Christian Bland of The Black Angels' Vintage Psych-Inspired Gear Collection

[@danielcarter3928]

man, he seems psyched! great vibes. this guy is a legend in the Austin scene.

[@TheRamsberg]

I'd never heard of The Black Angels, and now I'm regretting not having listened to them for the past twenty years. Catching up on their albums is going to be a fun time! Thanks, Reverb!

[@wolfy138]

listen to the black angels

[@TheRamsberg]

@@wolfy138 I have been, they're really good! It's wild, because my favorite album is 'Live At Pompeii', I play lefty(and righty, but I prefer lefty) and I love a fuzzy reverb. We're certainly on the same vibe, that's for sure.

[@haterade5137]

They're pretty boring. I found them when I was looking for fuzz bands. There are better

[@TheRamsberg]

@@haterade5137 My favorite thing about art in general, including music, is that what's boring to one person, is invigorating to another.

[@dorianford6227]

Honestly one of the best American Rock bands of the decade and the most influential

[@morganbrettager]

AMAZING BAND. I’ve met Christian at Liverpool psych fest in 2017. He is a such a great character! We talked about moon landing conspiracies and he gave me all of his drink tokens. Legend

[@williamfermer2734]

If you’re still in liverpool you should go and see the ivies! Great new psych band :)

[@harveycan5820]

Maybe the Ivies will change their name to Badfinger

[@rodhadland2404]

I made it to Austin TX 7 years ago to see The Black Angels live, having been a fan of them since high school. I met Christian and Jake after the show, and they couldn't have been nicer. I got to hang out with them the following day at The Barracuda. Me and Christian had a drink together at the bar, and we talked music and gear. Jake and his girlfriend were lovely as well. I can say Christian is always just as goofy and excited to talk about music as I am! Later that year I got to see the band again playing at Desert Daze in Joshua Tree CA, and hung out a bit with Christian on the last night watching The Brian Jonestown Massacre together with our respective friends.

[@Thomaszmccormick]

Christian Bland is the Crispin Glover of psychedelic rock and I love it more than I can express.

[@andrewpappas9311]

Christian just seems like such a cool dude, super laidback and his guitars are all reminiscent of The Beatles which I absolutely love as well since they were the primary reason I started playing guitar when I was younger

[@beaversimpson]

Very cool interview. For those that haven't been introduced I highly recommend the phosgene nightmare album (by the Black Angels) played very loud in the middle of the night with no lights on.

[@tonesleuth69]

His paintbrush statement is spot on. Love this Chris’ enthusiasm. His Instagram stories are hilarious also

[@ThisIslandMusic]

The Country Gentleman, Casino, & Rick are basically my three dream guitars, holy trinity right there. Christian seems like such a cool dude, fab pedalboard too, love it !

[@samysaab]

Real Deal touring musician talking bout his real life straight in your face Setup. Love it!

[@robhead22]

I do know the Black Angels. What a great band! I did not know Christian Bland! I love his guitar work. And this video opened doors for my thinking about my board!! Thank you! I love your music!

[@danaeloucaidou4991]

the greatest neo psychadelic band today - love their sounds

[@jetcheneau5811]

Lee Conner of Screaming Trees shouted out this band and got me into 'em. This guy's sound is unreal.

[@Banjoandguns]

Seems like a nice guy. Funny I didn’t notice he was left handed till he talked about it

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

LOVE his band. Highly recommend seeing them live as well. Was introduced to them (like many of us) during the outro of one of the _PEAK_ intensity episodes of - imho - the greatest TV series of all time; True Detective season 1 (the only season that _really_ matters although season 2 was really good).

[@BruuuceWayyyne]

True Detective also introduced me to them lol and I've written a few songs for my band since using them as a huge influence

[@nickvillarreal2673]

The Buc'ees sticker on the Fulltone Tape Echo is hilarious.

[@tvav69]

I love Christian!! I used to live in Austin and his band and the Levitation Festival is what I miss the most about not living there anymore!! 😊✌🏻

[@nickybobby9317]

Great music and great interview! I love when artists care enough to do rig rundowns like this, it’s also cool to see we both have a Catalinbread Fuzzrite and an Aclam Dr. Robert. I must say if you’re looking for those Vox solid state/valve hybrid tones the Bispell Audio Proxy is wayy better. It’s based on the UL730 too but rather than make you take the pedal apart to adjust the treble and bass, you have the entire amp EQ plus a presence knob and two toggle switches (one a bright switch and the other a mid boost switch set to the frequencies of the mid boost switch of the Vox Conqueror). The Proxy has as much or more overdrive than a UL730 unlike the Dr. Robert which is only based on the normal channel and lacks all of the effects of the original amp including overdrive while adding a completely different boost to the circuit designed by Aclam themselves.

[@Sean0780]

I first heard of The Black Angels around the time of Passover from a sampler CD attached to a magazine. I liked the song, but never went further. Then a buddy of mine slipped a cd he burned for me a few years after, saying that this band is amazing. It ended up being Passover. I listened to it to death. Amazing. I ended up buying everything I could get my hands on of theirs. Saw them live in Omaha in 2013 - Amazing show. One of the few bands that I can listen to without growing bored of. Plus, they’re still around and releasing new music! Christian is definitely a great and creative musician and designer. I love The Relevators as well!

[@marcjansing7339]

Damn his energy is infectious. He makes me want to go turn up a Twin to 8 and play

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

You're a priest too. You'll do this again. Time is a flat circle.

[@oliviermilani3949]

One of the best rig rundown that i've seen for a long time ! Maybe because i love all the gear that he has? And i dig the Black angels too... But this guy looks really cool. Legend !

[@Sadfuzz]

Such a genuine and awesome dude.

[@kenscapes]

Really nice guy to talk to, hope to see them all again soon. Loving the 345!! Hope i can find a great deal like Christian did.

[@CamMcCaul]

Could watch this all day

[@fabianwatt4901]

Brilliant and inspiring musician! Well done vid.

[@celestevert6083]

Buc-ees sticker is the best thing you could do for tone on any rig. Rad vid.

[@Sir_Gonzo]

I love The Black Angels. One of their songs was used in a motorcycle ad maybe 15 years ago? Got the Passover album and been obsessed with them ever since. His guitar tone is awesome.

[@funhousebaby3104]

Absolutely beast live they are. Those twins and the fuzz put sideburns on yer ankles

[@groobells]

Awesome this popped up. Got to meet him back in 2013, he’s so genuinely nice

[@LeftyPem]

So great to see more lefties in these videos. Representation matters❤

[@denialhaines4297]

Love the energy Christian... Great set up you have there!

[@TheBelse]

cool info and kit. Thank you and big love.

[@eltonlovell9898]

Love the Black Angels.. and Black Market Karma. No hype just creative talent!

[@davebertoletti]

Great tones and vibes

[@milk_bath]

This band inspired me to play guitar when I heard that first album back in 2007.

[@astronausea4852]

Love his enthusiasm!

[@thevfb]

super talent and a great interview

[@DannyBrownDesign]

Where can I get one of those Adam Bomb(garbage pail kids) shirts? 🤘

[@MegaSkycap]

Crispin Glover is an excellent actor, too.

[@lanceheaslewood4121]

Really enjoyed that, what a nice guy and a sonic genius

[@texasbootlegger3752]

Awesome band! Thanks for a look at the personal side.

[@BladeDoomer86]

Ben Mcloed doppelganger ! Great gear dude

[@CaptainWampum]

What's that wedge shaped fuzz he's pairing with the Dr Robert towards the end? Never mentioned in the video.

[@thunderwood]

Such good vibes. Cool to get the story behind these pedals!

[@purplereigninblood]

Amazing live , RIP Roky.

[@the-np4mr]

I like how he has John and George's guitars lol. And he plays left handed like paul

[@viceroyraydeen1796]

A Buc-ee’s sticker on the echo ❤, can you get that brand of tape echo on Reverb?

[@rexnavarro2918]

I've got the same Russian Big Muff... picked it up in Seattle in the early 90's. Still have it, my #1 Fuzz.

[@philmcgrill3000]

such a cool dude 😎

[@on1ytheb3st]

Which song is playing in the background of the intro (starts at about 0:08)?

[@johnf.r6658]

Wow I need to listen to this band, this pal is left handed like me ! And already love the song he plays that is part of the Sound track of TRUE DETECTIVE season 1! If you never watched it ... What the hell are you doing!? Go go!

[@tomeraider7213]

I’m just discovering the black angels, I wish they had a box set they had a bunch of their albums in it so I can catch up with catalog.

[@Tomtom-fy7tm]

Heard the black angels in a skating video.since i love theem that sound is so special. Nobody know them in france

[@LSUOdyssey]

Directions to see a Ghost is a masterpiece

[@reginaldperiwinkle]

He's got good taste in gear. I've got the Tube Tape Echo too -- sadly Fulltone went out of business, meaning that the tape cartridges, which were already scarce, will be impossible to replace.

[@maybetomowo]

This could create a cool future for those machines, if they all get saturated it could mean they all have a brand new tone in the future!

[@harveycan5820]

Really interested in the Ric 345 12 string. Does it have the 12 tuning gears in the headstock? The R tailpiece is not from the original 12 string because it would have had an Accent vibrato if a 345 - - but honestly, I can't remember ever seeing a Ric 12 with a vibrato. Those R tailpieces are a nightmare to restring on a 12 and I bet that is why someone just gave up and played it as a 6 string. It has the later hi-gain pickups as it would for a 1978 standard issue. Check out the Accent Vibrato replacement kit from Winfield Vintage on Reverb if you ever want to convert it back to a 345. They are so cool! Did you every try flatwound strings on the Ric? That's the other thing the Beatles used. They sound great! Try the Lonely Hearts fuzz from Creepy Fingers for an amazing Vox solid state 65-68 sound. Not easy to find but worth it. Love the reverence for those classic guitars of the Beatles and VU. Have loved your band and really really enjoyed this Bland video! Thanks for sharing!

[@CaptainWampum]

the 345 is a 6 string the 12 string was another guitar.

[@sanozfamily]

Highly recommend a live show if you get the chance! These guys kill it!

[@nitrum3000]

Most boring show I’ve ever been to lol

[@user-gg2sg58jl58l]

What a great band.

[@melting94]

So I’m wondering how he does that drone-y tremolo kinda thing you hear on the intro of bad vibrations. Is that his echo pedals doing that? Not even sure if that’s him doing it.

[@rodhadland2404]

On that song, I think they put a very stuttery tremolo on the Farfisa organ (that Alex Maas usually plays live) and what you heard in the intro is actually a choppy sounding chord on the Farfisa.

[@Saganite]

Genuine question. This is the second video I've seen recently where the pedal brands were all covered up. Is there a reason folks might do this? This wasn't the case in his previous rig rundown.

[@gcb4799]

No particular reason. I just wanted to rename them with my own more Bland names. Which one are you curious about?

[@Saganite]

@@gcb4799 Hi, cool of you to reply! I can see what they are, I was just curious about the motivation. Love the Bo Diddley sticker btw. I noticed recently that Mark Speer had covered up some of the names on his board as well. Thought perhaps there was a common reason behind it. I appreciate you doing these, love your sound and energy. Take care

[@HUSHMONEYBAND]

He has the same mannerisms as Steve Drozd

[@Alifesalife]

He has good taste in guitars

[@Johnhamiltonmusic]

Legend 🖤😎👌

[@Iceboy575655]

Really good stuff. I still wanna know how that get that stuttery, kill switch effect like in the song Doves. Is it just a tremolo pedal?

[@Lofi_Junky1]

It’s a vox repeater I believe

[@aidanhardingbradburn3225]

hummingbird by earthquaker or ruess fuzz repeater mk3 both nail that sound

[@KaninTuzi]

Third man has a stutter style pedal I believe

[@danielashdown23]

Insane rig, can't wait to see them live next year! You guys gotta get Anton Newcombe to do one of these 🙏

[@SATUR9US]

I second that!

[@benjaminb.6424]

I doubt he ever will

[@Noizedas]

There’s like ten guitarists in bjm I think Anton would just talk about himself the whole time

[@jeremyserwer2586]

The new record is the best in a while.

[@rockymaldonado7758]

Good old Ricky Miami… Great guy…

[@courtneygillespie1187]

The twin does rule 😎 It's one of the greatest amps ever 👍

[@MrTamiya89]

AWESOME Video. 😃👍. And Did Everyone Have A Good Christmas?.

[@SATUR9US]

Christian Bland is a really cool person.

[@jazzblasterrr]

So is the octave fuzz a maestro or Octavia or something else?

[@TheWaveGoodbye-Music]

This is mad, I was talking about the rig rundown he did with a friend last night XD

[@SlyHikari03]

Ayy. Chris plays lefty like me. Nice

[@drivenmad7676]

Very cool Christian. I also play southpaw.

[@abnerpgonz]

Saw them open for Primus this year! had only heard a few songs before that but THEY FUCKING BLEW ME AWAY!!!! I liked them wayyy better than Primus.... They were absolutely amazing

[@lowandodor1150]

that is one awkward line up.

[@seanblythe9109]

Primus sucks anyway

[@lowandodor1150]

@@seanblythe9109 My name is Mudd!

[@1985cactus]

I think this dude is really into Bo Diddley. And the Beatles.

[@backalleybusinessman2276]

so sick!

[@bradleyjohnson8780]

Nice Bucees sticker

[@acdeadpeople]

Is he playing the guitar backwards or is that just the psychedelics at work?

[@DirtyDawg]

Yes

[@cross.bones.culture5318]

Whats the name sort of his shoes?

[@ivancolunga]

Looks like those are Clarks Desert Trek

[@faunoram]

Dont fear the reverb 😉

[@jamesbookert]

he used to come into omy work. nicest dude. hee used to come by my shop and talk guitars and pedals. cool fucking guy.

[@kanehenderson5142]

What was “the brains of his operation?”

[@stuartcameron7590]

Rickenbacker and Big Muff combo. Well I'll be damned!

[@stompinknowledge3968]

The Gear of psych-hunk Christian Bland - someone, anyone comment model clarifications if you can! Amp. * Fender Twin Reverb Guitars. * 1978 Rickenbacker 345 * Gretsch Country Gentleman * Gibson SG (1962?) * Epiphone Casino Pedals. * (The Russian) Big Muff * Dr. Robert * Turbo Tube Screamer * The Depths * The Boonar (? Correct me!!) * Big Sky Reverb * 1968 V846 Wah * Super Shifter

[@rodhadland2404]

Important things about the Fender 65 Twin Reverb reissue, he's got a 3 spring reverb tank in it, and he's also got higher wattage speakers than the stock speakers that it came with. (To handle all the fuzz!) He has a Caitlinbread Fuzzrite (Mosrite Fuzzrite clone) and the Union Bumble Buzz fuzz.(yellow pedal) Christian has also used previously some Analogman pedals like the Fuzz Face clones and the Peppermint Fuzz. Also on the board are the Acid Fuzz Repeater, (which is hard to find, but the EQD Hummingbird gets you close!) and the newer Danelectro Back Talk reverse delay. IMHO I would get a good tube amp over a bunch of fancy pedals.

[@blackseadeluge7151]

Rad!

[@danielbadeaux6257]

I fuckin love you maaaaaannnn!

[@reubenrozeyt5716]

He even has left handed amps and pedals

[@LewWelchThePoet]

🤘👍🏿

[@Jaymoudio]

waouw!!!!!!

[@phunkyjunkee]

For a guy named Christian it’s peculiar to have a sticker that says “Bo Diddly is Jesus” on your wah pedal.

[@andrewmodell5889]

So how is he a pro gutiar player ? ...I gotta get a band

[@_viy]

Американский Егор Летов)

[@Zoso7227]

I feel so uncomfortable watching a lefty play. I am a lefty also

[@Qpenz]

Haha of course he's wearing St Pauli socks

[@armara70]

Lefties unite!

[@Zeonoid]

with that fuzz all guitar sounds same

[@danosoprano5853]

Why do people form Austin think they are soooo cool????

[@urmumsbaps]

Jealous that nobody listens to whatever shitty music you make?

[@kwaapie]

I heard 'too modern' and 'revolver', ok boomer. Bye

[@nicholaschavira1743]

Your loss 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@backalleybusinessman2276]

into music but you cant even give someone different than you the time of day? lol youre the insufferable one here