1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
I would have to say that it’s the pickup selector on my guitar. I think a five-way super switch is essential to my style. There is so much sonic territory and versatility on tap simply by switching pickup positions. It allows me to become a chameleon and tackle any genre I’m trying to cover. I should add that in conjunction with the tone and volume knobs, the tonal possibilities are endless. I feel this is often glossed over by the vast majority and I can never understand why!
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
I’ve been endorsing Strandberg Guitars over the last several years. I love everything about them: the ergonomic design, weight relief, playability and sound. Maybe I would drop a middle pickup in on my seven-string version… I don’t know though… It sounds incredible as is.
Also, I have to give a shoutout to Pickboy Picks which I’ve endorsed for ten years now! The Pos-A-Grip Jazz 1.5mm in Tortoise Shell is unrivaled in my opinion: http://www.osiamo.com/christianColabelli I have a graveyard of picks that I’ve spent an inordinate amount of money on over the years in search of the perfect plectrum. I feel that tone is in your hands and the right pick is essential. I’ve tried pretty much everything out there and I can honestly say that this particular pick is the one for me. I can’t live without it!
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
The above picture displays my board from 2020 NAMM. I built this for Eventide demo purposes, and it magically fit into an overhead bin on the plane! My fusion band, Surreal Measures also played at the Eventide Booth and this setup covered everything I needed sonically. This was one of the last live shows I played before the pandemic hit so I’m looking forward to taking this rig out again soon!
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
The luxury of working at Eventide is that we have such a wide range of hardware and software available. I truly feel like I’m covered. Not to mention, we have some crossover between the platforms in certain products. I think I’m spoiled!
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
Hmmm… I used to be a guitar hoarder of sorts (I still am). I sold a Peavy EVH Wolfgang, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, PRS Custom 22 Brazilian Limited, Ibanez Prestige S5470SOL and this wild high-end USA parts-telecaster called a Voodoo Special that some guy on ebay used to sell years ago that I probably should have kept! I miss them all. Oh man… I can’t go down this road again… It’s a dark void…
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
This is a really tough question… Maybe the Yamaha THR10X practice amp/interface purely because of the ease of use (for recording purposes)… not to mention… it sounds great!
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
I don’t know if I would do it differently. My first electric guitar, a Gibson “The Paul II” is still very near and dear to me. I actually used it for the Eventide Blackhole demo content! I have no regrets and I feel this instrument really shaped my playing.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
Probably a USB mini cable because it’s essential to link the Eventide dot9 and Rose pedals to Eventide Device Manager – our free editing software… I have five of them now because there was a period where they would just inexplicably disappear into the ether. They are truly the bane of my existence!
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
This: https://www.talkingbass.net/grolsch-straplock-trick-for-bass/ This is INVALUABLE! And… you kill two birds with one stone… or… something like that!
Artist or Band name?
Circuitry – https://circuitry.bandcamp.com/
Sightharvest – https://sightharvest.bandcamp.com/releases
Surreal Measures – https://surrealmeasures.bandcamp.com/
Genre?
Circuitry – Progressive Metalcore
Sightharvest – Instrumental/Progressive Metal/Fusion
Surreal Measures – Fusion
Selfie?
Where are you from?
New Jersey, USA!
How did you get into music?
I was exposed to music and music instruction at an early age. My parents were always playing a variety of genres around the house. They initially signed me up for piano lessons when I was 7 years old… from there I transitioned to viola… then to saxophone (which I ended up playing for 9 years). At age 13, I begged them to get me a guitar and finally they acquiesced and there was no turning back. It was full immersion. To say I spent a lot of time in my bedroom, endlessly practicing is a vast understatement.
What still drives you to make music?
It’s a never-ending quest. Music is a lifelong study: there’s always something to learn and perfect. I’m always trying to incorporate new aspects and nuances of the language. There are so many absurdly gifted and inspiring players. I really enjoy transcribing lines from the masters and then making them my own. I think the driving factor is continuously trying to develop my voice. I want to sound like myself! That’s a simple statement but when you dissect it, you realize the quagmire it becomes.
How do you most often start a new track?
It really depends on what I’m working on and who I’m working with. I can easily adapt to other musicians’ workflows as I’ve done a lot of studio work. If it’s my own stuff, I will usually just have a loose goal/harmonic concept in mind and have a guitar in my hands and start playing around until something sticks. Once I get an initial motif, I record a short video so I don’t forget (as I’m constantly writing and everything is in flux) and then I dig in to develop it.
How do you know when a track is finished?
Well, there’s a DaVinci quote that has always resonated with me: Art is never finished… only abandoned… That couldn’t ring truer. A track is finished when every avenue and minute detail is exhausted and you finally decide to walk away from it!
Show us your current studio
I leave the production to the pros… Here is a picture of Matt’s studio (he plays with me in Sightharvest and is also a producer/engineer by trade. This is the setup we used for the EP we just recorded:
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
“Life is full of mistakes. Don’t be afraid to make one in your playing.”
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
Here is a link to my website: https://www.christiancolabelli.com/ which links to everything I’m working on…
I just finished recording the newest Sightharvest EP which is a melting pot of genres. It’s a heavy instrumental project that was originally going to be video game music. However, during the writing process of the first record, we realized that it was destined to be more. It became the aural equivalent of the premise of a video game meaning: each track is like a video game level, that progresses in intensity. Hopefully we will have a release date soon!
I also started my own fishing website/brand: https://www.bigfishsynergy.com/ I’m an avid bass fisherman and it’s been fun to immerse myself in finally devoting the time to making these fishing videos that combine fishing education, comedy, music and art.
[Well, hey-deli-hoo dear Reader – Who would you like to see do an 9 Odd Questions interview? Throw some suggestions via comments below…]