TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Vance Stevenson, guitarist for local rock band Gorilla Cheese, spends countless hours organizing the various effects pedals in order to get them just perfect, a level of care that has failed to spread to any other area of his life, sources confirmed.
“It took me forever, but I’ve finally got all my pedals arranged in the precise order,” Stevenson said during sound check for Gorilla Cheese’s latest gig at The Rumpus Room. “I’m drowning in credit card debt and I may have overdrafted my bank account a few times, but when the audience hears the ripping tone on these guitar solos, it’ll all be worth it. Maybe someone will even like it enough to give me a ride home.”
Rick DiCosta, drummer for Gorilla Cheese and Stevenson’s friend since childhood, shared in the frustration caused by Stevenson’s lack of personal responsibility.
“I can’t count the number of times that Vance has forgotten when or where our next gig is, what the setlist is, or even how we get paid,” DiCosta said while hanging out at the bar before the show. “If he didn’t have me, his girlfriend, the rest of the guys in the band, or his parents, he’d be completely lost. But damn if he doesn’t have one hell of a pedal board. I asked if he could do this David Gilmour-esque tone on ‘Sweet Suzy Cakes,’ and he nailed it. Sure, I had to buy a 9-volt battery from 7-Eleven for him minutes before the show started, but that was the best we ever sounded.”
Stevenson’s behavior is hardly unique among musicians, though, as Dr. Jennifer Bingham of The Musician’s Health Institute explained.
“Focus on one’s craft is common, but Stevenson seems to have complete tunnel vision with regards to his pedal board,” she explained via email. “While such behavior is likely benign and controllable with certain psychiatric drugs, it’s likely this condition will last the rest of his life. So I would encourage all of his family and friends to hang out and enjoy the music, but leave before Stevenson can ask to borrow money.”
At press time, Stevenson was using a sustain pedal to buy enough time for him to find a new guitar pick.
