artists » Jeff Stinco

…Well, not Punk’d as in the TV show that’s sweeping the US. More like the punk-pop craze that’s sweeping the airwaves. Montreal-based Simple Plan have dominated the punk-pop scene since their debut platinum album, No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls, dropped over two years ago. They’ve captured many awards and nominations, including a 2003 MuchMusic Video Award for People’s Choice “Favorite Canadian Group” in June, and nominations for “favorite pop act” at the MTV Asia Awards and “best new artist in a video” at the MTV Video Awards.

Simple Plan has been a staple on the Van’s Warped Tour. They have also recently appeared on movie soundtracks for Scooby Doo 2 and New York Minute and have performed on television hits The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel Live. Selling out night after night, in cities around the world (for two straight years!), these guys seem unstoppable. VOX is now joining the ranks to help guitarist, Jeff Stinco, stay on top of his game.

When we caught up with Jeff, the band was home in Montreal taking a much-needed hiatus from the touring scene to write material for their next album. As Jeff explains, their new material, “takes a really original and fresh direction. It’s still Simple Plan, but you can hear an evolution from all of the touring. We’re now better musicians and better people and want the songs to show that.”

While trying out new song ideas and new recording perspectives, Jeff decided to broaden his horizons and play through some new gear. The VOX AC30/6TBX has proven its worth and found its way into that new lineup. Jeff’s decision was an easy one, “The AC30 has played a huge part in rock history. The Beatles, Tom Petty, Queen, Radiohead, and U2 have all played through them. It’s an amazing amp and younger players who don’t need to hide behind tons of distortion to hide their flaws appreciate how articulate the amp is. I like the way it lets all the nuances of my playing come through. I like the complexity of the tone and the mid-range punch that I can’t get with a lot of other amps. I also like the weird things you can do with the AC30. I like the extreme trem settings, the distortion sounds when cranked and the articulation of the clean sounds, which leads to cool sounds when effected. The amp can sound classic but can also sound pretty gnarly and I love that. It’s got soul and personality, unlike many newer amps.”

After choosing a classic amp like the AC30/6TBX, one might think that the ToneLab amp and effect modeler wouldn’t even be an option. Jeff explains why he’s cueing up the ToneLab, “I love the concept and the practical aspect of modeling technology, but often I find the tube amp sounds are pretty harsh and cold sounding. In the case of the ToneLab, I found that the sounds were more realistic, more natural than anything else I’ve heard.” Practicality is the key, as Jeff was quick to find out, “I am demoing all my song ideas with the ToneLab right now. It sounds great. It’s quick and I can recall my sounds days later when I need to change parts in songs. It?s a great songwriting tool.”

So, when it’s all said and done, why does an artist like Jeff Stinco strive to produce the music that you hear? Simply stated, “The best part about my lifestyle is being able to play the guitar, be creative, travel, and make a living doing it. It’s not a job, it’s just a lot of work. I’m a very fortunate person and very grateful for all of this. The best part about being in Simple Plan is that sense of belonging to something that is bigger than the band, and having a sense of community with our fans. Our fans are very dedicated and very involved in spreading the love. The best part of it all is seeing people rock out to our songs night after night,” exudes Jeff.

Simple Plan are currently in pre-production for their new record, due out (very tentatively) in mid-October. Jeff assures us, “We will make the best record of all time, reinvent the wheel, rock and roll, music in general and maybe even save the world. That’s the plan!” As far as touring goes, they will hit the dusty road again as soon as the album is finished. Stay tuned to http://www.simpleplan.com/ for the latest news on these hard-working punk rockers!

AUDIO MP3 - Jeff Stinco talks about his ToneLab (217kb)

By Jennifer Plonski
Photo by Linda Dawn Hammond