Knuckle Puck show how to play blink-182 riffs in the most difficult way

Knuckle Puck‘s guitar team of Kevin Maida and Nick Casasanto started playing just like everyone else did. From being introduced to the instrument by a family member to learning all the Green Day and blink-182 riffs they could handle, their history is pretty normal. But it’s what the duo have done with Knuckle Puck that makes them awesome. Judging from KP’s impending new album 20/20, and the enthusiasm these two have about their craft, these guys are lifers. They filmed this episode of APTV’s Six-String Stories back in the days when a band could tour without facial coverings.

Maida and Casasanto trade stories and shop talk like they’re the only people in the room. The repartee feels less like a Knuckle Puck interview and more like a quality hang with friends. They reveal their first experiences with the instrument and discuss each other’s purported “bad habits.” (Like how not to play a blink song.) Maida reveals why the front of his guitar is so badly scratched up. Casasanto plays part of a song that was his gateway to emo.

Read more: Listen to Knuckle Puck’s deeply personal new single “RSVP”

While the conversation is really great, the guitarists give us a preview of something they’ve been working on for a while. The self-described “tone guys” reveal a prototype guitar overdrive unit they were using during the last Knuckle Puck tour. Guitarists can dial in a specified tone with the unit, offering a number of potential sonic modifications. The unit, the 20/20 Overdrive, is now available for players right here.

At first, when Maida and Casasanto came in with the mysterious “black box,” we didn’t know what to expect. But we were honored to get an up-close look of the unit in action. Of course, you can hear tones both driving and luscious on 20/20 the pedal and 20/20 the album. So even if you’re not a guitarist, you’re still getting a treat. Mark your calendar for 20/20’s release Sept 17.