Jeremy Goldsmith

"Earlier, on Friday, I watched Hartford's lovable Stalactite Party play at Sully's. I was thrilled to see that their nerdy jazz-prog-funk mashup got such an enthusiastic reaction. Doubtless this was in part due to their stage show, which they switched from an austere, instruments-only jazz setup ("Watch our dazzling technical prowess!") to a Red Hot Chili Peppers-inspired kitschfest ("Have a good time with us!"). The musicians cut the lights, donned spelunking headlamps, and hung a banner above the stage announcing their name on a series of stalactites. Awesome idea! They made it impossible to be intimidated by them, even though they were ripping out furious, Yes-fueled math witchcraft. They probably came up with the time signatures for their songs by throwing 30-sided Dungeons and Dragons dice or something. Stalactite Party announced that they have a new CD coming out soon; I'm excited to hear it."

-DAN BARRY, HARTFORD ADVOCATE - Hartford Advocate

According to the Hartford Courant, Emerson alum Jeff Tuohy '05 "could easily heat up the competition" with chart-topping crooner John Mayer, given the chance. Tuohy's latest album, Cocoon, could be that chance. "[He] knows all about sharp melodies and well-constructed songs," says a review in the Courant. "Cocoon is a multi-dimensional work, featuring everything from the horn-laden R&B grooves of 'I Am a Fool' to the funky Dixieland vibe of 'Bourbon Street'." But what Tuohy does best is craft infectious pop tunes like "Train" and "Real Love" that have melodic stay-in-your-brain choruses. Add to that a convincing vocal style and an honest approach to songwriting and Jeff Tuohy is a young artist worth keeping your eye on."

The review also notes the talented musicians that Tuohy has working with him: "[Cocoon] was recorded at Spirit House Studios in Northampton, Mass. and his songwriting skills are aided by some of the finest musicians from that musically fertile area. Mitch Chakour adds some sturdy organ to the pop rock tune "Crucify" while Mark Mulcahy, late of the legendary Connecticut band Miracle Legion, lends backing vocals to the ballad "Slow Down, Isabella."
- Emerson College

Pro Tone Pedals: Unique Stompboxes
February 09, 2007

Pro Tone Pedals, a boutique manufacturer of pedals for guitar and bass, started up in 2004 in Crossroads, Texas - a suburb just north of Dallas.

"I had been building and modifying pedals for years, so it was a pretty natural progression to make a go of it." says Dennis Mollan, owner of Pro Tone. "Currently, the Pro Tone staff consists of my wife, Jenn, who handles most of the customer service, and keeps our books. Felix LaFlamme does much of our artwork and I do everything else. When we have special events or large orders we will bring in some extra hands to help with the enclosure drilling and powder-coating."

The company currently manufacture 19 pedals with a core of 12 and seven or eight units that are rotated in and out. The second best selling pedal is the Lithium chorus which is a modernized and modified version of the Small Clone. The Body Rot II is currently the best seller from Pro Tone.

"It’s an extremely high gain Dual Rectifier emulation with a robust tone stack- VERY heavy metal." says Mollan.

And that is sort of Pro Tone's Modus Operandi--straight up rock.

"We’re not trying to give you Hendrix’s fuzz, or SRVs tone- we know modern rock and metal- that’s what I grew up on, that’s what I listen to in the car, its what I play in my bands," says Mollan. "It’s what I know. I build pedals that I want to play."

A full list of musicians who use Pro Tone pedals are on the company website Mollan is happy to drop a few names.

"Matt Sorum has a bundle of Pro Tone units in his studio, they used them while writing the upcoming Velvet Revolver album," he says. "Other bands include Camp Freddy, Ministry, Fear Factory,Overkill, Toxic Twist and Prong. Obviously we have a pretty big base of rock & metal players. But beyond metal we have bands like Flickerstick from VH1’s Bands On The Run, a power-pop outfit from Detroit called The Fags, Jeremy Goldsmith a blues player from New York , we’re working with goth/punk pioneers Kommunity FK out of L.A. -our users really run the gamut. The bottom line is- cool gear and great tone are universal." - www.gearwire.com

Jeremy Goldsmith
New York, New York
The Sweetest Thing
A beautifully mournful, bluesy electric melody over a strummed acoustic thats obviously heartfelt and true. This could be the theme song for the grey, rainy days the GP staff had to endure this past April, or it could just be an underscore for anyone looking to channel their sadness. myspace.com/jgoldfinger.
- Michael Molenda

The sweetest thing sounds very, very good. Overall you put up 4 different styled songs, which is cool and managed with holdin' it together to write an up-tempo guitar instrumental without coming across too Satriani-ish. - WWW.COYOTEMUSIC.COM

*See link - Guitar Edge Magazine