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it's instrumental
Mike Raymond was checking out the '70s-style fashions in the blaxploitation spoof, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, when inspiration suddenly struck. No, it wasn't the floor-length fur coats or oversized fedoras that caught the guitarist's eye, it was the acrylic platform shoes filled with goldfish. Dreaming like rockers do, he wondered: if shoes can be filled with goldfish why not a guitar? Raymond figured that a goldfish-filled, electric guitar would fit in perfectly with his surf band's motif. Warned by naysayers that water and electricity just don't mix, the Essington, PA native pressed on. There was also the problem of finding an aquarium air-filter pump small enough to fit in a guitar. Without one, the fishies would be rolling over rather than rocking out. The idea floundered for a few months. |
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Then he discovered an air-filter that runs on two C batteries - the Strataquarium dream was once again full-steam. (Just in case you're wondering, "Strataquarium" is a combination of the famous Fender guitar model, "Stratocaster," and "aquarium.") Raymond took a no-name guitar and sawed off the body, saving the neck and electrical wiring. Then he cut pieces of acrylic to size, screwed the pick-ups and filter into place and added some plastic plants and rocks for ambiance. He glued the body together with Weld-on adhesive and sealed up any cracks with silicone. Six months of work gave birth to a six-string with a super warm tone that inspires plenty of shtick. "People always ask me if the fish mind. I say: 'They haven't complained yet,'" yucks the 29-year-old. Still, the Strataquarium isn't a piece of cake to play. When it's filled with nearly a gallon of water (plus five goldfish) it weighs almost 10 pounds. The cap that keeps the water in can't be too tight because it also works as a pressure valve. "If I screwed it down all the way the pressure from the air pump would make the guitar explode," he assures. As a result, the guitarist can't jump around much. (Animal rights activists fear not: the fish only go in at showtime.) Raymond built another Strataquarium for a friend (only two months to manufacture this time at a price of $600) and is willing to make them to order. He's also trying to contact Miller Beer to see if they're interested in a foaming beer guitar. These days, the Mike Raymond Band is more into playing tunes inspired by rockabilly and early '60s soul rather than surf. You can check out the Strataquarium sound on the band's most recent album, Strataquarium, or when they play the Lionfish Cafe (614 N. 2nd St., 829-9103) on Saturday, March 8. If you buy your own Strataquarium, however, you can look forward to tossing off one-liners like: "Pardon me, I have to change guitars, this one's out of tuna..." Mike Raymond can be contacted through Broken Bottle Records, P.O. Box 533, Essington, PA 19029, (610) 362-0550. |
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