By: Matt Warnock
Photos courtesy of Modena mgt.
Recently signing with Filament records, North Carolina rockers Modena have emerged from the recording studio, where they worked with legendary producer Jim Wirth, to release a killer new EP titled Second Time Around. The album features heavy guitar work, poignant lyrics, deep rock grooves and powerful vocals, everything a modern rock band needs to stand out in an often overcrowded marketplace.
Guitar International recently caught up with Modena to talk about their new EP, working with Jim Wirt and what gear they brought into the studio.
Modena
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Matt Warnock: How did you come to work with Jim Wirt on your latest EP, and what did he bring to the mix as a producer in regards to the band’s sound on this recording?
Justin Womble: Jim was invaluable on this session. He has an uncanny ability to wring the best out of whomever he works with. He really pushed us to play and sing as well as we could, and he had a great knack for getting mighty sounds from the guitars and bass. I think he really “got” what we were doing and he had great ideas for layering the guitar parts and vocal harmonies, too.
Matt: Jim has compared your sound to Alice in Chains; do you think that’s a fair comparison?
Justin Womble: Well, it’s certainly a flattering compliment, that’s for sure. It’s an incredible honor to even be mentioned alongside AIC, because they’re a major influence on us.
Matt: Tell us how you became associated with Filament records and why you chose to work with this label?
James Carlson: I sent them our demo about a year ago, and literally a week later we got an offer from owner Tony Andrews. He really dug the tunes and our style. After a few years of doing our own thing, we realized that we definitely needed help on the business and marketing side of things; essentially, we wanted to put our music in front of a broader audience. Filament took the huge burden of “Do-It-Yourself” off our backs and gave us the opportunity to do what we do best: make music. Everything seemed to click on all levels, so we decided to go for it.
Matt: Why did you choose to go with an EP instead of a full length recording for your new record?
Justin Womble: We wanted to get something out quickly, and we used this as a kind of “test run” for the studio and producer. Needless to say, we were more than happy with the result. We also wanted to write some more brand new tunes for the full length, rather than just re-record the old album again.
Matt: What guitars did you use in the studio to record the new EP?
Justin Womble: I used my trusty Yamaha RGX-420s for all of the guitar stuff. There’s just something about that instrument that brings out the best in my playing. I’ve yet to come across another guitar like it. It’s beat all to hell, but it just has a mojo that I can’t seem to shake. For bass, I played a Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass. This thing was a monster. It has both a Jazz and P-bass pickup in it, and I blended the two for most of the heavy stuff, and mainly used the jazz pickup for “Second Time Around.” It has a great “woody” tone that really shines through on that track.
James Carlson: I mainly used my ESP/LTD EC-CZ II, otherwise known as the “Clockwork Zombie.” It’s got a thick ‘50s style neck which sounds great, plus I use very thick custom gauge Ernie Ball’s to really capture that low to mid-range rhythm tone. For the acoustic parts I used my Martin 000-1R. It gave a really warm, natural acoustic tone that sounded amazing in Studio B, which is more of a dry vocal room compared to the big live room we used for the amps.
Justin and James Rockin’ Out
Matt: What amps and effects did you use in the studio and does this differ from your live rig?
Justin Womble: I used a Marshall DSL 100 for all my guitar tracks. We had it cranked up to about 8 out in the live room! Marshalls are legendary for their crunch, and we definitely pushed this one to the limit. My whole guitar playing life has been a quest for tone, and I don’t have to search anymore with the Marshall.
Effects-wise, I kept the signal path pretty clear for most of the record; just straight guitar-to-amp. On the clean guitar of “Second Time Around,” I used a BOSS Chorus Ensemble. For the leads, I used a Morley Bad Horsie wah for “Hang It High,” And I was really excited to use my favorite new pedal, the Ibanez Paul Gilbert signature “Airplane Flanger” on “Chosen Few.”
You can hear it doing its voodoo at the end of the solo. All the delay and reverb was added from the board, and I think there’s an Eventide H-3000 Harmonizer thickening up some of the rhythm tracks. Live, I have all these things in the pedal board, but I wanted the tone on the record to be as pure as possible, so I only added the pedals in where needed.
James Carlson: I rocked a Peavey 3120 that I’ve had for a while now. I thought it really offset Justin’s killer Marshall tone. We were amazed at how well the two amps naturally blended together to give this roaring, rounded out tone that could literally kick you in the nuts. For distortion, I went straight into the amp. Jim did his thing with the EQ’s and mic placement and we were ready to go! I also used an Ibanez delay pedal on “Hang It High.”
Matt: Now that the EP is out and doing well is there a tour in the works for 2011?
Justin Womble: Absolutely! We’ll be out there playing all over the East Coast this year. We can’t wait to get out and see all these places and bring them some high-energy rock n roll!
Matt: Any plans to work on a full length record or do you find that your creative output is better suited for the EP format?
Justin Womble: We’ll most definitely be recording the full-length at some point this year. The EP was just the tip of the iceberg, so I hope you brought your swimming trunks.
