We have been so busy in the custom drumstick dept. we almost forgot to share some newly imprinted sets! These two here are a staff favorite this week, we especially loved the brighter colors used on the Go Away set and the skulls are nice touch. Like our custom picks we can imprint almost anything on the drumsticks. When designing your drumsticks it is good to keep in mind that anything white in your design will show through clear on the drumsticks but other then that we encourage you to get very creative your pair ! Custom drumsticks start at $44 for 5 pairs of a single color design and just $59 for 5 sets of a full color design. Visit our site http://www.claytoncustom.com/drumsticks/ to start designing your own today!

This week’s Pick of the Week is for a Blues/Rock jam band/cover band in suburban Chicago called Borrowed Time.  Here is a little about the band from guitarist Michael Sommerfeld: “What we really are is a bunch of old friends with wives and kids who started getting together at a studio on Thursday nights to just jam for the hell of it.  After about 5 years we realized we were making some good music and we should start playing in front of people.  So we started playing local bars, and had our friends come my.  The gig offers just kept coming, and we will continue to play as long as we can (or the wives let us).  We pretty much will play for free (or at least beer), as this is not our career, but rather an escape from our careers.  Our song repertoire includes Beatles, Petty, Dylan, Grateful Dead, and basically any song that sounds good with a jam.   You can see a a little more about us in a very incomplete website www.borrowedtimefan.com.  Also would add that we have a face book page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Borrowed-Time/175263943986. I was very proud of my pick design, so I am very excited that it is being acknowledged.  Your website interface is superb, and I can’t say enough about the timing of the delivery, as well as how great the picks turned out.  So thanks!!!!” Michael designed his picks for your white pearl material, which gives a cool, almost 3-D appearance for their logo. Create your own custom picks today at www.claytoncustom.com!

Hard Rock has long been associated with negative connotations, but some bands have taken the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard rocking songs.
Angel Down is one of those Bands. Based out of Memphis TN, they are currently one of the hottest regional Hard Rock Bands to hit the Southeast area. A.D. formed from members of some of Memphis’s most well known acts. As seasoned musicia…ns, they came together and formed Angel Down. Bassist John Austin and drummer Ken Rowe began rehearsing and writing heavy riffs and thunderous rhythms with the plan to play the music they love combined with the messages they believed in. Lead Guitarist Johnny Parks was added after a chance meeting through some mutual friends, and brought a new style to the groups sound. One thing was still missing though, and the band set out to find the perfect Lead Vocalist. After many auditions, Mindy Howell joined the group in November 2009, and the line-up was complete. With their God given talents, the band set out to show the world that they are ready to praise the Lord in the only way they know how, with loud, aggressive ROCK! You can expect heavy guitar riffs, screaming vocals, and a thunderous rhythm section in a live show that is second to none. While they are a Christian band, they are not here to preach with their live shows. As a band that has very strong beliefs, they feel the best way to get that across to people is through their music. People will know what they stand for, and what they believe in. Angel Down has proven to be one of the hardest working bands in Memphis. In a short period of time, they have played shows ranging from benefits and churches to secular shows at such places as The Hard Rock Cafe, and the legendary Stage Stop. A.D. has played shows at colleges such as Lambuth University, played at benefits for such causes as Toys for Tots and the Race for the Cure, headlined The North Mississippi Hope for Haiti concert and the Shelby County Flood Relief Benefit Concert. They have also done shows for ACTS of West TN (a teen abstinence group), and Cancer Research, in front of crowds numbering into the thousands. Their dedication and hard work can also be seen with the fan reactions. Playing to large crowds and adding over 1000 fans to their fan pages in just their first 5 months. Even with a heavy show schedule, they recorded three tracks at Three Flights Up Studio in Mid Town Memphis with mastering completed at Ardent Studios. They have recently been recording at the Grove Studio in Memphis TN on their debut EP “Believe”. What the future holds for Angel Down remains to be seen, but it’s clear that this is only the beginning for these Christian hard rockers. They are the right musicians playing for the right reasons. BELIEVE THE HYPE!

www.twitter.com/angeldownband
www.facebook.com/angeldownmemphis
www.myspace.com/angeldownmemphis
www.youtube.com/angeldownmemphis

John & Johnny have just become endorsed with Clayton.

We decided to showcase a couple of really nice overbleed custom pick designs. Overbleed, or full bleed, is an option for custom picks that allows you to create your design so that the art, graphics, photos, text, etc. will extend all the way to the very edge of the pick, instead of having a border around them. This simple change in the normal design process will allow for some really cool effects, like the picks shown below. The pick on the left is our pink delrin material, and we like how the black design creates the effect of a patterned pick. The pick on the right is a white pearl, and the full coverage of the background in the art creates an illusion that the pick is colored instead of white, and has a really nice gradient. To have this option for your own custom picks, simply visit www.claytoncustom.com and start your design. When you reach the pick options page, you will see a box to the right that you can check to allow for the full bleed of your design. When you click this box, you will notice that the template on the next page will not include any border around your design. Just as a caution though, it is inadvisable to create a design that has a black full bleed background on a white guitar pick…these types of designs are highly susceptible to flaking once they are on the picks, and they often make the artwork appear muddy. Happy designing!

Ultem material guitar picks are the ultimate in quality! Even on dull strings, these picks are sure to create crisp, clean tones. The sound of these picks is meant to resemble that of true tortoiseshell picks, but, unlike real tortoiseshell, they are not susceptible to fractures. These are some of the strongest picks on the market, and you will be sure to love the bright sounds that they produce! They are available in eight different gauges. They are tan in color, and available with the Clayton eagle logo in white epoxy (http://www.steveclayton.com/ultem.php), or for customization (http://www.claytoncustom.com)! They are also offered in three different shapes including standard, rounded triangle, and small teardrop. 

Poisonwood is a Melodic Death Metal band from Arkansas. Formed in October 2009, the band has already played extensively in their home state and throughout the south, gathering a loyal and devoted following en route. In 2010, Poisonwood released a 7 song EP, titled “Dark Days,” which showcases their full on, brutal and melodic sound. Made up of Justin Velte (Guitar, Backing Vocals), Dan Niven (Drums), Tyler Scalise (Vocals), Matthew Velte (Guitar), Andy Honer (Bass), Kyle Reed (Keyboards), the band cites influences such as In Flames, Mors Principium Est, All That Remains, Amon Amarth and Pain of Salvation. In July of 2011 the band released their highly anticipated sophomore album “Pseudo Utopia,” and embarked on a summer tour throughout the southern and mid-western U.S. “Justin and Matthew Velte just have that natural harmony between them… the Velte brothers are only a label and a few endorsements away from being the new  Alexi Laiho.” -Bubbs Harris (Hails and Horns Magazine ” I must insist that you seek out Pseudo Utopia… This album captures everything  that I love about heavy metal perfectly.”  -Lexington Music Press 2011 sees Poisonwood poised to further expand their audience, as the band signed with esteemed Artist Development and Managment company The Inner Light Agency. As Bruce Swink of iLA says: “Things have been moving fast for Poisonwood and by teaming with iLA we’re going to kick everything into high gear and spread the word far and wide.”

myspace.com/poisonwoodmusic
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poisonwood/207780721629?v=app_2344061033#!/pages/Poisonwood/207780721629
myspace.com/poisonwoodmusic
youtube.com/meghanthemetalqueen