November 1st, 2012 in Custom Guitar Picks, Guitar Accessory Tips | No Comments »
…but the time to order our specialty custom pick items for Christmas is now! We know you are probably out in the shops seeing Christmas decorations popping up everywhere and thinking “Gee whiz, it’s not even Thanksgiving!” But some things are good to get a head start on. Custom guitar picks make a wonderful gift, and here at Clayton we offer a few items that take a little longer to get shipped out than most of our products. These include the black celluloid, glow in the dark and hot stamp foil custom picks. If you have been looking through our site and thinking that you might like to order one of these three types of custom picks for the holiday season, the time to place your order is now! Each of these materials has a 4-6 week production time, and you will want to allow for shipping time as well. Order today at www.claytoncustom.com!
October 29th, 2012 in Contests/Specials, Custom Guitar Picks, News | No Comments »
Today is the last day of our Halloween sale, so it is still not too late to order and receive 10% off on custom picks! Just visit www.claytoncustom.com to place your order, and use the discount code HWL12 when prompted for a promotional code. So hurry up to take advantage of this offer and get your order placed! Most orders ship out in just 2-3 business days and custom picks start at only $24.99!
July 25th, 2012 in Custom Guitar Picks, Pick of the Week | No Comments »
The week’s Pick of the Week was created for the band The Dirty Flirts. The Dirty Flirts were born out of
the love of being an avid Runaways fan and lover of Female Fronted Bands in the Punk/Rock genres. Momma Dukes (drummer) flirted (ha ha) with the idea with Dawn Sweet (Lead Vox) and after seeking out other like-minded dirty flirts like themselves they found another talented Fem Fatale “T” (Rhythm Axe), and one energized rocker Rob Luv (Lead Axe). Having a bass player issue…, and gone through two so far since the bands’ inception, they found their permanent bass player Lorenzo who, despite being a generation younger, loves their choice of music and is an enthusiastic as well as talented addition to the Dirty Flirts. With enough practice under their chastity ;-P belts they had a very well received debut gig and are presently rockin at select gigs! Because all of the members’ lifestyles have always included music in some form or another, this band was a natural fit for them, as well as for the next generation of rock and rollers. Their fans are peers in the industry, so when they are at a gig, it suddenly becomes a live jam that all the crazed groupies love being a part of, whether it’s on the stage jamming or dancing and grabbing each other during the shows. So leave your morals and your attitudes at the door and party with The Dirty Flirts!
Band bookings contact Margaret
631-824-3454 or email
mommadukes421@yahoo.com.
Band Members:
Dawn Sweet – Lead Vox (Liquid Overload)
“T” – Rhythm Axe, Back Up Vox
Rob Luv – Lead Axe, Back up Vox(Strike Twice)
Lorenzo – Bass
Momma Dukes-Percussion/Back up Vox
The Dirty Flirts design was printed on our acetal guitar picks, which are known for being professional, high quality material. They look great the with sizzling black and red Dirty Flirts logo! Create and order your own custom picks today at
www.claytoncustom.com!
May 9th, 2012 in Custom Guitar Picks, Pick of the Week | No Comments »
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!
April 25th, 2012 in Custom Guitar Picks, Pick of the Week | No Comments »
This week’s Pick of the Week was ordered by Clayton customer Tudor Adrian Negru. Tudor is a “previous guitar player in Romanian heavy-metal bands Refractara, Ronin and currently lead-guitar in a newly established band called Anomaly (http://www.facebook.com/anomalybandcluj). With the main influences of the band straying more into the hard-core/metal areas but with a taint of nu-metal and hard-rock, Anomaly tries to bring something unique to the musical scene in Cluj-Napoca and Romania. The band is currently working on writing material for their first demo album which should be finished by July 2012 and have already had several live performances along with some of the most well established and appreciated bands in the scene.
In order to bring that huge metal grind to the overall sound of the band, using heavier string gauges really does make a difference. Still, a common challenge that every guitar player in this genre faces is how to keep the tone tight and defined while also making it easier on yourself when playing heavy gauges.”
Tudor explains how he found Clayton picks: “Having being recommended Clayton USA and being handed a custom Clayton pick some time ago by one of the most established metal guitar players in the field, Balauru’ of Trooper, the search for that missing and much-needed element ended. It wasn’t long until I turned to have my own custom order with Steve Clayton USA. I find it that the Acetal 1.9 mm gauge suits my needs perfectly. The matte finish really keeps the pick where and how you need it to be while the material-gauge combination means that I can finally get that attack, control and tone definition that I was very much searching for even in the middle of a crazy live gig.”
“The custom layout features the above mentioned 1.9 mm Acetal standard shape but with 
the “Ronin” logo which stands for “one with no lord nor master” inspired by Japanese culture. The custom design was provided by established artist Paul Pantazescu (www.paulpantazescu.com) and in conjunction with Clayton craftsmanship it screams attitude, professionalism and strength.” To order your own custom guitar picks like Tudor’s, visit www.claytoncustom.com today!
March 20th, 2012 in Endorsed Artists, News | No Comments »
Check out KG and Kones speaking with Steve Clayton in their new video below:
Guitarings – Clayton Picks at NAMM
March 16th, 2012 in Endorsed Artists | No Comments »
Trapped In Static is an alternative rock/indie band based in New York City formed by singer/musician/songwriter Athan Hilaki (previously with GAD.). The band first started 
using the name Trapped In Static in October 2010 with Athan on vocals & guitar but a different line-up. After a small break, the band is back with a new line-up, Athan Hilaki on vocals, guitar & keyboards, David Torres on drums and Peter Douskalis on guitar & keyboards, joined on stage by George Kostopoulos (bass). In a very short period of time – less then 4 months (Dec 2011 – Mar 2012), Trapped In Static managed to have a big impact in the NYC crowd, and the show goes on!
- In December 2011, Trapped In Static finished 5th in the competition Hometown Hero by Z100, receiving more than 1500 votes.
- In January 30th 2012, the band appeared LIVE on TV, for “Minding Your Business” on the Manhattan Network Neighborhood, with great reviews and a second appearance coming soon!
- In February 10th TIS. performed LIVE on Nexus Productions Radio (broadcasted live on TV with EllasTV) & February 12th performed LIVE an unplugged version of their songs on Hellas FM.
Some recent live shows include some of the hottest live venues in NYC such as:
- The BitterEnd, Knitting Factory, Pianos, Bowery Electric, Arlene’s Grocery, The Delancey, National Underground, Tammany Hall and more…
http://www.trappedinstatic.com
http://www.twitter.com/instaticlive
http://www.myspace.com/trappedinstatic
http://www.youtube.com/TrappedInStaticTV
March 1st, 2012 in Custom Guitar Picks, Pick of the Week | No Comments »
This week’s Pick of the Week was made for the blues band, The Mojo Tones. “The Mojo
Tones started out as four friends just getting together, playing Blues and Blues-Rock songs for the fun of it. Mike (drums) initiated things by asking Billy (guitar) if he’d be interested in doing a Blues project, just for fun, just because. Billy says, “One thing led to another, word got out, and suddenly, we were playing gigs by word of mouth.” Mike knew a singer/harmonica player in Joe (Vocals & Harp) that loved the Blues, and they had a friend that played bass. That bass player was Will, and with his musical background, things meshed together quite well. After a few years, Will had to tend to family matters, and through Will, Gerald was welcomed in on bass. Gerald has years of playing under his belt, and is a perfect fit.
Billy says, “I think the last thing the Musical World needs is yet-another Blues band playing endless shuffles, or their versions of Stevie Ray Vaughan songs. We mix genres, a 1940′s Blues classic with a modern blues-rock re-write…Country Blues, ala Robert Johnson, but with electrified Dobro through an amp, or playing Hendrix with harmonica, Dylan with a Dobro, a John Lee Hooker-influenced slide-guitar twist of Rolling Stones classic…even Motorhead, just because it was fun. No rules, no taking ourselves too seriously.” Mike went from a regular drum kit, resized to just a kick and snare with a couple of cymbals, trading in his sticks for a pair of brushes…minimalist to the bone. Just picture Motorhead with brushes…With Mike, less is more, and his ability to groove with the song shows it. “Some of the places we play require a lot less volume than regular clubs, so I started using a 5 watt guitar amp, even a 1watt amp, because the club requires a limit on volume level. My guitar-playing friends think I’m crazy…” Even Joe’s harp amp went down to 5 watts or 1 watt, depending on the gig. Joe uses different effects with his harp: distortion, Leslie, phasing, flanging, echo…anything to sound different.
The Blues is a great teacher, and it will teach you that what feels right,
isright. The Mojo Tones mix genres, within songs, playing Country Blues with Blues Rock, Jump Blues with Jazz, without any of the high-brow sensibilities. It still comes down to four friends playing music, for the love of music…” To find out more about The Mojo Tones, visit their facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mojo-Tones/149174077686. The Mojo Tones’ picks were made on our white delrin material, which was perfect to enhance their red logo and give that classic “Coca Cola” look. To design your own custom guitar picks visit
www.claytoncustom.com today!
February 28th, 2012 in Endorsed Artists | No Comments »
Me Vs Murphy is a band formed by four Venezuelans currently living in the city of Miami. The band just finished recording their first album titled “#JUSTSAYING” w
hich consists of 10 songs and it was recorded in the studios of SAE in Miami, Florida. The release is on March 2012.
February 23rd, 2012 in Endorsed Artists | No Comments »
Stoop Goodnoise, A band building, wrecking, and rebuilding again as they lead the way in the new Chicago Rock & Roll scene. Chicago has always been a city of collided cultures coming together to form something amazing and there is no band that encapsulates this like Stoop Goodnoise. A facepunch of 90′s grunge fury, punk choruses, and intergalactic guitar solos.
One part Chicago street kids, one part classic rock phenoms, but all one original sound that can not be missed, that can not be ignored, that cannot be stopped.
They have played at numerous clubs around Chicago like House Of Blues Bottom Lounge & Beat Kitchen and have gone as far as being one of the three finalists in the MTV VMA 2009 Best Breakout Chicago Artist Contest where they supported All Time Low & White Tie Affair at Six Flags Great America. They’re set from that day was also featured on Comcast On Demand for the entire city of chicago to view at the push of a button.
They have just finished up they’re debut album “Crash Me, Cloud” At Million Yen Studios in Chicago with Sciphonic Productions set to be released on January 28th 2012 with touring and music videos planned in the coming months.
Check them out at:
www.StoopGoodnoise.com
http://www.Twitter.com/StoopGN
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stoop-Goodnoise/144260285632636
http://www.myspace.com/StoopGoodnoise
http://www.youtube.com/StoopGoodnoise
