If Diamond Rugs’ music were a man, it’d be the guy with the dirty hair and the joint drinking a PBR right next to the speakers at the party, feet firmly planted, head bobbing, eyes closed. He’s having the time of his life, and he doesn’t even need the rest of the party to do it. Diamond Rugs consist of Deer Tick’s John McCauley and Robbie Crowell, Ian Saint Pé (Black Lips), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate) and Bryan Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite). Rather than just backing McCauley’s brainchild, Diamond Rugs morphed into a collaborative effort between all six musicians, who each contributed his own songs to the band’s self-titled album (on Partisan). The result is a fully formed group with a solid sound and a must-hear record. To hear how their SXSW experience went (hint: lyrics were forgotten, ups were fucked, but somehow they emerged triumphant), read our recent feature. Diamond Rugs will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
Berlin: I once did virtually an entire record using just this pedal direct into the board for electric guitars in lieu of the crappy amps the band brought to the session. An amazingly useful pedal for anything shy of full metal shredding.
Video after the jump.