A TONE Conversation with Thom Daugherty of The Elms
Note: This post is less about photography than connecting with fellow creatives and showcasing how I interview them.
Background
I have been a fan of the Elms since I first watched the music video for their song Speaking in Tongues on Yahoo Music back in 2006. However, I never got a chance to see them live, and then they disbanded in 2010. When they announced their anniversary shows to be held 2 nights back-to-back in Indianapolis, I knew that I had to be there for both.
Thom Daugherty has been the guitarist of The Elms since the beginning. He and I had connected a long time ago on Facebook, and we just stayed in touch via mutual groups. He now mixes records for other artists, and recently recorded and mixed The Elms’ new track “What A Time To Be Alive”. On day 2 before the show, he was generous enough to sit down with me over some Mexican food to do a deep dive into the history of The Elms and their recording process, as well as how he has been able to recreate his “purist” tone using modern technology. Listen to the full conversation below, and feel free to ask any follow-up questions you have in the comments of this post.
Interview
Gallery
Guitar side of stage
Live preset, amp 1 (Marshall Plexi)
Amp 2 (Fender Tonemaster)
Cab 1 (Marshall Plexi)
Cab 2 (Mesa)
Top to bottom: Veritas Texas Miracle, Gibson Custom 1957 Reissue Les Paul
