Artist Spotlight :: Stroutocaster

Bio

Stroutocaster (a.k.a. Erica Strout) has been a musician since she could reach the keys of her family's piano. Having played saxophone and percussion in school in addition to her years studying piano, she found her way into songwriting and punk music at seventeen when she traded her drum set for a guitar, quickly developing a deeper connection with music through creating original music. In the fall of her second year at University of Georgia in Athens, she took the next step and formed her first band.

With 25 years of guitar under her belt, Stroutocaster now works with two distinct musical projects. Gorgeous Beast, an Atlanta based grrrl wave/post-punk project which began as a solo recording project and has since blossomed into a trio with Joshua Broughton and Randy Garcia.

In the summer of 2023 she was invited to take over the role of lead guitar for SERVICE, an Indianapolis based heavy rock band featuring the incredible Jill Weiss-Simins, Russell Simins, Brandon Beaver, and Tony Ash.

In 2024 she began repairing guitars and recently toured for the first time as a tech with Gang of Four on their Long Goodbye tour in the summer of 2025. She is currently on the road through the midwest with SERVICE.

What/Who inspired you to pick up your instrument?

I was a drummer in high school. And I loved it: symphonic band, jazz band, marching band, all of the bands. I had a drum kit in the basement at home and was working on rudiments and playing along with my favorite CDs (this was before streaming had been invented). I started playing guitar during my senior year because I got the itch to write music in addition to playing it. But I didn't know any other kids who were interested in starting a band in the city where I went to high school. There was one band in town, a Christian rock band, and neither I nor they were interested in us working together. So, I sold my drum kit and got an acoustic guitar. Eighteen-ish months later at college, I got myself an electric guitar and managed to find friends who also wanted to start a band.

What piece of musical advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to the beginning of your musical journey?

Getting started is the hardest part, so dive into whatever you are drawn to now, even if you're really bad at it at first. Mistakes are part of learning, so embrace those moments, pay attention, and try not to make them twice. Oh, and use a metronome when you practice. It will only make you better.

What keeps you excited about playing?

The catharsis of performance makes life worth living and the gear worth lifting. I've been learning how to record and engineer over the last few years working on Gorgeous Beast songs. While I'm grateful for that knowledge and experience, nothing carves out a song or shows you where your skills have room for growth like playing your music on a stage in front of a crowd. What also gets me excited about music is seeing other guitarists pouring their hearts out. It was inspiring as hell to see Ted Leo absolutely nailing guitar chaos and Gail Greenwood just destroying on bass with seemingly limitless energy night after night with Gang of Four. I had the privilege of facilitating and witnessing 30 shows, and it didn't get old, not even the one time.

Desert Island 3 pedal pedalboard (not including tuner)

I have been on a serious deep dive pedal journey over the last couple of years, so my pedal board has expanded and changed a lot as of late. With an expanded appreciation for the art form that is guitar effects, it's hard to choose, but here goes:

Number one is my Mantic Vitriol distortion. I picked it up second-hand on a whim, and now I can't plug in without it. It brings a perfectly gnarly growl, and it has both high and low pass filter knobs, which I appreciate for the control it gives me. It beat out my vintage RAT pedal and the JOYO Ultimate Drive. I played each of those pedals as my main distortion for years, first the RAT, then the JOYO. I won't ever get rid of them; they are excellent, but the Vitriol puts a big smile on my face. And music is supposed to make us feel good.

Number two is my Aural Dream breath delay. It's the cheapest pedal; I found it at a Music Go-Round used while on tour and figured it was worth a shot. It was worth more than a shot. It has a "normal" delay setting and also a "ghost" setting that sets the guitar signal off into space. It's kinda wild in the best way.

Number three is my Mantic Flex Pro PLL pedal. I love guitar noise and dissonance (big Deerhoof fan over here), and this one really hits the nail on the head for me. I am still learning how to set the controls and exactly what they do. It's a fairly complicated pedal, but the sounds and texture it creates are very pleasing. I replaced my Data Corrupter (which I am keeping in my arsenal) with the Flex Pro, and it is a decision I feel really good about.

When you find yourself in a musical rut, what techniques do you use to break out of it?

I shift to another art form. I draw, paint, write, or even just sit in the yard and look at the leaves on the trees. Anything that brings creative lightheartedness or makes space in my brain for new ideas. I think the worst thing a songwriter can do is stress about the process going a certain way. Consistency of time spent on one's work is super important, but time doing other things and not allowing guilt or frustration to make the rut deeper is just as crucial.

Who is your favorite artist/band today? And who was your favorite artist/band 10 years ago?

Choosing a favorite anything is an impossible task for me. There's so much great music.
That said, ten years ago, Savages was getting a ton of play on my stereo. Silence Yourself just blew my mind, and seeing them live only reinforced how powerful a band they are.

My current favorite band is Mind Spiders. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing them perform live, and with the last album having been released 7 years ago, I may never get to see it. But Furies is a solid record, front to back. What has changed since then is my interest in synthesizers and electronic music.

When you find yourself in a music store - what is your go-to riff when test drive gear?

Honestly, I usually avoid that situation due to my introverted nature. But, what seems to happen in those moments is riffs from Motherfucker songs, the chorus of 'I'm Fucking Dick Dale' seems to be one that my hands want to play. Muscle memory is strong.

What is your most prized/cherished piece of gear? And why?

My 2001 Gibson SG Special in Olive Drab. It was a birthday gift I received from a boyfriend in 2003, and it's definitely the birthday gift I have gotten the most use out of in my entire life. Gibson put out a short run of these SGs for Chicago Music Exchange, I found out after having it for a few years. I have only ever seen one other one that was up for sale, and of course, now I'm kicking myself for not having jumped on that opportunity to have a backup. This SG was the only guitar I owned for many years, while I knew so many guitarists who were constantly shuffling new guitars in and selling off the old. I thought I was doing it wrong for a while, but now I know that if you have something that works, it's worth it not to follow the proverbial crowd and make unnecessary changes. There's something about that guitar that I always go back to. Maybe it's just the consistency of the feel that allows me to focus on the music I'm playing. It's been set up perfectly and improved upon over the years, and it holds a lot of memories for me now. It feels like home that way.

What is the next big musical purchase you're hoping to save for?

I've gotten a little obsessed with looking for the older Japanese-made guitars, the Fernandes/Burny/Tokai/Greco brands specifically. They aren't wildly expensive, but that's part of the appeal to me. I can't resist a hidden gem.

Gear Breakdown

I've worked with other guitars, but I almost always reach for my 2001 Gibson SG Special. I plug in to the Ernie Ball VPJr volume pedal at the start of the chain on my pedalboard with a 15' Rattlesnake ultraviolet snakehead instrument cable. From there I've got my TU-2 Boss tuner, a Mantic Vitriol distortion, an Earthquaker Hoof fuzz, a Mantic Flex Pro phase locked loop pedal for some wildness, a Chop Chop woodpecker tremolo, my Aural Dream breath delay, and a Holy Grail reverb because I refuse to play without reverb. I discovered Mantic Conceptual Effects last year and I really love both of my Mantic pedals. The Vitriol distortion is a high gain that sounds great and gives me next level tone control with both low and high pass filters. The Flex Pro is super fun to experiment with and kick on for solos and noise. The Earthquaker Devices Hoof fuzz is the one that felt the most right to me after trying out at least ten different fuzz pedals. It feels a bit like guitar blasphemy, but I've never been that interested in fuzzes. I often feel like they rob my guitar of the presence it deserves, but the Hoof has been working well for soloing, adding a layer of grit and brashness. Maybe I've gotten better at dialing it in with the rest of my effects. The Chop Chop tremolo is really a one-trick pony, but it's a trick I enjoy in certain moments to add some intensity to less dense parts. The Aural Dream breath delay was a pleasant surprise of a pedal I found used at a Music Go Round in Milwaukee while on tour. And the Holy Grail is a faithful and reliable reverb, always good for adding an ethereal layer. My pedalboard is routed according to conventional wisdom (dynamics, filters/shifts, gain, modulation, time) except that I had to switch my fuzz to go after the distortion. I'm not sure why it's what worked, but pedalboard chain assembly can be a mysterious process. It's important to use one's ears ultimately. At my pedalboard output, I use a 20' Rattlesnake midnight purple instrument cable to reach my amp. I have a few amplifiers, but my favorite is the Earth Sound Research G-2000. A friend crafted a new housing for it because the 10 tubes were melting the glue of the pressed board in the original royal blue sparkle tuck and roll cover. But now it's got a solid wood home with a little extra room to allow heat to escape that I stained aqua. I use a 3' Rattlesnake blue speaker cable to connect to my speaker cabinet, which is a custom cab that a friend built for me with two 12" Eminence Man-O-War speakers. I have been using Rattlesnake Cables since 2017; my collection includes instrument cables, speaker cables, and XLR cables, and not one of them has failed me. I love the durability, the clarity, and, the color options. I also like being able to see my cables on stage, and some of the brighter colors they offer make that very easy in a dark venue. Aesthetics are important to me, so getting top quality and great aesthetics combined is exactly what I'm looking for.

Bands / Projects

SERVICE - (spotify | bandcamp)
Gorgeous Beast - (spotify | bandcamp)
Motherfucker (no longer active but of note) - (spotify | bandcamp)

Listen on Spotify

Social Links

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