A new edition of the World-Famous Coast Sonic Hi-Fives sees us pestering the fine upstanding folks at Canada's Empress Effects with our pointless questions! 

Top five best things about running your own company

I love running Empress, but I have no idea what not running a company would feel like. Please, next question!

Top five favorite circuits of all time

1. Devi Ever Soda Meiser
2. Buchla 259 wavefolder
3. DSC4 dual clock chorus
4. John Hollis optical compressor
5. Midfi Electronics Glitch computer

Top five fictional Canadians

1. Ike Broflovski
2. Polkaroo
3. Wolf Hawkfield from Virtua Fighter
4. Pipefitter
5. Red Green

Top five bands we’ve never heard

1. Grandmother
2. New Fries
3. fanclubwallet
4. Colin Stetson
5. Brutus

Top five things to do and claim as “work”

1. travel
2. Go on music gear forums, though I am supposed to do that as part of my job
3. Play guitar through our pedals. "I'm testing it"
4. Chat. "It was a meeting"
5. This feels like a trap, selectively abstaining

Top five go-to riffs for testing gear

1. That blues riff that Jay plays
2. Muse - plug-in baby
3. REM - Living Well is the Best Revenge
4. Portishead's The Rip
5. Maj7 finger picking

Top five dream guitars

1. St. Vincent Ernie Ball
2. Mahogany Jazzmaster with humbuckers and a strat trem
3. I'm no guitarist but I'd probably love a Peavey T60 to go with my T40 bass
4. Fender Bass VI
5. Maybe a Reverend Charger or Double Agent but really my Blackout Tele once I replace neck pickup with Seymour-Dunc's P-Rails

Top five things that confuse you

1. anything at all, if I'm put on the spot
2. The Blackfin processor
3. The CME WIDI jack
4. Puddle Of Mudd's cover of About A Girl
5. Bitcoin

Top five frequented websites

1. Hacker News
2. I google "trump" every day just to see what's up
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maAFcEU6atk
4. I'm embarrassed to say Modular Grid
5. The Weather Network, forever and always modwiggler

Top five things about living in a city with winter

1. When someone brings in cookies and boss says that everyone can take the day off
2. When it thaws and there's dog poo everywhere
3. When Winter NAMM is in January.
4. Entering a steamy OC transpo bus at rush hour with an inch thick layer of brown slush on the flour
5. First snowfall and that's kinda it

Jody Morris