Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys formed from the turmoil and loss that came after "our spouses took a road trip together and never returned."

That is what they told Gearwire. But they also told other stories about being kidnapped by strange creatures, toys and the used of string and sealing wax as surgical tools.

We are not sure what to believe except that Walter Sickert and Edrie have been active in the New England art/music scene for some time. They perform a sort of avant garde death folk. Some shows are stripped down and acoustic while others are loud and theatrical. You never know what you will get.

“We play music for anyone who has ever been broken.� Says Sickert.

The band has played all over the world including Europe, many US locations but most often in NYC and New England. They took time to chat about their gear.

So lets talk about why you use Boss Samplers? Which model? Why that model?

Walter - we use two Boss Samplers the Dr. Sample 202 & the Dr. Sample 303 the user friendly set up and the diverse range of sound molesting options makes it a pleasure to fill them with sounds of broken toys, screaming ladies ,dishes breaking & crying babies.

Edrie – Not to mention that out of all of the samplers I have ever used, these two little work horses constantly deliver, even if you accidentally soak them in blood or they get rained on; always a plus with any gear.

How about the Korg MicroSynth? Give me details.

Walter - The MicroKorg is a god stuck in a small keyboard, from straight up church organ to space aged noiseatronic fluctuations not to mention its built in vocoder! The Korg MicroSynth is an important piece of plastic and wires that we are glad to have in our box of toys.

Which Alvarez acoustic do you use? There is a wide range from good to horrible in their guitars. What appeals to you about the one you have?

Walter - The best acoustic guitar to ever sit under my fingers is my Alvarez hand made by the master Kazuo Yairi himself. This guitar was handed down to me from my father coming with documentation of it authenticity. An instrument like this could easily be put on a shelf to be kept safe but in doing so it would lose its purpose and its black magic would evaporate. As it is I will die with this guitar in my hand.

Edrie – It's true that guitar has a soul and it might be Walter's. It is louder and sweeter and more melodic then any guitar I have ever heard. Walter is a fantastic player and treats that guitar as if it were human. In think he sleeps with it in a naughty way.

Both Edrie and Sickert say their plans for the near future include—“Art, oddities, human contortion, noise distortion, circus rumpus and shows, shows, shows in the clubs in the streets.�

They may even do a new CD and have a website in the works.