Strange Walls, a dark and experimental project based in New York City, has its origins in the land of Stephen King. In fact, they may even be the guys who ran King over on the highway years ago. I cannot prove this but come on! They are from Maine. Stephen King is from Maine. It all adds up.

"I started in Portland Maine where few people knew about about Liquid Sky or The Virgin Prunes and had little interest in booking that kind of thing, so It ended up as a lo-fi home recording project. I mailed cassettes around the world," says Jon Vomit, the band's spiritual leader. "I moved to Manhattan in 2001 to do soundtracks (most people you'll talk to living here will complain about the gentrified state of it, including me, but there are still a thousand more opportunities for freaks than in other cities). I played guitar for the glam / punk band Split Me Wide Open for awhile, after that re-formed Strange Walls with Dan Drogynous and Danya Yushkov. We all play multi-instruments and switch rolls in the band."

When it comes to gear Vomit is most in love with his an old Korg product.

"My old Korg ToneWorks programable multi-effects -- AX30G. I won't sing without them and run most every track through [it]." says Vomit.

Most folks use these on their guitars but as we all know sometimes you just have to use gear for something other than the boring things the manufacturer intended them for. The AX30G has a variety of sounds and if it has a downside it is that it is old and plastic. If you have one and use it roughly you will not have it for long -- at least not functioning.

On newer gear Vomit also turns to Korg.

"My main writing and performance tool right now is my Korg Triton LE, Synth, It has the sequencer built in," he says. "I don't like working with computers, and I like to be able to pull ONE instrument out and write on it."

He would like a sampler add on for the Korg synth.

Vomit also picks up all sorts off odd ball instruments from erhus to bodrans to a Theremin. He fits them in with his music as he is able and if they do not fit in one place he looks for another.

"If something doesn't fit in with the sound of the band I can always find use for it in soundtrack work," he says. "The D.I.Y Theremin kits you find online are very frustrating and have little range but I couldn't say 'useless' unless you already own a professional one."

Vomit used to record to a digital 8 track but he just doesn't have the space for it anymore.

"I was using a Fostex digital 8-track and mixing onto DAT but I really don't have space for a home studio now. I get friends to record us on GarageBand or Pro Tools," he says. "I found a Fostex X15 cassette 4-track on the sidewalk which I took home and fixed. I must have some real nostalgia for things that sound bad and break."

The band is playing a free show on Thursday, July 24 at Niagara, 7th and Avenue A in NYC at 11 p.m.