Creative Edge Music

Album Cover Art for Blink 182's "Enema of the State" With the passing of another birthday, I can't help but to think back to the first song I ever learned how to play on guitar: What's My Age Again by Blink 182 .  I was 13 years old and thought Tom DeLonge was the coolest guy ever.  If this seems strange to those of you that know me as a metal head, keep in mind this was a year or two shy of my indoctrination to metal and hard rock. Now that I'm twice the age that I was then, I've long passed the infamous age of " nobody likes you when you're 23 ."  Hopefully it's been long enough now that people like me again, haha. At the time, I was on my high school's swim team and would practice in my friend's SUV on the way home from practice with his cheap Yamaha acoustic guitar.  I had to sit in the middle of the back bench seat and sit sort of sideways to get the guitar in a position where I could play it.  The opening riff took ...

Producer, Multi-Instrumentalist, Recording Artist Toniq does not discriminate when it comes to musical styles, whether it's Reggae, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Afro-Cuban, or Electronic. Throughout his career he has performed around the globe, from Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, to South America. He has shared the stage with UB40, Israel Vibration, Third World, The Wailing Souls, The Abyssinians, Diana King, Big Mountain, Inner Circle, Groundation, Iration, The Dirty Heads, Soulive, Les Nubians, Level 42, and The Aggrolites just to name a few. When he's not in the studio, Toniq can be found on stage playing organ with his 8 piece funk band The Earful, and lead guitar with The Devastators and One Drop. When and how did you get started in music? Toniq:  I first started making music when...well, I took piano lessons at age six, and I got really into pop music from my dad's influence. When I was about 11 my dad bought me a synthesizer. I got way into that -- I wanted to...

The Boss GE-7 Equalizer is a workhorse.  I just sold mine on craigslist to cough up cash for more studio rack equipment, but it was a loyal servant for many years on and off the stage.  On the stage, I primarily used it in the effects loop of my amplifier as a lead boost.  I would boost the mids just a little bit and leave everything else flat, such that when I hit the pedal on, I would be a little louder and more pronounced in the mid-range for guitar solos. The reason I decided to finally let it go is because I didn't feel that I had enough control over my sound.  Don't get me wrong -- if you watch my demo video below, you'll see there are virtually limitless possibilities to craft your sound with this pedal, whether in front of your amp or in the fx loop -- but there are only seven (7) graphic equalizer bands to work with, and in my strong opinion they all add a slightly undesirable color to the tone of the guitar signal passing through the unit. There are s...