SHOP TALK JAMIE STILLMAN AND JULIE ROBBINS EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
Although he played guitar in several notable bands himself (Ohio hardcore outfit The Party Of Helicopters among them), Jamie Stillman mainly segued into the pedal-making business via his gig as tour manager for one of the world’s most popular indie bands of the 2000s, The Black Keys, which found him building pedals for pal Dan Auerbach’s board on the side.
After founding EarthQuaker Devices in 2004 or early ’05 in a basement in Akron, Ohio, Stillman released EQD’s first production-run pedal, the Hoof fuzz, in ’07. He continued working with The Black Keys up until 2010’s breakout smash album Brothers, but the pedal business quickly escalated from a project to a business that demanded his full attention.
Stillman’s wife, Julie Robbins, joined the company full-time in 2011 as CEO to help him keep it all growing, bringing with her a wealth of business nous from her previous positions heading a talent agency and working in the banking industry and EQD was driving full-steam ahead.
Throughout the boom, the brand became known as a company that wasn’t afraid to reinvent some beloved classics, while offering several fun and original new designs that nevertheless presented original and usable sounds, rather than merely shooting for the aural extremes for which some small makers strove as the field got more
