Sat 8/6 @ 1-8PM
No matter what type of music you listen to these days, odds are your favorite bands are using EarthQuaker Devices. Over the last decade, the Akron-based company known for its hand-built guitar effects has carved out quite a loyal customer base.
Now the outfit wants to give back to the community in the form of its inaugural EarthQuaker Day music festival. In addition to various clinics, the schedule includes live music by the likes of regional acts Stems, Co-Conspirator, Emotional Support Pigs, Doom Christ, Actual Form, Lisa Bella Donna and Relaxer.
CoolCleveland talked to EarthQuaker Devices office manager/social media coordinator Jessica Morris about the festival.
First of all, what’s the idea behind EarthQuaker Day?
We’re having a festival here on site at our facility in Akron. We just started planning this a few months ago to kind of raise our visibility in the area and also to give back to the community that has supported us for years. So there will be live music. Every group that is playing has an employee of Earthquaker Devices in the band. There’s also going to be a riff contest. We’ll do tours of our facilities. We’ll have local vendors and door prizes.
Stylistically, what kind of music will be presented at EarthQuaker Day?
It’s really all over the map. There’s everything from metal to doom to straight-up rock. There’s some prog rock. They’re all local bands except Lisa Bella Donna, who is from Columbus. We do a lot of work with her. She’s with the band Eye. However, at this show she’ll be playing solo.
Tell us a little bit about EarthQuaker Devices.
EarthQuaker Devices is a manufacturer of hand-built guitar effects pedals. We started in Akron in 2004. The company started as a one-man operation in Jamie Stillman’s basement. And now we are an award-winning international company. We were one of the companies to watch at this year’s NAMM, which is a big music industry showcase. We were voted as one of the top companies to watch this year. Our clients range from people who just noodle around with music in their bedrooms to Grammy Award-winning artists like the Black Keys, Queens of the Stone Age and the Flaming Lips.
So how does a music festival fit into EarthQuaker Devices?
It seems like in the pedal industry a lot of our clients are really curious about how we do things, how things are built, how things are handled. So it’s a way for us to kind of pull the curtain back and invite fans of our stuff. We’re allowing them to come in and see what we do here.
What exactly is a riff contest?
People can bring their guitar, and we’ll have the amps and everything set up. We’re going to have a few of our devices available for their use. And they will be judged on tone, originality, accuracy, performance and guitar face. They can create their own riff. One of our judges is Michael Stanley. The top prize will be a trophy, $100 in cash and they get to choose whatever pedal they want.
Could EarthQuaker Day become an Akron-based music festival that grows a national following?
We’re definitely hoping. This is a company that is run and staffed by a bunch of people who are super-passionate about music. We’re hoping next year to move to a bigger location, possibly moving to Lock 3 in downtown Akron. We want to definitely start doing this annually.
You know, um, you could probably get a certain Rubber City blues duo (wink-wink) to play a future EarthQuaker Day.
We will have to see. We definitely can’t promise anything.
[Written by John Benson]
