right now, with the advances that have already been made in cancer care. They do not fund cancer research, rather they use their funds to: Build and support cancer centers around the world, build awareness of global cancer needs, and build international marrow databases through the “Get on the List” campaign. To find out more about LHSF and how to donate, please visit http://lovehopestrength.org/. To check out The Alarm, their music, and their upcoming events you can visit their site at http://www.thealarm.com.

Whether you blame the decline of the music industry or the cities that never sleep, there just aren’t enough big-time dreamers these days. However, the Brockville, Ontario-reared rock quartet Colfax are at a significant advantage over their complacent peers. They know successful business starts at the source; bands need to make music worth paying for again. Just ask the forty thousand strong visitors to Colfax’s MySpace page. Better proof, however, lies in the massive debut album Keys to the Midway; an aural assault of the band’s patented brand of aggressive melodic rock that finds Cody Humble (vocalist) Brock Tinsley (guitars) Aaron Hopkins (bass) and Joel Hopkins (drums) knitting big top-sized choruses seamlessly with a variety of punishing hooks. While they may not all legally be able to sit at the bar, their first record finds Colfax setting one of their own to heights previously unknown. With a tasteful vision that merges the best possible approaches, the band craft music that is equal parts muscle and melody. Attitude and invention abounds on Keys to the Midway; be it the pummeling-pop insistency of “Run” or the nightmare-gone-wrong “Bigfoot Doesn’t Have Any Sisters” which teeters on the brink of pure catatonia. “We believe music is meant to be played with passion, and we think a lot of bands are more interested in current trends than their own expression,” Brock claims. It’s interesting to note that despite the band’s proficiency (few could resist the exuberant debut single “Lay Low” which showcases Cody’s charismatic caterwaul) the quartet’s influences range from Rage Against the Machine to Daft Punk to soul to Every Time I Die. “There are so many great sounds out there,” Cody acknowledges. “We don’t want to limit ourselves.” Rewind to 2008 when Colfax formed; just one among the myriad of hopeful bands in Eastern Ontario. While juggling part-time work at a restaurant and graveyard shifts at a pharmacy, Colfax successfully recorded and supported a three song demo, An Entrance in the Making. Soon afterwards, Colfax was granted opening slots for fellow Canadian acts such as Hedley, Ten Second Epic, and Theory of a Deadman. It was an easy decision when the band was asked to create their first full length CD during the summer of 2009. Whether it’s the urgent, angular riffs that energize “Little Miss 1565” or the gentle, string-laden sway of “The Act of Breathing In”, each song is created inconspicuously among friends whose bonds stretch as far back as public school. “A good portion of songs all started by Brock and I imitating all the instruments with our mouths while playing video games together, just hanging out,” says Cody. “That’s what makes it so fun and memorable. Every song represents so much more than the lyrics let on.” Colfax have been touring high schools extensively educating students about the music industry and their potential place in it as budding musicians. The band combines a uniquely designed presentation (which covers many topics including band chemistry, songwriting, royalties, financing) with their signature high-octane rock show; Colfax are taking this EducaTOUR cross-country in the fall of 2010. Thanks to their intelligent embrace of technology, Colfax have mastered various outlets to virtually connect with their fans. The most popular of which is ColfaxTV, a YouTube channel that features original videos documenting the band’s adventures. The Dawg and Pwny Show is an hour long feature that provides a walkthrough of the album’s creation; this popular series treads the fine line between comedy and professionalism flawlessly. If their intentions are simple, they also seem pure. Says Aaron, “There’s a reason we’ve sacrificed as much as we did to come this far. There’s nothing else we would rather do.” This band has the keys and the world is ready to be unlocked.

For more of Colfax and to hear their music visit http://www.colfaxrock.com/

Endorsed with Clayton since 2010

Recently, Clayton USA, Inc. has had the opportunity to contribute to a wonderful charity organization called Pick with Austin. Pick with Austin is a nonprofit corporation that operates in the memory of Texas teen guitarist, Alan Carter Villaruz-Curley. The purpose of the organization is to help elevate a community awareness and to educate the people about a growing epidemic of youth depression and suicide. They use Alan’s Gift of Music to enhance this awareness while providing donated guitars to kids and teens in hospitals, in youth groups and ministries, and/or those whom have been identified in some way of being potentially “at risk” of depression. On February 4th, Pick With Austin made a large presentation of donated guitars to the Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, along with custom guitar picks made by Clayton. The media coverage of this event helped to support the charity, and the donations went to sick children, and kids undergoing chemo therapy. Shown below are some images of the picks and the event:

Be sure to check out these broadcasts of Clatyon involvement with Pick with Austin:

http://pickwithaustin.com/clayton.htm http://pickwithaustin.wordpress.com/

To find out more about Pick with Austin and how to donate, visit their site at http://www.PickWithAustin.com. It is truly an amazing organization that deserves our support!!

Based in Fort Lauderdale, FL, My Amends is made up of of five very talented individuals, each with a long history of playing with bands including Remembering Never, Hiatus, Aeons Apart and Razorblade Romance. Since forming in 2008, My Amends has achieved an impressive list of accomplishments, including sharing the stage with national acts like Poison the Well, Every Time I Die, Remembering Never, Vanna and Straight Line Stitch. My Amends was also the only non-Spanish speaking guests to be invited to the TV show Estrella2. My Amends joined the Ingenious Records roster in late 2009, released their debut EP “That of a Lion”, and premiered the music video for their single “Get Help” at Auteur Explosion Ft. Lauderdale. Beyond these achievements, My Amends’ passionate music also caught the attention of a national non-profit organization, the Human Rights Torch Relay, who approached the band to write and perform a song about persecution against the Falun Gong spiritual practice in China. While working on “That of Lion”, My Amends wrote and recorded a song dedicated to raising awareness about this cause. The song “I’d like you to see” was donated to the public and can be downloaded for free here. My Amends will be touring through the summer and hit the studio this winter to record and release their next album by spring of 2011.

Check out more about My Amends here http://www.reverbnation.com/myamends

Endorsed with Clayton since 2010

Hailing from Portland, OR in the great northwest, In Bloom is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. With influences from Jimmy Eat World and U2, to Leonard Cohen and The Beatles, In Bloom puts it all together in a punk/indie infused power-pop sound that screams heart, honesty and energy. Timothy Reed (Wheelchair Renegades), Tony Robles (Alter Ego), Max Hampton and DJ Eickhoff have come together and created something completely original in today’s segregated and sub-genred world of rock.

Though In Bloom is new to the scene, its members have being paying their road dues for years, touring on the east and west coastlines. Timothy Reed booked and orchestrated years of west coast D.I.Y. tours with previous bands.

No matter the direction In Bloom’s music takes them, they show absolutely no fear and a relentless passion to reach people. No one said honesty was easy, but In Bloom has found it’s the only recipe for success.

Visit their website for more at http://inbloom.tv/

Endorsed with Clayton since 2010