Blister Kings are perhaps one of the most unlikely blues bands. Born from the ashes of Chicago punk rock band The Experiment, the rhythm section of bassist Rufus Aaronson and drummer James Krzyzewski decided to move in a new direction, recruiting keyboardist Chester Layton and guitarist/vocalist Johnny Miller to form a blues foursome in the tradition of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.

The comparisons are apt. Stratocaster-wielding frontman? Check. Tight bass-and-drum rhythm section? Check. An exceptional keyboardist behind a Hammond B3 organ? Double check. But that's where the comparisons end, as this band brings a decidedly harder edge that speaks to their Chicago punk roots.

"When I joined this band, I wasn't sure I would fit in, but we work together great. The guys are really open to the songs I bring in, and we're having a lot of fun on our tour. We've been touring Europe and the UK, which has been a trip, and the audience back home has been fantastic."

So how does Miller get his singing, stinging tone? His rig is a little more Billy Gibbons or David Gilmour than Eric Clapton or SRV. "I'm a gear whore!", Miller laughs. "I think I've tried every little pedal or rack mount thing or amplifier out there. The only thing I've always had is my '90 Fender Strat."

Miller's current effects chain starts with that Strat, loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups. From there, it goes into a Shure wireless unit, with the receiver on his onstage pedalboard. First in his chain is an A/B box, with the A side ("My main lead channel", says Miller) going to a Dublop volume pedal, a Dunlop Crybaby wah pedal, a very rare Ibanez TS10 Tube Screamer, modified to have the "gain" knob disabled ("It makes it full-on", says Miller), and then into a Dunlop UniVibe. From there, it goes to a line mixer, and then to two Soldano Super Lead Overdrive 100 watt stacks.

The B channel ("My clean channel", says Miller) goes to a TC Electronics G-Force multi-effects processor, a Rocktron HUSH multi-effects processor, and a Kemper Profiling Amplifier. It then runs to two Alesis MicroVerbs, a line mixer, and to four amplifiers: two 1968 Fender Super Reverbs, and two Frugal Amps-modified 100 watt Fender/Dumble clones.

Miller also has a second switch box in front of the main A/B that splits the signal three ways. One side goes into the main A/B box, the second goes to a tuner, and the third goes into another effects chain that's almost identical to his first, but with a second Kemper Profiling Amplifier, and few more tweaks. "The voicing on the wah and the TS10 are changed a little bit, so I can get more of a vintage tone. The Kemper lets me get more of that old, vintage, Marshall Plexi tone without having to worry about having exploding amps on stage. I call that my Hendrix rig." That channel then runs into the same line mixer as his clean channel, and the same amps as his other "B" channel.

Did you get all that? A complicated rig? Yes, but no one ever said the blues was easy.

Blister Kings' debut album, Breakdown, is out now on N0where Records.
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