We're back with another installment of our weekly Hi-Fives! This time around we've pinned down the mad scientist behind Caroline Guitar Company; Philippe Herndon. Read on to get his take on our random top 5's
Top 5 things about running your own company
1. Being able to wear shorts and sandals to work in the brutal Columbia summer.
2. I don't need to ask permission to bring my son to the office.
3. I don't need to ask permission to pursue a project.
4. I've been able to lead and delegate the way I envisioned.
5. I love that the great people who work with me have been able to call Caroline their workplace.
Top 5 reasons to get to work early
1. The warm, fresh pastries at Crust Bakehouse tend to go in a hurry.
2. Getting to drop my boy at his preschool/day care.
3. Getting first dibs on the music or podcasts in the workspace.
4. Knocking out that to-do list, and
5. Broadcasting a defiant middle finger at the lazy musician/artist stereotype.
Top 5 all time favorite drives
1. 1991 Sansamp Original
2. 1978 Big Box Proco Rat
3. Resonant Amplifiers Manifold Drive
4. Smallsound/Bigsound Fuck OD
5. Caroline Wave Cannon mkII (I apologize - but I really love it, and mean it)
Top 5 British TV Shows
1. Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes gave me chills, and was an interesting thematic take on time travel.
2. Wire in the Blood had the best chemistry between leads and an incredibly haunting episode called "Synchronicity" that I've watched 10 times.
3. Luther, because Idris Elba makes you wish you could be that guy.
4. Wallander, because Kenneth Branaugh makes you afraid you're becoming that guy.
5. Prime Suspect, because Helen Mirren made all of the ones I've mentioned above possible.
Top 5 artists you’d love to work with
The next five who find us. As much as I've wanted to and dreamed of working with some people, the noteworthy artists that have chosen us have been awesome, and they understand our ethos and vibe. I'm thrilled we let them choose us rather than the other way around.
Top 5 90’s bands that missed the boat (or more accurately, where we missed the boat)
I would love to be reborn into an alternate universe where the Woodstock '99 headliners were
1. Matthew Good Band
2. Sugar
3. Big Wreck
4. David Garza (just go buy "This Euphoria" already)
5. and the artist Liz Phair should have become after "Exile in Guyville".
Top 5 guitar tones on a record
1. Chris Whitley's "Narcotic Prayer" has motivated and vexed me for years - it seems impossible to be so clean, yet so dirty, so neck pickup round, and so bridge pickup cutting, all at the same time.
2. "Run Like Hell" by Pink Floyd
3. "Just" by Radiohead
4. "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak
5. "Zoo Station" by U2. DOOOO-DUN-DUN! I'll always remember once I saw the suede vest Joshua Tree fans looking so forlorn thirty seconds in, I had to buy that album that day.
Top 5 requests for free gear (you should give me a free one because…)
1. "my church"
2. semi-famous in a faraway country
3. "my church"
4. "you should give out some free ones to all the local players in [this small city/town with a music "scene"] to get the word out about your brand"
5. "my church"
Top 5 things to do in Columbia
1. Go see live bands at Arts and Draughts at the Columbia Museum of Art.
2. Catch some late night grindhouse at the First Friday Lowbrow Cinema Explosion at the Nickelodeon Theatre.
3. Get coffee, sit outside and watch people walk by at Drip.
4. Browse the vinyl at Papa Jazz.
5. Make plans for the Jam Room Music Fest.
Top 5 songs people would be surprised to find out you love
1. "Cool Kids" by Echosmith
2. "Ain't it Fun" by Paramore
3. "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry
4. "Guns and Horses" by Ellie Goulding
5. "Lovefool" by The Cardigans.
