ASK STEVIC ANSWERS
João Gabriel Santos
29/11/25, 5:27 pm
That's right. My name has 4 letters, 3 are vogals and there's a symbol I bet you have never seen. And guess what?? Is the portuguese version of John. I'm a huge fan from Brazil and just want to say to you that I really love your work, man. Thank you for everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stevic
My brain read your name with a bad ass accent, "João Gabriel Santos"! Thank you for the support mate!
Robert K.
28/7/25, 12:02 pm
I'd like purchase your lyrics cards, but Slovenia isn't available from the dropdown... any chance I can purchase it?
Stevic
Hi Robert, please email supportATtwelvefootninja.com and we can work it out!
Dave
4/7/25, 1:21 pm
Where can I buy the Vengeance graphic novel?? (Or the Silent Machine novella, or The Wyvern & the Wolf) This is not a plant for the website - I genuinely want to know!
Stevic
There's no Silent Machine novella - there's the Silent Machine comic - Will be adding to the website soon. The Wyvern & the Wolf is for sale now on the official Ninja site: www.twelvefootninja.com and the Vengeance comic is likely in the 2 pallets of merch my former label has - just waiting for them to give it back.
Ricardo
9/6/25, 11:29 pm
Stevic, I really liked your sound when I heard you at a shuriken demo a few years ago. What amp do you use in the Helix, and what cabinet or IR? Cheers.
Stevic
Thanks mate! I would have been using the Line 6 Badonk with a Mesa 4x12 IR (can't remember what its called!)
Rachelle Correlli
8/6/25, 11:29 am
Why is the grass blue and why is the sky green? All in jest, but honestly what is more musically constructive, to write a melody then attach lyrics naturally, or to jot down then find the right vibe? I'm getting really frustrated with the song writing process to the point of accepting ghostwriting
Stevic
Something to do with Rayleigh scattering, brains and chlorophyll. Re: songwriting - Either method works so longs as both the melody and lyrics align with the intended message/point of the song!
Delle Belphine
11/2/25, 6:13 am
Will you be launching a "stevic's bathwater in a jar" product anytime soon?
Stevic
Belle! Your disguise doesn’t fool me! I reckon you’ve got the bathwater market stitched up. Competitive squirrel water skiing is where my radar is pointing.
Luther
30/1/25, 1:19 pm
G'day Stevic, What are some tried and true methods you have found to expand a musical theme into a full song and overall, create a sense of coherency to the overall structure of a song? Cheers m8
Stevic
Great question Luther! Trying to make interesting music is always a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, so here are four ideas that come to mind and might be worth a shot?
1.) Reverse your riff or melody and analyze the intervallic relationships between both versions. This often forces unexpected harmonic shifts and keeps things from sounding predictable.
2.) Mess with the placement. Try using your idea as the end of a section rather than the start—sometimes things feel stuck because they sound too conclusive, like trying to start a conversation with a statement instead of a question.
3.) When in doubt, do what I often did in Twelve Foot Ninja: treat your song like a TV and change the channel. If you’re stuck, don’t try to force a transition—jump somewhere completely different and figure out how to connect the dots later!
4.) Don’t judge—analyse instead. Instead of overthinking whether an idea is good, just capture it as best you can. Then step back and analyse it theoretically:
- Write out the rhythm in notation.
- What key does it belong to?
- Does it fit within a scale, or does it branch out?
- What are the intervallic relationships?
- If it were a scale, what chords would it produce?
If you don’t know how to do any of that shit—learn it. Even just pursuing these questions can generate new ideas and insights.
I look at creativity like a game of table tennis between creative inspiration and logic—the best ideas often come from the back-and-forth or at least, having some sort of framework in the room while creativity goes berserk. Think of it like cooking - it's good to know in advance what goes and what doesn't.
Hope that helps!?
Jono
30/12/24, 1:05 am
Stevlad..I live
Stevic
JONO! IT WORKED! The prophecy foretold this moment.
Rachelle Correlli
21/12/24, 9:31 am
How does one stop criticising themselves, when writing like their looking over their own shoulder, and to try and maintain normality in the process of word writing, giving access to the mass, and not unsettle or upset the balance of your key thing?
Stevic
Self-criticism is a crucial—and often unfairly maligned—filter in the creative process. It’s the refinement tool that sharpens raw ideas into something impactful. However! It only works when used at the right stage. If this voice keeps piping up during idea generation, self-criticism can choke creativity entirely—like metaphorically jumping on eggs because they don’t look like chickens yet.
Think of your inner critic as one of those blokes on the balcony from The Muppets—the ones who heckle way too early. Acknowledge them when they appear, but calmly say: “F!@k off right now, please.” This creates a mental boundary between generating ideas and refining them.
In short: let the ideas pour out like an exploding whale’s guts—and invite the critic back only once everything is covered in intestines.
Teagjuan
20/12/24, 5:12 pm
Do you have any plans to release your patches for the Line 6 Helix? I have both the helix and Shuriken and it would be cool to get your sounds with the same equipment! I mean i could try and make them myself but i do not have the capabilities... Thanks!
Stevic
I do! However, I'm in the USA at the moment and all my gear is in storage back home. It is on the radar though.
Ironstein
13/12/24, 8:10 pm
Will AI lead to a democratization of music production, or will it further concentrate power in the hands of a few?
Stevic
Music production is already democratized—the only real barriers to entry are creativity, musicality, and technical know-how. The tools are readily available to anyone willing to learn them. The more pressing question, then, is whether AI will remove the need for talent and expertise in music production. The answer? Probably.
When that happens, we might see a dividing line between pre-AI and post-AI music—a shift that marks a point of no return. It's fascinating to imagine a world where anything anyone wants to see or hear can be conjured by AI. This could level the playing field in unpredictable ways, challenging traditional notions of creativity and human expression.
As a musician, I have a George Carlin-esque attitude toward other industries starting to experience the same rug being pulled out from underneath them as musicians have for years. When technological advancements cannibalize their own sources, it’s hard not to feel a schadenfreudian vindication. Musicians have long been canaries in the coal mine, watching their craft commodified and their value eroded. The bystander effect surrounding the normalized exploitation of musicians has been glaring, and now it’s only a matter of time before we can tell accountants, lawyers, programmers, and other specialized professionals to "get a real job" when they start lamenting AI’s encroachment.
Soon, we'll all be on the same toboggan down Splash Mountain, and I’ll probably have a smile on my face.
Stevic Jr.
12/12/24, 6:45 pm
Is there any chance of Stevic's Youtube Shitshow making a comeback? Or maybe a kids show centered around Mr. Shit Squiggle.
Stevic
Yeah I reckon it'll make a comeback. Just like Corey Feldman.
