This gear list isn’t extravagant; it’s the practical toolkit of a punk artist reshaping the genre with genuine artistry.
Since ’16, Blake Deneweth, a Twin Cities, MN troubadour, has been DIY-ing punk anthems that bare it all—raw lyrics, DIY spirit, and a middle finger to convention.
‘Apart,’ his recent bruiser, embodies classic pop punk, kicking around themes of love and self-discovery with raucous beats and earworm melodies. Lifted from his freshly dropped EP ‘Kill Me’ Deneweth delves into the gear that broght this lil gem to life.
No fancy studios here—Blake rocks a Shure SM48 mic because Bomb The Music Industry said so, and he slaps his bass through an LTD Viper 254 into a gritty Fender Rumble 100.
Guitars? A J. Mascis Signature Squire Jazzmaster for everyday chaos and a mysterious ’84 Gibson Black Knight for the heavy artillery.
In his DIY sanctuary, it’s an old Mac, GarageBand, and a trusty Focusrite. Blake Deneweth, the punk maestro, keeping it real and unpolished.
Microphone
I use the Shure SM48 for my microphone. In a Bomb The Music Industry song, they talked about singing through a Shure microphone. That was my only reason for buying one but it’s been working out really well for me!
Bass
I run an LTD Viper 254 through a Fender Rumble 100 amp. It provides a very big sound when I need it. The LTD has a very customizable tone, so I can pretty much achieve any bass tone that I want with my setup.
Guitars
I use 2 different electric guitars and an acoustic guitars. I typically run a J. Mascis Signature Squire Jazzmaster through my Boss Katana 2 100 watt amp. The combo offers an extremely versatile setup.
My second electric is a 1984 Gibson Black Knight. It’s a very unique guitar that I use for all of my heavier tones. I honestly don’t know much about it, and when I looked it up, I couldn’t find out much about it either.
My acoustic guitar is a Fender FA-Series electric/acoustic. The neck plays a lot more like an electric than an acoustic, and so it’s just easier in my opinion. It has a lighter but warm tone.
Studio
For my studio setup, I literally use an older used Mac and GarageBand. I run everything through my little Focusrite interface and I do all of my mixing with the base model of GarageBand.
Keyboards
I use 3 different keyboards:
The long one is a Williams and I use it primarily for the more realistic piano sounds. I use the bigger Casio for the electric piano sound. I use the small Casio for the organ sound.
