oh canada!

i wanted to give some love to schatten design in ontario canada. i first used one of their pickup's on my violin six years ago. i was getting ready to do a european tour with a bluegrass band and need to be plugged in. most of the shows/festivals needed to get high volume with mobility on stage - thus plugging in. i did some serious research on violin pickups, and ended up going with the V-02 model, which is built right into the bridge. (http://schattendesign.com/violin.htm) the day before we took off, i sat in my dorm room shaping and carving my bridge to fit just right. i never had a problem with that pickup... in fact several of my peers purchased one. i also never needed to use a pre-amp which was great as i was using this mostly with a wireless guitar pack. i have been doing some studio work as of late and purchased a "3 tree" bridge without a pickup built in to get the best sound in a studio. with that switch i've moved to the vvm pro pickup and absolutely love it. it has that "woody" fiddle sound that i love so much. not only are the pickup's fantastic, the service is great too. i've tried every pickup out there for my fiddle, and my guitar, and can say with some authority that schatten is the best. one love!

benton paul - 4/3/08

i think one of the important aspects of the music world is to share with other's good music. it's such a bonus when that person you are sharing just happens to be your friend. in the small town of provo, utah a vast amount of good music is being produced. sam payne is coming out with a live record, ryan shupe and the rubberband are coming out with a new record in may, peter breinholt is coming out with a "best of" record, to name a few.

today, on a very fitting rainy "grey" day, i wanted to give a shout out to benton paul's new record "grey." great in every way. the album from top to bottom is fantastic. my favorite songs on the disc are "paris," "don't go," and of course the hit single "where are you." please visit itunes and pick up a copy of this new disc. you will not be disappointed at all. in fact i think you will all be pleasantly surprised. much love benton!

www.bentonpaul.com

just waiting - 4/2/08

though not about music at all, i just wanted to quickly write a blurb about my excitement. my wife and i are expecting our first little one any day. i don't think i've ever gone through so many emotions in such a short period of time. i am very excited for baby emmy to be a part of our family. i'll keep y'all posted. hope spring is wonderful for everyone.