MEET YOUR MAKER: Jeff France
Jeff France - or Fej, as he’s known at EQD - is a mensch of the highest order. I mean, if you’ve been following these blogs, or following EarthQuaker Devices on the social medias for any amount of time, you’ve probably figured out that we have a pretty incredible group of people making your pedals. There simply isn’t a bad grape in the bunch. But indulge me for a second, and let me tell you about my last visit to Akron. I had a chunk of free time before my flight out of Cleveland on my last day. I casually mentioned to Fej and his wife that I was thinking of getting a Lyft to a record store in Cleveland. He and his lovely wife not only offered - but were excited - to drive me 45 minutes to Cleveland to indulge my crate digging habits (to be fair, Fej is a fellow record nerd), and show me some awesome Cleveland sights, knowing they’d have to go back to Akron and then GO BACK TO CLEVELAND AGAIN LATER THAT NIGHT FOR A PARTY. Maybe it’s the New Yorker in me, but driving me all over Cleveland when they’d have to go home and go right back there later just seemed like the most extreme act of kindness and generosity of all time. All this to say, Fej rules, and now you’ll get to meet him here. Virtually.
Role at EarthQuaker:
Production Manager / Media Production
How long have you been at EarthQuaker?
10 years
What’s a typical (non-quarantine) work day for you like?
I am the Production Manager, so my days are varied. Sometimes I am doing the schedule, sometimes I am making sure things are running smoothly, sometimes I am wiring and testing pedals. When I do the Media Production element of my job, I am usually performing the audio portion of the team and running a second camera. I spend a lot of time with all of the pedals, so I am also there to make sure we show the product in its best light.
What’s your favorite thing about working at EarthQuaker?
I like all of the people I work with, and getting to see them every day makes me feel good.
What instruments do you play, and what bands are you in?
I play a lot of instruments including guitar, drums, turntables, samplers, bass, synthesizers, effects pedals, tape machines. I mainly just record people now though, and sometimes that feels like enough, but I still wish I did more of my own things.
I have been in many bands in my life. Some from recent times are Ghost Cut, Zoo Ruins, Directions for Playing, Area Man and This is What We are Now.
I also have some solo stuff here and I run a small cassette label, Imperial Emporium Sound Options.
What’s on your board(s) right now?
I have two pedal boards that can function separately or together or feed a Rane mixer.
Board 1:
Digitech Whammy 4, Hummingbird v2, Speaker Cranker, Empress Vintage Modified Super Delay, Mesa Boogie V-Twin, Avalanche Run, Line 6 DL4, Pyramids. I have a D’Addario tuner and a mono midi converter split off of the direct out of the Digitech Whammy. Sometimes I use an iPad synth app that uses real audio also. I use the tuner as a mute to the midi converter and the audio send to the iPad. Also sometimes I run the V-Twin to a Rane Empath mixer and put the Avalanche, DL4 and Pyramids in the effects loop. I only really do this in my electronic band. I also have a sampler, mic and the iPad going into the mixer as well, and I can apply those effects to all of the signals.
Board 2:
D’Addario tuner, Organizer, Speaker Cranker, Disaster Transport SR, personally designed router with order reverse and stereo capabilities. One chain out of that is a Digitech Whammy Ricochet and a modified Afterneath, the second chain out of the router is two Line 6 DL4s in parallel. They have send kill switches, but always have a return open. On the router both chains have 2 returns and can be switched from mono to stereo separately. It's very nerdy, but I use it to route out to other pedals or link my two pedal boards together with some stereo flare.
I have my eye on some pedals that would really complete the stereo theme when all linked up, but I think I might be making myself a personal project with a linked pair of Afterneath v3s to replace my current modified Afterneath to finish it up.
First pedal you owned?
DOD FX55 Distortion
What band would you sign a deal with the devil to play in?
I am not into making deals, but I would like to be in a band with either Bjork, Kid Koala, or Rose Melberg.
Best concert you ever saw?
Early life: Slant 6 I think. They opened for Fugazi and I was like, "Why would Fugazi want to follow this?" More recently, Space Cubs. They fucking kill it. Or Kid Koala, "Nufonia Must Fall." It was so incredible. You have no idea. Mind blown.
Best thing to eat in Akron?
Pre-EarthQuaker job?
I was Pat Carney's Studio Manager at his Audio Eagle recording studio. Before that I worked in bakeries.
Favorite band?
Bjork, Kid Koala, Rhorchach, De La Soul, Bikini Kill, Slant 6, Eternal Summers, Knife Pleats, Go Sailor, Born Against, Enoch Light, Space Cubs, Mass of Fermenting Dregs (I just had the pleasure of recording these guys for work and it was fucking incredible. so much energy).
Favorite book?
Monstress (it's a comic book), or anything Archie related, maybe Harvey Pekar's Cleveland.
Coolest skill, besides pedal building?
I like to skateboard. I am not bad, but I am getting older, so everything hurts more when I fall now. I am a decent audio engineer I guess.
Favorite recipe?
Eggs with vegan kimchi and Braggs liquid amino acids.
Do you have pets?
Yes I have two dogs. They are little and they are both wonderful. Their names are Fred and Connie.
Connie chewed a hole into our couch which is/was a very beautiful 1960s modern couch that was in perfect condition and had a perfect matching chair. I still love her very much, but I think I loved the couch more than her. She is not allowed in the living room alone anymore.
Dumbest thing you ever bought?
I way overthink purchasing, and spend many weeks deciding if I really want it before buying anything, so I don't know if I regret anything I've bought. I regret selling my Ensoniq Fizmo, and my Roland Jazz Chorus though. Especially now that I have to look at that Roland every time I go see Jake Trombetta play a show. Jake Trombetta is not a real nemesis, but I like to think of him as one when I think of my beloved amp. I had the chance to buy it back once, and I told him all of the reasons why they are such great studio tools, and he went and bought it before I could. I will never forget this Jake Trombetta, for as long as I live. Both things I sold were to pay taxes when I was 1099.
Best beauty tip?
I'm not sure about this. I think people look better without working on it.
Favorite EarthQuaker pedal?
Disaster Transport SR or Speaker Cranker, but the Avalanche Run is making a run on it.
Bonus photo: After Jamie Stillman, perhaps the greatest collection of custom colors and super rare EQD oldies anywhere on earth.