Rig Rundown - Touché Amoré’s Clayton Stevens

Touché Amoré formed in 2007 and have been a perennial post-hardcore player that’s thrived on taking risk.
2009’s …To The Beat of a Dead Horse and 2011’s Parting the Sea Brightness and Me proved they’re running on pure, high-octane gasoline. Even though both releases feature no songs over 160 seconds, they still had room for shifting dynamics, a screamed-over piano ballad, and cloaked themselves in At-The-Drive-In catchiness. 2013’s Is Survived By adds more air, space, and time (with four songs over three minutes). Lighter moments include “Anyone / Anything” and “Non Fiction” that ultimately intensify the inevitable crash. 2016’s Stage Four saw singer Jeremy Bolm lyrically work through his mother’s lost battle to breast cancer. The anger and despair are on 10, but the antithesis plays off that rage with dreamier melodies and chiming, modulated guitar tones (including a cameo with reverb mistress Julien Baker on “Skyscraper”). And 2020’s Lament rewrites the post-hardcore playbook working with super producer Ross Robinson who helped flourish their sound by incorporating 12-string guitars, both lap steel and pedal steel, and additional keyboard layers. Those types of hues shouldn’t coexist in a backdrop for slam dancing, but it does … really well.
Cofounding guitarist Clayton Stevens virtually welcomed PG’s Perry Bean into his L.A.-based gear lair. In this Rig Rundown, he opens up about how Mono and Godspeed You! Black Emperor informed his single-coil stank, details an unknown Telecaster that’s amalgamation of American models, and explains how beneficial it was to use touring as an extended R&D trip for the band’s pedal collaboration with Electronic Audio Experiments.
[Facing a mandatory shelter-in-place ordinance to limit the spread of COVID-19, PG enacted a hybrid approach to filming and producing Rig Rundowns. This is the 32nd video in that format.
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[@CaptainButterWaffle]

I’ve been waiting for this Rig Rundown for too long, thank you🖤

[@premierguitar]

Hope you like it!

[@Lukewarm111]

Them using single coil guitars changed the game for me I didn’t know you could still be just as heavy using single coils and they just add more flavor to your tone

[@Brycedevi]

Same. They really made me rethink how to dial in tones for heavy music. Single coil and Fender amps? They even used a Vox on the new one 🤯

[@Lukewarm111]

@@Brycedevi yes heavy yet jangly and ethereal

[@nurk_barry]

Never heard of this band until just now, I loooked them up and they’re pretty sweet, I like the guitar licks they use in the tracks I’ve heard so far. The screaming vocals are a bit much for me after a while but I dig the energy and I love how they sound like a continuation of bands like brand new & the used. Overall I dig them. I always watch rig rundown nowadays to learn about cool guitar-centric bands. I also watched a vinyl-collection video with the lead singer and he reminded me to check out the counting crowd debut album.

[@fendercuber]

I've been wanting this for so long. Thank you so much!!!!

[@premierguitar]

You're welcome!!

[@Mindartcreativity]

Premier Guitar, please do a Rig Rundown with Norma Jean. They are legends and finally deserve a rig rundown. PLEASE!

[@KCRVPro]

I want a Dallas green AOF RIG RUNDOWN

[@nightpandas7178]

Their big clean sound is just like Fugazi!

[@panosskentzos]

Since it's quarantine time in a lot of places why don't you try to reach more European bands too?
Back before the virus it was always a letdown to see almost exclusively Rig Rundowns of bands that were coming through Nashville,
while there is a huge amount of huge European bands being only interviewed by Gear Gods or indie productions,
I've watched almost every quarantine RR but I still think that most major European bands are missing from the series,
from Blind Guardian to Amon Amarth, Amorphis, Kamelot ect to even ADHD.
I do appreciate every RR you make, I just lust for more :P

[@Thirdgen83]

Everything he says, he phrases like a question.

[@rickysleeper]

I think the Bill Nash strat is actually an S67.

[@jayeagle8363]

Your probly right big head stock looks not 63 ??? .

[@rickysleeper]

@@jayeagle8363 Yes, I just purchased the same guitar. It's a Nash S67.

[@HronisArva]

💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@JEFFKINGS]

I tried the Limelight and it was a hella boring drive pedal. I was floored when I saw people were paying $300+ for it on Reverb, so even though I was disappointed with the pedal, I was stoked to almost double my money on it.

[@Brycedevi]

Really? I think it's an amazing OD/boost pedal. Different strokes, I guess 🤷‍♂️

[@LordKuruku]

Which version of it did you have?

[@JEFFKINGS]

@@LordKuruku first run - although the only thing they changed with the 2nd was the casing

[@Zack-si9qr]

@@JEFFKINGS i think a lot of it is what amp you use. i've found that with clean amps it's really bad but on dirtier amps it sounds pretty close to a lot of the tones they achieve on their albums

[@fgdsfgsdfgdsfgdfgsdfgsdfgs8679]

Antifa hoodie though....

[@hsunkari]

Looks like it’s a Strike anywhere hoodie...they are a band

[@fgdsfgsdfgdsfgdfgsdfgsdfgs8679]

@@hsunkari yeah its an antifa band, i looked them up even before i posted. I mean you cant separate a band like that from their blatant anarchist values.

[@nardcalls]

@@fgdsfgsdfgdsfgdfgsdfgsdfgs8679 makes them even cooler imo

[@fgdsfgsdfgdsfgdfgsdfgsdfgs8679]

@@nardcalls yeah man cos anarchy is cool, it never leads to market failure and rule by the mob.

[@chrixtopherjane]

@@fgdsfgsdfgdsfgdfgsdfgsdfgs8679 are you pro-fascism?

[@cardbored_]

This dude is kinda dookie at guitar

[@LCRCRDS]

So is Joe

[@Lukewarm111]

Nah he’s just not a shredder