Truman Steffens will be a familiar name to gearhead musicians in Nashville via his one-man operation Sounds of Shelby. SOS has a very cool niche in the guitar effects world, producing pedals based on vintage circuit designs using only new old stock components, bringing players new pedals with the unique build-to-build variations that contemporary effects designers generally try to avoid.
Talking with SOS’ Truman Steffens about the power of classic designs and new-old-stock parts
As is often the case for folks who make cool music gear, Steffens is a musician himself. You may have heard his predilection for classic metal sounds and classical orchestral composers in his pedal demos — a style he’s described as “Mozart through a Marshall,” which applies to his original compositions too. In October, Steffens released his debut solo album Behind the Dogwood, an instrumental mix of classical pieces (like Bach's "Minuet in G") and original works that showcases his acumen as a player, a composer and a crafter of tone.
From that description, you might think of Dogwood as a bit from Wayne’s World or This Is Spin̈al Tap, but while it’s playful, it’s thoughtful and enlightening too. Steffens can’t exactly replicate the sounds of other instruments, but that’s not what he’s trying to do. Alongside his effects and techniques — the awesomely fluid fret-tapping homage to his late hero Randy Rhoads in “Green Again”! — he uses his understanding of how someone plays a flute, a piano or a violin to create his rocking spin on how those performances fit into a given piece. The end result makes me think a bit of fascinating and influential works like Wendy Carlos’ Switched-On Bach (and offshoots like Gil Trythall’s Country Moog).
Steffens had a show with his full band, plus support from Caroline Morrison and North Country Bar Band, booked for Monday, Jan. 26, at The East Room. Considering the winter weather predicted for the Nashville area over the weekend, the show has been postponed, new date TBA. Find Behind the Dogwood on your favorite streaming service and follow Steffens’ music profile on Instagram for updates including a new show date.
