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!

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!

This week’s Pick of the Week is for a band called Midnight Run. These picks were created on our white pearl material, and we love how Midnight Run’s artwork, with its bold colors, has a really cool 3-D look. They also chose a rounded triangle shape which added extra space for the design. Here is a little info about the band: “Dedicated to replicating the sounds of the phenomenal band, Journey, Midnight Run delivers incredible vocals, incredible sound and an incredible show. Each musician is committed to providing as true a sound to the original Journey band as possible, and the result is an experience that takes listeners back to times they cherish, while introducing a new generation to music they can love. Journey music shaped the 70s and 80s and today Journey continues to tour and create new albums, showcasing resiliency and talent. Midnight Run’s talents and commitment to perfection delivers music that is technically perfect, soulful and memorable. In the end, what separates good bands from great bands is passion. The five musicians of Midnight Run have always been passionate about music. Each took a different path in developing their talents and arriving at where they are today. Good tribute bands are dedicated to the music of the band they are covering. There’s lots of self-reflection and a continual dedication to the music. The work of Midnight Run in covering the Journey songbook is in itself a tribute to the music and a commitment to listeners to have a fantastic experience hearing the band. Midnight Run delivers: in music; in vocals; in showmanship; and especially in passion. A Midnight Run show is filled with energy and soul, whether it’s the driving beat of Any Way You Want It or the tender ballad When You Love a Woman. Lots of audience dancing and singing-along is standard fare at a Midnight Run show. The Midnight Run experience is excellent for everyone – those who book them appreciate the professionalism and promptness, and those who hear Midnight Run savor memories and appreciate the music of Journey all over again. Find out more at www.midnightrunband.com Create your own custom guitar picks on our site at www.claytoncustom.com!

This week, we are proud to feature Priest as the musician who ordered this awesome design for Pick of the Week! “Priest is the former guitarist for Shadows Lie, Sick, and Sikbellamuerte and is the  creator and founder of the rock band The Deadlyz. Do you know Priest? Chances are you have heard about him, or sensed him in the music you listen to. As versatile as a circus performer, he is a true entertainer in his own indistinguishable way. Priest has been everywhere from Anchorage, Alaska to Orlando, Florida with many memorable stops in between. Having the opportunity to perform with such notable musicians such as Erben Perez (Bassist for Latin music sensation Marc Anthonys) and Ernie C (founding member of Body Count), Priest has proven himself a dedicated musician, whether it be writing/performing original material with his own musical creation, or session musician-for-hire gigs. While living in Hawaii at age six, a $3.00 Ukulele would change Priest’s world forever. By age seven, he not only mastered playing, he also got to experience the stage life, thanks to his first mentor: Hawaiian sensation Uncle Willie K encouraged Priest to perform in front of crowds, not only in small venues, but also on the sidewalks of the Fishermans Warf on Front Street in the section of Maui known as Lahaina. After Hawaii, Priest returned to his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska where he began to form bonds and bands with fellow musicians. Taking those acts to the next level by entering (and winning) Local Battle of the Bands, and Guitar Riff Contests, Priest was privileged enough to take his Band Se7en to the Seattle Music Experience Projects main Stage in Seattle, Washington. Upon his arrival in New York City, Priest sought out the many musical facets the city has to offer. Among those was the opportunity to work with hard rock band Shadows Lie, who, at the time, was being produced by uber producers Todd Terry (the godfather of house music) and Bill Klatt (Rolling Stones, Cher, Jay-Z, Days of the New). With a new guidance of performance and professionalism, both on stage and studio-wise, Priest still utilizes those lessons today. Priest notes his influences as (but not limited to) the following: Prince, John 5, Robin Fink, BumbleFoot, Carlos Santana, Zakk Wylde, Queen, Pink, H.I.M , Keith Sweat, Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Sevendust, etc. Available for hire as a session musician, and touring guitarist, visually and creatively, you can check out more on priest at www.youtube.com/priestworld, http://www.myspace.com/priestsworld, and www.zazzle.com/priestworld.” Priest’s picks, with a the clever purple cartoon graphic, were made on our marbleized white pearl material (they also feature his signature on the back side of the picks. Create and order your own custom guitar picks today at claytoncustom.com!

This week’s Pick of the Week was created and ordered by Dave James from Norwalk, Ohio. He has played all sorts of music for the past 30 + years. He fronted the band Dave James and the Twang Factor for fifteen years, recorded 7 cds, and came as close as you can get to getting a deal in Nashville. After that he started a band with his wife called “Jamestown.” They recorded a couple of cds and have since parted ways. The next logical step for Dave was blues, something he’s always wanted to do… hence “Dave James Alien Blues Project”. A five piece band with 3 girl backup singers. Dave reports:  ”I’ve gotta say it’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing, performing, singing  and writing. This is a new project so all promo is in the works, we have started to record the first cd ” Cigars, Guitars and the Blues”. I wanted to bring in all my influences so it’s blues based, but with some rock, funk and country flavor.We’ve done a handful of concerts and what a blast. Keep checking in the future for music and videos.”  Visit their website: davejamesalienblues.com ( under construction)  or email  davejamesalienblues@yahoo.com. Also, check out YouTube  Dave James Alien Blues Project  for a promo video: http://youtu.be/SUBQwV5wE38. Dave’s picks were made on our white pearl material, which gives them an awesome, almost 3-D appearance. Design your own custom picks today at www.claytoncustom.com!

This week’s Pick of the Week design is a cool Americana logo for The M-80′s, done on our white pearl guitar pick material. Here is some info about the band, submitted by bassist/vocalist Michael Weidenbach: “The M-80s have been one of Clayton’s endorsed bands for a while now, but like many bands, we’ve been putting off ordering the custom guitar picks we really wanted. We finally submitted the order, and now we can’t wait for the delivery to arrive! We’re a 1980s-era tribute band from the Birmingham, Alabama area, and we play the rock & pop hits from the ’80s…the golden age of MTV.  We cover the popular styles & artists from the era, like The Cars and The Knack up through Madonna and The Go-Gos, all the way to Poison and Bon Jovi.  Authentic arrangements, tight harmonies, a surefire song list, high energy performances, and a sense of fun are what set us apart from your average rock band.  Especially the fun part…you just can’t take yourself too seriously when you play this stuff.” Band members include: Danielle Hardaman – Vocals; Michael Weidenbach – Bass, Vocals; Mike Tucker – Guitar, Vocals; Glenn Freeman – Keys, Guitar, Vocals; and Steve Lucas – Drums. Their website is:    www.M-80s.com and you can also find them on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/80srock

We have had some customers submit some really cool pick art recently, and we wanted to show off these designs! All of them are very colorful, and they were created using various types of artwork. The pick on the far left was made using a cartoon image, on our white delrin picks. The center pick has a painting on it, which appears 3D on our white pearl picks. The pick on the far right uses a nice photo of northern lights to create a unique look. For full color art such as the designs shown here, we offer three different white pick materials that can support these types of designs. This image is a great way to compare how the three types of white picks (white delrin, white pearl, and acetal) are different from each other. Also, we have two picks in this image (the  two outside picks) that demonstrate use of the full bleed option. Choosing full bleed for your custom picks means that the design will go all the way to the edge of the pick and not have a border. Create your own custom pick design today at www.claytoncustom.com!

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!

This week’s Pick of the Week is for a band called On the Rocks that hails from Philadelphia, PA. The logo is awesome, and it was created on our white pearl picks, which really make the blue colors stand out, and they give a nice a 3-D effect.

On The Rocks (OTR) was originally started by John Morgera on guitar &
vocals, Brian Johnston on bass & vocals and Joe”no-shots” Rush on
guitar & vocals. Mike Drabick came aboard on drums soon after. The
foursome was together for a couple of years before bringing on Robin
as Lead Vocalist. Robin was previously singing with a band named
Slant6. Due to personal time constraints, Joe Rush made the decision
to leave the band. Although sad to let “no-shots” go, the rest of the
band was fortunate not have to wait long for their most recent member
Mike Duva. Along with his guitar shredding abilities, Mike brings his
stellar lead & backing vocals into the Rock & Roll mix. OTR is a
refreshing blend of individual talents that have combined to create a
fun, energetic rockin band! They have song selections to suit everyone
and there are… Fun times ahead!!

Be sure to check out their new website at www.ontherocksrocksyou.com to find out more! Create your own guitar pick design at www.claytoncustom.com