M80 Bass case reviewed

We've got our friend Eric Wolff a bassist out in Santa Barbara who did up this awesome review of our case. This is as real as it gets, Eric is attending college down there and you know how frugal students need to get. Thanks for the shout out!

Visual Sounds Drivetrain Vs. Reverend Drivetrain Part 1

Guess what I got for Christmas??? The Visual Sounds Drivetrain! Call this the reissue of the Reverend Drivetrain that is now unavailable and on high demand. Visual Sounds Founder Bob Weil originally designed this pedal with Reverend's Joe Naylor and the both of them sought out an alternative to the already famous Tubescreamer pedal. The mid hump heavy TS pedals were always thought of as non-versatile so it was important to add a treble and bass knob to the Drivetrain to give flexibility to guitarists. The results were seriously awesome. Reverend then decided to go a different direction and cease making this pedal.

Until now, you needed to hound eBay and craigslist to find a Reverend DT. VS is now putting these back onto the market with the Garagetone series pedals. Affordable and unmistakably great.



Both of these pedals sport a british racing inspired outside. Racing stripes and all. The tonal differences are pretty subtle, but the original Reverend sounds a bit warmer. The VS pedal gets really close to the original, it just adds a hair more grit to the high end. I'll do a soundtest of both so you can hear them side by side.

Download new track from David Greco

The Christmas Record - EP - David Greco



David Greco has a Christmas album that he just completed. It is now available for download on iTunes. David has been with the MONO family for just about over a year and he's been supporting our movement as a MONOplayer. David's unique vocal tone adds a twist to some very familiar Christmas songs, and the arrangement of music really offers his audience tinges of indie rock love. The album features some really great San Francisco bay area talent as well. Definitely worth picking up for the Holidays!

Hooky plays Unknown Pleasures.

This night was unforgettable. There were members of the audience that waited 30 years to hear an original member of Joy Division cover an entire album of work. Everyone knows what would have happened if Ian Curtis were still alive. They would have made that USA tour, and maybe he would still be with us.

So we had history in the making one December night in San Francisco. It was a stellar performance with Hooky leading on vocals. The Light also played their hearts out to a very raucous crowd after their 20 minute video intro. That seemed to energize the band. And this is a great band indeed.

Jack Threads!

MONO stuff is up on Jack Threads for only 2 more days! Get yours while they still have some.

Tweets for Gear

MONO will be giving away some of our new Civilian Series gear away to participants who want to tweet about our schtuffs.



Here are the rules:

1. The tweet MUST include our homepage. http://www.monocase.com/
2. The tweet should also mention us @monocase, this way we know you are tweeting about us :)
3. Be as creative as you can, and have fun!

Pitchfork's Worst Album Covers of 2010

It's nearing the end of the 10' and a massive year of music just went by. Pitchfork has decided to point out some of the worst album covers of this year. I can't blame them, some of these are hideous.

Album artwork used to be an instant focal point for bands trying to sell their records. Looking at how big LP's are, it's no wonder so many great records were so highly adorned with great artwork. It's different today, the LP is now the CD, which then became the download. Even though album artwork has shrunk through the years, I've got to point out that it's more important than ever. Please send the memo to these groups:

Cocosie - Grey Oceans
Cocorosie, I love your music. But what were you thinking?



Mike Watt - "Hyphenated-Man"
One of my bass heroes growing up. Your work with the Minutemen and fIREHOSE were ridiculous. This album cover apparently is as well. In comic sans as well!!!!



MIA - Maya
ummmmmmm

MONO straps reviewed!

Our friends over at MusicPlayers.com has the GS-1 Betty, Doolittle, and Warsaw covered. Here is a great review of how versatile our straps can be. Scott gives us a great breakdown of each:

"The straps are beautifully constructed and feature minimalist styling — very basic patterns and earthy solid colors, and they are constructed from a few different materials that make each of these models special in its own way."

"The Betty is an ideal strap for bassists and players with heavy electric guitars. This strap has fabric on top, a thin memory-foam core for padding, and neoprene on the under-side."



"The Doolittle is more of a general-purpose strap, and a good choice for players who like the feeling of cloth more than the feeling of “strap.” The two-inch wide cotton weave was soft to the touch, and the strap length was adjusted from an understated but totally stylish metal buckle, shaped in the style of Mono’s logo. The strap appears traditional at first glance, but modern with its little details. The devil is in those details, you know…"



"The Warsaw. If you’re the musician who considers guitar or bass playing a life saving experience, how can you resist this one? We wouldn’t have expected it to feel comfortable, yet we wear a seatbelt in our car for hours every week without ever complaining about the feel. Sure enough, this strap was almost frictionless against our clothing, and there’s probably zero chance of it ever just breaking or tearing."