Interview with Todd Rogers from Tone Butcher
Don’t mean to be rude or disrespect you, but when I’m scrolling your instagram page, I’m confuse with series of your pedals, its only written FUCK OFF! Hahahaha….Also what is company name? Tone butcher effect? Tone Butcher Pedal? You know that mysterious thing make me think, “What kind of dude are you?” ahahaha
Thanks so much for contacting me! I really like what your up to and your energy. Stay rad! The fuck off pedal was a direct descendant of some inmate art I saw scratched into the wall of a prison cell at the old haunted Idaho State Penitentiary. The art was a grim reaper riding a chopper flipping the bird. It read FUCK YOU. I just liked the vibe and connection to the past, but just changed the YOU for OFF because it wasn’t such a personal attack. I really like my interesting and weird friends and would never say FUCK YOU to them. The company name is just Tonebutcher one word, no pedals…devices….concepts….electronics…etc.. it’s just more vague and non decrepit. Im involved in other sound art projects, installations and art shit. It’s always just been Tonebutcher for the last 15 years.
First time I saw your pedal is on Russian Circle Rig Rundown, little cute pedal, tell me about that pedal? Its power by battery? Also power by sun?
As far as the rig rundown I’m not too sure what pedal Mr Cook showed, but I was making some weird fiberglass enclosures at the time and I think he got a Blue Wail which was a Pocketpus and trem in one. It’s hard to control and is bitchy and fun at the same time. I don’t label anything or tell anybody what the controls do. You gotta work it out for yourself. It’s just what I like, probably not good for sales but it’s not about that for me. I’m kinda surprised and so happy he had it on records and tours. Really cool. The band has a few others, some small ones. I really like the small ones, they can run on 3v watch battery, sun power, or 9volt. They sound and react different and will annoy everyone.
You also build tiny pedal with tube on top of it, what the hell of that? I will kick the tube when playing on live situation, hhaha. Sorry dude I’m just so excited when you let me doing this interview, hahhah..
The tube pedal is a preamp still in development and may never be finished. But if it gets done I hope somebody smashes it for arts sake!
Another question from “What kind of dude are you?” what kind music are you playing? Band? Solo acoustic pop artist? Bossanova? I would lo hear them man.
I’m a weird dude, super mellow but always reserved. A sailor and waterman who grew up on a boat. I have always been drawn to strange sounds, and like old broken gear that smells good. I’ve been in many music projects over the years from harsh noise to free jazz and dub. Currently bass in Golden Ram and Stawberry Club which is fun. Check out any thing from my old record label Lavish Womb. I like playing on the floor in shitty bars. My longest running project is Radio Machine Music which is a three piece sound art installation group that sets up in city streets and abandoned army gunneries.
Any plan for making guitar from plastic with your pedal build in on that? Maybe with build in mini amp? And all of those work with kinetic energy, just like wristwatch, so the player have to keep moving to keep thing works,hahahaha
I always have ideas for weird gear, but like the ocean it has different moods from dead calm to intense storm. My inspiration to create ebbs and flows like water. I realized I’m not interested in building ten, a hundred, a thousand, of the same thing. I just want to make shit that I like once and move on. I haven’t thought about a kinetic dance pedal for power, but I have been thinking about a installation to be placed in a tree in a remote location you hike too, that is powered by light and reacts to motion, so as the wind moves the shadows of the leaves the sound changes and interacts with nature.
Thank lot take your time, for answering my stupid questions,hhahaha…