by Singer/Songwriter/Producer John Forté

Recently, I scored fashion designer Nanette Lepore’s spring 2011 collection. The plan was for my band and I to perform the original I composed for the event on the runway, during the fashion show. It was the first time NY Fashion Week was being held at Lincoln Center and everyone felt the pressure to make it a success.

When the production crew at Lincoln Center heard that I planned on performing on the runway with a full band they freaked out.

“We won’t have room for the amps and pedals,” a producer told me. “There’s NO way we’re going to be able to pull that off!”

Turning the runway into a stage and sharing it with the models was no small feat. The solution, however, was just at my feet. I decided to plug my electric guitar into my Apogee GiO! Problem solved. I was able to access all of my pedal sounds (and then some) while minimizing the gear that a traditional show would have required.

“You mean to tell me all of the pedals can be accessed through that tiny stomp box?” one of the techs asked me.

“Yup,” I responded.

“Incredible!”

It sure was!

Here’s some video from the show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbRozDv72x8