Experimenting with innovative guitar techniques, Emmalia Bortolon-Vettor of Bonnie Trash utilizes a $1 ring slide, a looper, and her creativity to generate unique sounds by running her phone signals through the pickups, creating a layered effect.
On their sophomore album, "Mourning You, the Ontario post-punk troupe Bonnie Trash plumb the darkest recesses of their psyches, holding a stark mirror to the human condition's most dreary aspects.
At the album's core is Emmalia Bortolon-Vettor's heavily-fuzzed and delayed guitars, a cavernous, cacophonous brew of washy noise and ear-piercing feedback beneath Sarafina's twin vocals' infectious, sinister melodies. The ensemble creates an otherworldly sonic wave that's both strikingly beautiful and nail-bitingly chilling.
"I wanted a lower tuning and more slide for this record, a means to wail away with a feeling of unease," the guitarist explains. "The aim was to layer the noise and tell an emotional tale, rather than just providing background textures. I dived deeper into exploration."
The emotional investment is evident on tracks like Haunt Me (What Have You Become), where ambiance becomes haunting and ruthless in its quest to immerse the listener in a bone-chilling atmosphere.
With only one six-stringer in their ranks, the secrets behind Bonnie Trash's monumental sound include a Pigtronix Infinity Looper and a do-it-yourself ring slide crafted from hardware store supplies for $1.
"The looper transports those substantial strummy ideas," Emmalia notes. "I enjoy building the layers into a wailing banshee sound. I love my homemade ring slide. It's a piece of copper coupling you can customize to any size. There's something about it that just works for me. If gear goes missing as often as mine does, cost-effective alternatives are a necessity."
The dueling guitars used during recording sessions were a 2008 Custom Shop Strat and a standard American Strat, later fed through a Fender Deluxe combo. As for pedals, Emmalia remains loyal to a classic Tube Screamer and Zvex Effects Box of Rock for extra gain stages, complemented by EarthQuaker Devices' Sea Machine for chorus and an Electro-Harmonix POG for added depth. However, this is a guitarist who has an open philosophical attitude toward artistic tools.
"As I use single-coils, any device can be inserted into their signal chain," Emmalia asserts. "I enjoy experimenting with oddities like playing my phone through the pickups, then looping that while playing additional layers. It introduces an element of improvisation to each performance, making each one unique.
"Once you free yourself from the expectations of precision, you can unleash your creativity. It's ideal for texture-based work.When you break free from traditional patterns, you can explore uncharted territory."
- *Mourning You *is now available via Hand Drawn Dracula.
- To stay updated with the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, and more, subscribe to our newsletter!
- Emmalia Bortolon-Vettor, the guitarist of Bonnie Trash, used a Pigtronix Infinity Looper and a homemade ring slide during the recording of their sophomore album, "Mourning You".
- The dueling guitars used in the recording sessions were a 2008 Custom Shop Strat and a standard American Strat, later fed through a Fender Deluxe combo amplifier.
- To create a cavernous, cacophonous sound on the album, Emmalia relied on a classic Tube Screamer and Zvex Effects Box of Rock for extra gain stages, EarthQuaker Devices' Sea Machine for chorus, and an Electro-Harmonix POG for added depth.
- Emmalia's open philosophical attitude towards artistic tools resulted in experimenting with unusual solutions, such as playing her phone through the pickups, looping that, and playing additional layers.
- This approach to guitar technique and effects introduces an element of improvisation to each performance, making each one unique and unlike any other.
- On "Mourning You", the use of these unique techniques and gear contributes to the otherworldly sonic wave that is both strikingly beautiful and nail-bitingly chilling.
