This week’s Pick of the Week was designed and ordered by Charlton Young for his band, Tryst. Tryst, is a “top 40” acoustic cover band.  They play a lot of the newer pop songs that are coming out and do a lot of mash ups with songs you would never think to mash up.  Their influences include Chevelle, Howie Day, Boyce Avenue, Cee-lo green, Jason Derulo, Oasis, Bruno Mars, Eminem, Pink, and Ke$ha. The band has been around for a few years, but Charlton joined just a couple months ago after their guitar player left without any notice and forced them to cancel a bunch of gigs.  Charlton says that this set-back upset a lot of bar and club owners, so it has been difficult for Tryst to get back into the scene, but slowly they are getting back out there.  Find out more about Tryst on their website at www.tryst-chicago.com

Tryst’s custom guitar picks were made on our white delrin guitar pick material, and the bright white really makes their vibrant red logo “pop!” To create and order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

ODDSLANE is a uniquely blended mix of driving rock & roll riffs and solid grooves with an overall pop sensibility.They create music that fuses diverse influences from a wide range of styles, but maintains the integrity of what has become their own original sound. The band primarily focuses on the material of singer/songwriter Doug Byrkit, who in 2003 co-founded the group with longtime musical partner Brian Zielie. Doug and Brian’s partnership goes back many years with their first band together while still in high school. Since, they have maintained a close working relationship that has lasted through college and a host of musical projects. Together they can boast such accomplishments as sharing the stage with diverse artist such as Lifehouse, Pete Yorn, and Walter Trout as well as having toured Korea, Japan, and the Pacific Rim. As the core members of ODDSLANE, the pair has formed a creative relationship that blends their broad range of musical influences, ranging from The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Tower of Power and Miles Davis, with their years of experience recording and touring. To the outside observer, it may seem that Brian plays a small role in the creative process, but his influence on Doug over the years has been the spearhead to the evolution of his songwriting. ODDSLANE (originally under the name THE BREAKERS) was formed in 2003 out of the ashes of several other defunct St. Louis groups (Zito, Flynova, Nadine, and The LP Outsiders to name a few) to work on selected material from Doug’s recent demo projects. Shortly, they began recording these songs and playing live to a steadily growing fan base. This first line up of the group quickly produced two EP’s. The first of which, THE BOTTLENECK SESSIONS, twice earned them attention from the Memphis Regional Grammy Chapter along with some high profile national and international songwriting contests. It also caught the ear of those at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Sun Studio, most widely known as the studio that gave birth to Elvis, has been recording legends for years. Along with Elvis, the likes of BB King, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and more recently U2, Vertical Horizon, Maroon 5, Liz Phair, 3 Doors Down, The Calling, and Better Than Ezra have all recorded at there. ODDSLANE joined these ranks by invitation on the studio’s part as an effort of there’s to promote emerging artist. Both of these recordings were later combined into what became the release simply entitled “SESSIONS”. The follow-up recording, SONGS FOR YOUNG EXECUTIVES, is the group’s first full-length album. Although an unconventional approach, this recording was a collection of the most honest and well crafted songs to ever come from songwriter Doug Byrkit. The album contains 13 tracks loosely based around the theme of corporate greed; a subject Doug had became all too familiar with while working in Corporate America before recently leaving to complete a graduate music degree and to devote more time to music and ODDSLANE. The lyrical content gives a sometimes tongue-in-cheek and sometimes blatantly unapologetic slant on those negotiating the corporate jungle. Even though there are some heavy themes that run throughout, most of the songs are ambiguous enough to be interpreted multiple ways by the listener, thus making the album very easy for a broad range of fans to connect with. Aside from the obvious lyrical message of the record, Songs For Young Executives delivers the pinnacle of Doug’s musical evolution. The album is a mix of musical influences and real world playing experience, which along with the solid groove foundation provided by drummer Brian Zielie, merge into what can only be described as a true representation of ODDSLANE’s own unique rock & roll sound. The album’s single “Miles Away” has been featured on the hit television series THE DEADLIEST CATCH on THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL, and continues to garner attention across the web and other media. The album and single have also gained industry attention, earning a publishing deal from Grammy nominated producer George McClure’s Nashville publishing house as well as several independent film score and web placements. Currently the group performs in and around the St. Louis area in several different forms, from full rock band to acoustic solo gigs. Check the CALENDAR PAGE for a full list of current bookings. They are also busy putting the finishing touches on a brand new full length album due later this year.

Also, they have a page on Kickstarter, be sure to check it out! You can preorder their album for $1 through the site!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1655071060/new-13-song-album-from-oddslane

http://oddslanemusic.com

http://facebook.com/oddslane

http://myspace.com/oddslanemusic

http://twitter.com/oddslanemusic

This week’s Pick of the Week was made for musician James Cademan. “James Cademan is no stranger on the local scene of Sarasota, Florida where he
currently writes, performs, records, and mixes his original music. Cademan’s
music style denotes a contemporary folk sound as it has an easy listening,
melancholy driven pulse. The lyrics are pondering, evocative and full of life
experiences, reflective of styles from bands such as 3 Doors Down and Creed.
In 2009, Cademan left a position as VP of a nationally known Food Service
Consulting firm to pursue writing and performing music full time.  Since then
he has released his debut album entitled “Unplugged and Away”, an EP
containing five acoustic versions of his most popular songs.  The album is
available on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, Emusic and many more online outlets.
Best Buy Music has also released the album in stores in September 2011.  To
listen and purchase autographed CD’s visit www.jamescademan.com/store.cfm

Cademan plays as a solo act and in live performances. He plays Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar and/or Keyboards.  He has chosen both the black celluloid picks and the .05mm red colored delrin (shown at right) picks with the iconic Cademan Wings logo on it.  The black celluloid picks are offered as give aways at shows and also have been turned into jewelry and accessories which can be purchased at shows and at the online store (www.jamescademan.com/store.cfm). Cademan selected the .05mm red colored delrin picks because of the sure grip, soft feel and mellow tone they provide when playing acoustically. To create and design your own custom guitar picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com.

Cademan designed the iconic Cademan Wings logo to symbolize an experience he had years ago as a teen.  One night he was awakened with the distinct and uneasy feeling that someone was watching him.  There standing next to his bed was a dark shadow-like figure wearing a wide brimmed “gaucho” style hat and along black cape.  Although the room was pitch black, the outline of the figure was blacker than the dark.  Feeling that the shadow figure’s intentions were evil he found the courage to jump out of bed and run out of the room. Returning to the room a while later, the figure was gone. On the next night Cademan was once again awakened by a visitor. Only this time there was no dark entity.  Instead, there was a giant man with short blonde hair wearing a white toga and crimson sash standing at the foot of his bed. He was at least seven feet tall.  Interestingly though he did not have wings as you might think an angel would.  The angel never moved his mouth but James distinctly heard him say “I am Cademan.  I’ve been sent to protect you”. After these experiences, Cademan (aka,  Jim Richards), believed someone was watching over him and since then the name “Cademan” took on the meaning of “Protection, Guidence and Success”.   In 2008, James assumed the name “Cademan” as his stage name….because, to him, the name is associated with success.  Thus, the iconic sweeping angel wing design and “Cademan” emboldened in the logo design was created to represent strength and success. (Listen to the entire story of Cademan’s angel experience by visiting the February 2, 2012 blog entry at www.jamescademan.com/blog.cfm). Cademan is currently recording his sophomore album entitled “Next Life Now”, set for release in Winter 2012/Spring 2013.  He is also preparing to tour the Summer of 2012 with The Extreme Tour.  Visit www.jamescademan.com for tour dates and cities.”

We just wanted to share a video from one of our Endorsed bands The Plastic Revolution, check out our picks in the beginning!

Also, you can check out the rest of their videos and music at their website http://www.theplasticrevolution.com

This week’s featured Pick of the Week was made for the band Scarlet Machine. “Scarlet Machine is a four-piece rock band made up of teens from the San Francisco Bay Area. These young musicians are making music like it used to be: jamming, not manufacturing. With roots in jazz, rock and funk, Scarlet Machine is about musicianship, great songs, and energetic performances. What you see is what you get.
All too often, bands in concert sound nothing like their CD. Scarlet Machine refuses to be one of those bands. Scarlet Machine draws from a wide array of inspirations because its members are so different. Kyle’s main inspirations are bands like Creed and Paramore. Keller’s inspirations roll to Queen and Radiohead. Nick’s include AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. Matt’s are bands like A Day to Remember and The Devil Wears Prada.
Kyle says: “We are sort of like a recipe of rock. Each of us is a certain ingredient that wouldn’t be very good by itself, but combined it tastes amazing!” Their latest studio effort, “On Fire” was released September 24th, 2011 and was recorded and engineered by Teddy Gyi, mixed by Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios and mastered by Brad Gillis of Night Ranger.Scarlet Machine will be applying their creative ingenuity to a new studio effort due for release in late 2012. Scarlet Machine will get your blood pumping. Their energy, passion and skill promise audiences nothing less than a true rock show.”

To find out more about Scarlet Machine, visit their facebook page at http://www.scarletmachine.com/. Scarlet Machine’s custom guitar picks were made on our acetal material, and we loved the intricacy of their design. To create and order your own custom picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

This Week’s Pick of the Week was made for the band Ghost Train Trio. The custom picks were designed and ordered by Clayton Customer Pat Mackinnon, who is the Ghost Train Trio vocalist, guitar-slinger and songwriter. “His original vision was to combine rock, surf and country with a Rat Pack chaser. When double bassist Joel Putzier and drummer Dan Cunneen saddled-up to the bar, the Mackinnon vision was fulfilled. In just a few short months Ghost Train Trio has skillfully taken the bite and swagger of hard-rock and blended it with Sun-era Elvis, Dick Dale’s twang and Tony Joe White’s soulful “Polk Salad” swamp. To round out their sound, they tossed in a dash of Willie Dixon’s electrified blues and a touch of Waylon and Willie’s outlaw drawl. Put it all together and you get Ghost Train Trio. (The band happily defies easy classification, so until somebody comes up with something better, the tongue-tied “hard-rocking, bluesy and soulful outlaw countrypolitan surf” will just have to do.)
With titles like “Lonesome Road” and “Brother to the Wind”, Mackinnon’s songs reflect isolation and a restless movement that no doubt springs from his formative years in the 49th state. Like all good songwriters, a common thread runs though Mackinnon’s material, but the songs aren’t just re-writes of the last one. Each distinct tune stands on its own and stands up to the last. Mackinnon’s voice echoes a rough-hewn crooner – meandering the wide gulf between Bob Dylan and Dean Martin – with a touch of the trademark Rotten snarl for good measure. Lyrically, he touches on themes of running, from your past – and your demons, and then making another dash for the next boundary. Ghost Train Trio has found the right mix musically, with their personalities and their style. Even when playing a jazzy song like “Just a Shame” or a dark ballad like “Evelyn”, Ghost Train Trio’s rock roots are clear – but not obvious. Put simply, even when they don’t rock, they do.”   -Gary Karconclion, The Puget Sound Perspective

To find out more about the Ghost Trio Band, visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ghosttraintrio

Pat was kind enough to write about his experience with Clayton Picks:

“I’ve been using Clayton picks exclusively for many years. I used to get really frustrated with standard plastic picks because they would easily break and get grooves along the sides from running my pick up and down the strings. Also the gloss finish always felt a little slippery in my fingers. When I discovered Clayton Acetal picks I fell in love with them and have never turned back. They don’t break, they hold up to all kinds of abuse and they grip your fingers and stay put. They will wear down after a while but whenever I notice that one of my picks is worn down around the end I know that I have put a lot of time in on my guitar with that particular pick and that’s a good feeling. I used to play with 1 mm which are great for fast picking and heavy attack. But with Ghost Train Trio I switch from electric to acoustic quite a bit and I like using a thinner pick on an acoustic so now I’m using the .8 mm because it has some flexibility which I like for acoustic srumming and is still firm enough to support fast picking and give me some crunch when I need it. So when I realized that I could make my own custom printed Clayton Picks I was thrilled and wasted no time in placing my order. Now I’ve got my favorite picks with my own cool design on it. It’s a great thing!”

The Ghost Train Trio picks were made on our Acetal guitar pick material, and we really liked the look of their full bleed yellow and black design. To create and order your own custom picks, be sure to visit www.claytoncustom.com today!

Award winning Guitarists Roger Harmon and Jonathan Barlow are versatile musicians with careers that involve performing various kinds of music, composing and arranging music for publication, and promoting their work as recording artists. They also periodically receive grant funding and cash-prize awards. They both earned Master of Music degrees in classical guitar from the University of Denver (DU) where they met and began performing together. Since graduation, their alma mater has taken notice of their accomplishments and not only written an article about them for the alumni magazine but also invited them to be guest lecturers in a career workshop entitled “Entrepreneurship in Music.” Although classically trained, they pride themselves on their abilities in many genres including jazz and popular styles. As signed recording artists with Azica Records they share a roster with guitar luminaries Jason Vieaux, David Leisner, and Grammy-winning jazz pianist Bill Cunliffe. Roger and Jonathan’s music is distributed internationally by Naxos of America, has received traditional radio play, and can be heard on Pandora, Last.FM, Rdio, and Spotify. They recorded their first album under the name Massif Trio, a group formed by Jonathan to perform his arrangements of 19th century German art songs for 2 guitars and voice. Their album Massif Trio Plays Schumann, Schubert and Strauss garnered reviews from American Record Guide and All Music Guide; it was praised as “a masterful performance filled with keen musical insight, evocative text painting, and enticing sound quality.” The arrangements found on the album are published with Clear Note Publications. Jonathan is also published with Lathkill Music Publishers and Soundboard guitar journal published one of his arrangements and wrote an article about him. His work has been called “fabulous” by Guitarnotes, ”superb” by Steve Marsh of Classical Guitar Magazine, and “tasteful, impeccably written and exceptionally enjoyable” by Rovi Music. A growing number of university music libraries carry his publications. Roger and Jonathan are proud to be endorsed artists with Steve Clayton Guitar Picks, Godin Guitars, Curt Mangan Strings, and Sfarzo String Company. They are represented by Denver booking agency Masterful Musicians and have won many awards including: The Orville Moore Memorial Award - from the Allied Arts, Inc.- given for “achievement in German art song,” and the ASCAPlus Award - from the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) – a national award given for “creative contributions to American music.”

Pandora Radio Link:
http://broadcaster.pandora.com/t?r=927&c=901946&l=37961&ctl=410D029:55970D1978C19A868F921A04ECA14EF4050542759970026E&

www.jonathandavidbarlow.com

www.rogerlouis.com

The chosen Pick of the Week this week was made for the band Freaky Urban Troopers. They are a funk-rock/progressive-rock band from Vienna/Austria founded in 2011 who are currently starting out, playing (and winning;) several band-contests with national and international gigs and recording their first album in summer 2012. Here is a bio taken from their official site at http://www.freakyurbantroopers.com/:

Groovy beats, funky rock-guitars, freaky rhythms, fantastic melodies and a voice which enlightens your soul with pure desire and deliciousness. We come to rock your house, whatever you are up to. You may have heard of urban legends? …well…then you will probably like THIS:

Legend has it that it all started out as a songwriting-project between Juri and Michi in a shabby little students’ apartment in the slums of Alsergrund, Vienna, back in the late last decade, growing with the congeniality of their comrades in arms into something more inspiring, inconceivably ingenious and thriving than they would have ever imagined (isn’t it nice to be so down to earth besides being extremely modest at the same time?). Others say it was pure determination…or neither of it…who will ever know?

Fact is, that five talented artists with music in their heart and full devotion to their musical goals are on a mission to spread their freaky urban sound among their audience, keeping them procking and grooving. Freaky Urban Troopers are a force to be reckoned with…seriously…

You can also find out more about Freaky Urban Troopers on their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/freakyurbantroopers.

The Freaky Urban Troopers picks were made on our white pearl material, which nicely supports their detailed red and black logo art. To design and order your own custom made guitar picks, visit www.claytoncustom.com!