First Crush
Friday July 25th, 2025 with Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter
Interview: Ottawa's Empress Effects Celebrates 20 Years!

Designed and assembled in Ottawa's Kanata suburb, you've definitely heard Empress Effects guitar pedals. Gracing pedal boards of greats like Adrian Belew (King Crimson, David Bowie, Talking Heads), Andy Summers (The Police), Elvis Costello, Andrew Vanwyngarden (MGMT), and Kid Koala, among others, the cutting-edge, boutique sounds of Empress Effects have humbly proliferated the global gear market since the company's foundation in 2005. On August 9th, Empress Effects marks its 20th anniversary with a unique celebration: The Music Festiversary. The day features a guitar pedal expo with products from fellow industry innovators (Earthquaker Devices, Chase Bliss, Hologram Electronics, and more), as well as live music performances from Menno Versteeg (Hollerado), Boyhood and more at Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts from 11:00am-7:30pm. On today's show, tune in for an interview with CEO Steve Bragg and Digital Marketing Specialist Zak Aubin on the history of Empress Effects, the current state of the guitar pedal market, and how they're looking ahead upon hitting this major milestone. Music Festiversary Info & Tickets: https://empresseffects.com/blogs/empress/music-festiversary Also mentioned on today's show: The 5th edition of Side By Side Weekend begins TONIGHT at Club SAW, featuring performances from Victime, cootie catcher, Bucko and Darkroom curated by First Crush: sidebysideweekend.com Show announcement! First Crush presents: Motorists, The Wesleys and lady grey and the phantoms at LIVE! On Elgin - August 23rd | All Ages: https://www.tixtree.com/e/motorists-to-the-wesleys-mtl-lady-grey-and-the-phantoms-5a591cc53f5b