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Online gear marketplace Reverb has released its first-ever full-length film, The Pedal Movie. Billed as “the most comprehensive look at how effects pedals have influenced the sound of popular music as we know it,” the documentary features interviews with notable musicians and producers such as My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Graham Coxon of Blur, Nels Cline, Sarah Lipstate, Steve Albini, and many more. The movie is available now to rent or purchase online; check out a trailer below.
In addition to artists, The Pedal Movie highlights some of today’s top pedal builders, including Chase Bliss Audio, EarthQuaker Devices, JHS Pedals, Strymon, Walrus Audio, and many others. The film tracks the historical development of guitar effects pedals, beginning with the accidental invention of the first fuzz pedal in the early ’60s.
“The initial inspiration for The Pedal Movie was us asking how this strange little pocket of the music world grew into this massive community, with new pedals and companies continuously entering the fold,” co-director Dan Orkin said in a press release. “Today, there are thousands of builders churning out hundreds of thousands of pedals every year to an ever-growing community of music makers always on the lookout for new ways to express themselves. These little boxes have changed how people make music and ultimately, changed the course of popular music forever.”