artists » Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem

The Gaslight Anthem continues to play to sold-out crowds as they continue their whirlwind tour schedule. We spent a few minutes with vocalist/guitarist Brian Fallon who was kind enough to share his thoughts, insight – and his custom amp settings – with us. We began at the beginning…

VOX: So what got you started down the road to rock?
BF: My mother was a folk singer in the 70’s and she was always playing around the house and singing, so it kind of seemed to follow suit for me to just naturally want to play. She was where I learned about all the good stuff.

VOX: The Gaslight Anthem’s latest release – The ’59 Sound – is out and people are loving it…do you have any memorable stories from putting it together?
BF: When we were working on the record we all felt like something special was going on, and Ted Hutt and I used to go outside at the end of the night and just sit there laughing about how excited we both were that the record was falling into place and sounding so amazing.

VOX: Any songs stick out as memorable for you?
BF: We were really, really thrilled with “Meet Me by the River’s Edge,”
That was the first song we did vocals for; when we went in, me and Ted just looked at each other kind of speechless, and we knew there was something good going on here. Everything was really electrified in the studio during that time, I’ll never forget that recording process.

VOX: When writing, do you guys have any go-to techniques or formulae…or is each recording approached differently?
BF: We do each song differently. I wish I had a formula, because it seems like every time I start writing, it’s like I’ve never done it before, then all of a sudden I’m half way through the song. Songwriting is one of those old school preacher things, I think. I feel like singers and preachers get smacked by some kinda crazy lightning right before they deliver; because I’m completely oblivious if you asked me how to write a song, it just happens, I can’t take the credit for it, and then bang: hallelujah.

VOX: There have been lots of Springsteen comparisons, and I’ve seen the video of you performing “Backstreets”. I understand that you guys will have the opportunity to open for Bruce Springsteen – along with the Dave Matthews band – in London fairly soon, is that right?
BF: Well, that isn’t until June 28th. But I did a benefit in my hometown of Red Bank, NJ and Bruce was the surprise guest. All the performers came up at the end to sing “Having a Party” by Sam Cooke, and there’s Bruce, Bon Jovi, Gary U.S. Bonds, Southside Johnny, and me singing backups right behind them, not knowing what was going on. Bruce is a real nice guy, super genuine.

VOX: You recently adopted the point-to-point, hand-wired VOX AC30H2 as your amp of choice. I understand you went through quite a few amps before that.
BF: If you ask our tech, I was the guy who bought a new amp every six months and sold off the previous one because I was never happy. Now, the only thing I want is another AC30H2 to sit right next to the one I have. I really haven’t even thought about anything else since I got it.

VOX: So how did you come to choose the AC30H2? Any favorite features?
BF: Well, the first thing for me is that it’s a hand-wired amp. I don’t use commonplace circuit board amps on the road; they freeze in the cold and break when you bang them around as much as we do. We do 300 shows a year all over the world and I need that amp to work every time. But then it’s all about the tone of the amp, and the AC30H2 beats out everything, it’s smooth in the top end frequencies without ever becoming harsh or brittle, and it’s just pure guts in the bottom thanks to the two 12″ blue bells. I’ve played every amp clone, every production amp and there’s only a few worth playing, but none of them touch the AC30H2. It’s the best two VOX’s in one box. It’s Tom Petty, The Beatles, The Stones, and even stuff VOX’s aren’t known for, because of the ef86 channel. That’s a whole new/old world… I can get any tone I’ve ever needed out of this one amp. It’s my juniors and the h2.

VOX: Care to share the super-secret Brian Fallon sound with us?
BF: For me, I use both channels bridged with a jumper, and I keep the volumes of both around 10 - 12 o’clock depending on how I’m feeling that night, gain wise.

On the EF86 Channel I put the Brilliance setting on 2. I also keep both channels in Pentode Mode. And I keep the EF86 Channel Bass Shift on setting 2.

For the Top Boost side, it’s pretty much treble at 10 o’clock and bass at about 8:30. So basically, I have each side adding to each other; it’s really the best of both worlds – a strong rhythm sound that cleans up nicely.

VOX: What other VOX gear are you using now?
BF: Right now it’s just the AC30H2. I don’t use much, just a Les Paul Junior and an AC30; that’s all I need.

VOX: Is there anything you would like to say to the folks back at VOX?
BF: I’d love to see more hand-wired models; those are the ticket for a touring musician. From a guy who’s done the California to the English sounds and everything in between – including building my own amp in search of the right sound – I’m pleased to say that VOX has ended my long nights of reading tube amp schematics and wielding soldering irons, because they’ve built my perfect amp.

VOX: Wow – Thanks Brian, and great luck with the rest of the tour!

Interview by Evan O’Brien and Malcolm Doak