Feature / One Question Interviews / What's That Noise?
Pinned in Place

Words: Loren • April 2, 2021

Pinned in Place
Pinned in Place

Sean Arenas (Pinned in Place – guitar)

SPB: What guitar do you play (and how did you choose it)?

Arenas: I've only ever owned one electric guitar: my purple Fender Standard Telecaster, a Mexican model. I purchased it when I was nineteen from a sixteen-year-old kid in Temple City, Calif. His mom forced him to sell it because he was flunking high school. To punish the kid, the mom sold me the guitar right in front of him for next to nothing. It's been a decade, and I've never considered buying another guitar. A few years ago I had custom pickups installed. I know so little about gear that I couldn't even tell you what they're called, but the lady who installed them said, "These are the hottest pickups I've ever installed in a Tele." So, there's that. I plug into a vintage Peavey Classic 20 head which runs into a custom Avatar cab with two greenbacks and two vintage 30s. I've been told a number of times that I have excellent gear for someone that knows jackshit about gear.

Loren • April 2, 2021

Pinned in Place
Pinned in Place

Series: What's That Noise?

One-question interviews with artists where we find out about the gear and equipment they use to achieve their sound.

More from this series

Related features

Eric Angelo Bessel

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • September 22, 2025

Eric Angelo Bessel SPB: Walk us through your gear setup for the recording of Mirror at Night. Eric: I composed the album, Mirror at Night, using a pair of digital Mellotrons (proto-sampling keyboards), an Alesis Micron (keyboard synthesizer), and guitars. The Micron is a new addition, and is the main … Read more

Mike Huguenor

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • July 8, 2025

Mike Huguenor Tell us about the primary guitars you used making Surfing the Web with the Alien? Read more

Six Below Zero

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • January 22, 2025

Matthew Brammer (Six Below Zero) SPB: Can you walk us through your studio or recording set-up to get a glimpse of how a one-man band works for Six Below Zero? Brammer: Since I don't play live anymore, I'm pretty much 100% "in the box" these days. Especially since a lot … Read more

Distants

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • May 23, 2024

Steve Brewer (Distants) SPB: Did you choose your name before the band members were located in different cities? Brweer: Yes. Everyone who was in the band when it started lived in Chicago. When I joined the band in 2019, Zach and I would carpool the distants from Michigan to Chicago … Read more

Faulty Cognitions

One Question Interviews / What's That Noise? • April 1, 2024

Chris Mason (Faulty Cognitions) SPB: Was the mic’ing of your kit for the recording of Somehow, Here We Are fairly straight forward, or were there some techniques or experiments used to capture the sound? Mason: We didn't do anything too fancy. I do remember that we didn't mic the toms … Read more

Related reviews

Pinned In Place

Rubbernecking at the Gates of Hell
Reflective Tapes (2018)

I’ve been debating how to describe this one for a while. Pinned in Place aren’t exactly happy campers, but compared to most of what I’ve been reviewing lately their music feels downright optimistic with the sunny guitar lines and harmonies that define their sound. That said, the record is named Rubbernecking at the Gates of Hell for a reason.The opening … Read more

Pinned In Place

Ghostwritten By
Razorcake (2016)

One (of many) differences between indie rock and punk is generally the sense of humor as it relates to self-awareness. Considering that other reviews namedrop Built to Spill frequently in the RIYL section for Pinned in Place, it’s a nice touch to start the record with the song “Built to Chill.” It’s both self-referential and a sweet name that describes … Read more

More from this section

Wagemaker

One Question Interviews • December 10, 2025

Thomas Harris (Wagemaker) SPB: You went from a full band to doing Wagemaker as a one-person project. Now you’re a duo. What’s the perfect number of people for a band? Harris: My name is Thomas Harris and I sing and play bass alongside Jason LaVeris’s (drums) in the group Wagemaker. … Read more

She/Her Records

One Question Interviews • December 9, 2025

Liza & Misha (She/Her Records) SPB: After the SHEHERCOMP001 when did you know you were going to release albums/EPs/etc? . She/Her Records: We always planned to do solo releases following the first TDoV compilation. SARCOMA was enthusiastic about doing a solo release with us since we first posted our manifesto, … Read more

Glueman

One Question Interviews • December 8, 2025

Matt Glueman (Glueman) SPB: Your new album is simply titled “III”. What about a simple/to-the-point title appeals to you? Matt: Well, we love The Spits. They don’t have album titles, so why should we? GLUEMAN III.  Read more