It’s been seven years since Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore ended their marriage — and by default — broke up their landmark noise rock band Sonic Youth. The dissolution of alt rock’s only surviving power couple came as a blow to anyone who thought there was something special about the healing and sustaining power of experimental noise rock. Now, as if to underline and punctuate the finality of the break, former drummer Steve Shelley is selling off some of the band’s effects pedals on eBay.
Sonic Youth was known for anarchic, dissonant soundscapes and their heavy reliance on particular effects pedals and customized instruments in order to achieve their aesthetic. They famously had to cancel a tour once after their custom gear had been stolen because it was impossible to re-create their sound live with factory instruments. Clearly, these pedals represent more than your usual stompbox. And by all indications, the band is on board with this sale. Their still active official twitter account actually tweeted out a link to the sale. So it’s safe to assume this sale is sanctioned by the band or at least whoever runs their social.
You can peruse the items and bid on them for yourself over on eBay, but bear in mind that they come with a disclaimer on the listings themselves:
“It cannot be said with certainty when or by whom each particular pedal was used.”
There are currently only four items up and the prices are already in the hundreds of dollars. Expect to pay a high price for an authentic lo-fi sound.
