No Guitar Is Safe

Playing and deconstructing several of his hit songs for you, JIM PETERIK — who you might know from such radio smashes as Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” 38 Special’s “Hold On Loosely,” and Ides of March’s “Vehicle” (a number one song Peterik wrote when he was just 18) — is on the show! He’s one of rock’s most successful songwriters. Today, we’re “flyin’ the ‘copter” over to Peterik’s Chicago-area recording studio to play guitars with the legendary rocker and find out how he used his immense talents as a tunesmith to forge a spectacularly successful career. ALSO: On the show with Jim is Ides of March founding member LARRY MILLAS. This episode is presented by TASCAM and the new TASCAM MIXCAST 4 podcast workstation. No Guitar Is Safe is hosted and created by Jude Gold.

Demonstrating and deconstructing the riffs behind the Fixx’s greatest hits, JAMIE WEST-ORAM plugs in and lets your ears revel in his famous stereo sound. Deconstructing smash singles such as “One Thing Leads to Another” and “Red Skies,” Jamie also shares guitar parts from the Fixx’s new album, Every Five Seconds, as well as takes you on a tour of his pedalboard and reminisces on the famous “blizzard of cups” gig at Oakland Stadium — a concert your host, Jude Gold, attended in the ninth grade. Presented by TASCAM and their super-cool TASCAM MIXCAST 4 workstation — the perfect piece of gear for anyone who does podcasting and/or live streaming.

From Janet Jackson to Stevie Wonder, ERROL COONEY is one of the most in-demand guitarists working today. Presented by TASCAM and the cool TASCAM MIXCAST 4 podcast workstation this episode finds Errol plugging in and jamming on Stevie Wonder tunes and much, much more, as he regales an inspiring musical adventure that has found him playing with everyone from the two aforementioned superstars to Christina Aguilera, Lalah Hathaway, and Legally Blynd (led by one of Errol’s favorite guitarists, Jubu Smith); and everywhere from the Academy Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the White House to just about every “enormo-dome” you can name. Presented by TASCAM and the new TASCAM MIXCAST 4 all-in-one podcasting workstation — a must-have if you like podcastting or streaming live. Hosted by JUDE GOLD.

PHILIP SAYCE plugs in! The soulful master of the Stratocaster invites us into his home where he cranks up one of his favorite Fender rigs and shares how he developed his fiery, fret-melting brand of blues rock, as well as how he created the songs on his latest album, SPIRIT RISING. Plus, the Welsh-born, Canadian-bred guitar hero shares what he learned being bandmates with such greats as MELISSA ETHERIDGE and the late JEFF HEALEY. Sayce also offers some deep gear talk, diving into everything from ’60s wah pedals and Fuzz Faces to his friendship with legendary amp tech César Díaz. Hosted by JUDE GOLD and PRESENTED BY GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE.

Inspired by everyone from Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Pass, and Mike Stern to his late, great guitar buddy, Allan Holdsworth, ALEX MACHACEK is a spectacular voice in the world of jazz fusion guitar. I had a blast “flying the ‘copter” over to his home studio, plugging in a couple of his signature-model Strandberg guitars, and having him demonstrate for us several inspiring soloing techniques and compositional approaches. In this interview, Alex also shares his life story — how, after years of musical study in Vienna (and a year at Berklee in Boston) he and his wife, Sumitra, ultimately ended up in the Los Angeles region. Catch Machacek on tour in Europe starting this week! This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE. Enjoy! — JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

Today we plug in and jam with Chicago guitar hero DAVE UHRICH. A solo artist, super sideman, and stellar session cat, Dave stays busy playing, teaching, tracking, and composing. He has even worked out a solo arrangement of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which he performs for you on this show). Dave also reflects on playing with legendary and none-too-serious WLUP "The Loop" deejay Kevin Matthews (and his alter ego, Ed Zeppelin), his Ibanez guitars (which we are playing in this interview), his Laney amps (which we are NOT playing in this interview — we're plugged into Yamaha combos), and what it means to be "Chicago famous." Thanks to TODD MILLS for arranging this interview and "flying the 'copter." Presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine. — JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe.

In addition to winning Grammy Awards for his work on albums by Beyoncé and John Legend, guitarist/composer ERICK WALLS has recorded and/or performed with many other superstars, including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, Whitney Houston, and Michael McDonald, to name a few. And from the moment Erick plugs in on this episode, you’ll hear that he also has deep church roots. (He’s played guitar at West Angeles Cathedral in Los Angeles for 19 years and counting, and has worked with great gospel singers all his life, starting with his father, George Walls, on up through Kirk Franklin and Miami Mass Choir.) When the interview opens, Walls is playing a solo guitar arrangement of The Caravans’ “Lord Keep Me Day By Day,” which was one of his father’s favorite songs. Erick also likes to rock out, too, as you’ll hear when the interview gets to the segment diving into the music of his rock/funk band Black Waat3r. This episode takes place at Eri

How cool would it be if Django Reinhardt jammed out on some Nirvana? Well, unless you get to heaven and find Kurt Cobain and the aforementioned Gypsy jazz legend jamming together, the closest you may come to hearing that all-star duo is listening to the amazing GUSTAV VIEHMEYER performing on today’s episode of this show. Gustav may be just 26 years old, but he swings like a veteran jazzer. And he has guitar chops that will thrill jazz fans and rock/metal/shred fans alike. And yes, you will hear Gustav stretch out on Nirvana’s biggest hit (that one about “Teen Spirit”). Based in Sarasota, FL, Gustav is a full-time musician who gigs all over the place — including, as you’ll find out, all by himself in St. Armand's Circle, busking with a hollowbody guitar, a looper, and a guitar amp. Presented by GUITAR PLAYER Magazine and guitarplayer.com. Hosted by JUDE GOLD.

Grammy-winning solo artist, session ace, and super sideman RICKY Z (aka Rick Zahariades) is one of the most versatile guitarists you'll meet. That's why he has played with everyone from Josh Groban, Steven Tyler, Harry Nilsson, JpegMafia, Jessica Simpson, John Fogerty, Steve Lukather, Nick Lachey, Don Grusin, the Sweet, Beto Cuevas, Vesta Williams, Lauryn Hill, and Sheila E., to Gary Wright, Paul Anka, Al Stewart, Rick Derringer, Ronnie Laws, All For One, Sophie B. Hawkins, Kristine W., Paulina Rubio, Alejandro Sanz, Michael Bublé, Joan Sebastian, Juan Gabriel, Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Thalia, Jose Feliciano, Jenny Rivera, Los Trio, Manuel Quijano, Shaila Durcal, Pepe' Aguilar, Cristian Castro. On this episode, Ricky plugs in his favorite Fender Stratocaster and demonstrates his approaches to many musical styles. He's also thrilled to re-live adventures with everyone from Chuck Negron and Billy Gibbons to Brian May and Ellis Hall. Presented by Guitar Player magazine, and hosted by Jude Gold.

Plugging in no less than four amazing (and totally different!) guitars on this episode, Jim "Kimo" West, the Grammy-winning solo artist and longtime lead guitarist for "Weird Al" Yankovic, demonstrates everything from his own music and his take on the hypnotic Hawaiian II-V-I turnaround to "soprano" textures and rock guitar feedback (the latter via a rare Moog guitar). Hosted by Jude Gold. Presented by Guitar Player magazine

FERNANDO PERDOMO is equal parts lead guitarist, producer, and musicologist, which means you're in for an exciting ride through all things rock and roll as he invites you into his Los Angeles studio, plugs in his favorite Fender Mustang, and shows you the way he plays guitar — and the way he transplanted himself from Miami to California to become an established producer, sideman, and solo artist. His latest project, ENERGY OVERLOAD, features explosive guitar/drums interplay between himself and legend of the skins CARMINE APPICE. This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE.

From Les Claypool (Primus) to Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) to M.I.R.V to Duo De Twang (again featuring Claypool) to his own band, Kehoe Nation (AKA Kehoe International), nuclear-powered guitar hero BRYAN KEHOE — with his badass guitar kung fu, operatic singing voice, and anything-goes comedic spirit — is a treasured member of any band he is in. He’s also a full-time “brand evangelist” for Jim Dunlop and that company's lines of pedals, picks, capos, cables, strings, slides, and other guitar accessories. Today, we land the ‘copter at Jim Dunlop headquarters in Benicia, CA, where Bryan plugs into a 1x15 speaker and shares how how he uses pedals to get ferocious sounds out of a (relatively) clean guitar amp, as well as how he forged his style. Hosted by Jude Gold. Presented by Guitar Player Magazine.

It's hard not to describe the amazing SID JACOBS as a master of guitar, but he'll be the first to tell you he's an eternal student of the instrument. And it's true — the renowned jazz solo artist, teacher, and instructional book author is still on a mission to unlock more secrets of the fretboard. Luckily for us, in this episode, Sid shares a ton of playing approaches — everything from blues turnarounds to the "jazz/Bach overlap" to the cool lick taught to him by the late, great Lenny Breau — and teaches them here in detail. Hosted by JUDE GOLD, this episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE.

Soulful hard rock guitar ace DOUG RAPPOPORT plugs in and shares what it's like playing with rock legend Edgar Winter and also how he tracked what just might be the most blazing guitar moment in TV commercial history. Doug also reveals some the tracking approaches he employed on his solo song "Bionic Warz." This episode is brought to you FOCUSRITE and their great line of Focusrite audio interfaces. Learn more at https://focusrite.com/en/guitarists.

The secret to many a great Led Zeppelin song is knowing which tuning Jimmy Page used when writing and recording it. Today, I am thrilled be in the Bay Area, where GRETCHEN MENN and ANGELA PETRILLI are on hand with acoustic and electric guitars to demonstrate for you many of Page’s most magical tunings, including: “Kashmir” (DADGAD tuning: D, A, D, G, A, D, low to high) “Going to California” (Double-Dropped-D tuning: D, A, D, G, B, D, low to high) “The Rain Song” (D, G, C, G, C, D, low to high. AKA “Open-Page tuning”) “When the Levee Breaks” (E, A, C, F, A, C, low to high) “Bron-Yr-Aur” (C, A, C, G, C, E, low to high) “Friends” (Same as “Bron-Yr-Aur”) “In My Time of Dying” (Open-A tuning: E, A, E, A, C#, E, low to high) “Ten Years Gone” (Dropped-D tuning, which is standard tuning, but with the low string tuned down a whole-step to D) Enjoy! — JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast. This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine.

This episode presents a one-on-one IN-PERSON funk throwdown with guitarist/producer JEFF TAMELIER (Tower of Power, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, Starship feat. Mickey Thomas). That’s right — live jams are back! Sure, during the pandemic, guests on No Guitar Is Safe played a ton of guitar for you and showed you a lot of playing approaches over Zoom, etc., but the latency and other restrictions of internet audio meant there could be no real jamming between guests and me, your humble host. But when I started No Guitar Is Safe back in 2015, live jamming was one of the cornerstones on which the show was built. Now that the world is opening up again, we can do in-person episodes more and more often, and the jams can resume. And what a perfect guest JEFF TAMELIER is to kick off the return of the jams with. Super tasty and soulful, Jeff will teach you to “turn off your brain and just go for it” as a soloist, and also remind you of ways you can elevate your band’s sound by playing great rhythm guitar. — JUDE GOLD, host

Whether he's sharing cool improvisation tactics, ways to use "illegal" tempo shifts, ways to heal from playing injuries by using the Alexander Technique, or his thoughts on playing learned riffs and phrases versus purely spontaneous ones, jazz guitar prodigy JULIAN LAGE explores much in this episode. And throughout the interview he's got his beautiful new signature model Collings guitar in his hands, which he uses to demonstrate songs from his new album SQUINT — which comes out on Blue Note Records June 11 — as well as the compositional tactics and playing approaches behind them. Hosted by Jude Gold. Presented by Guitar Player magazine.

Focusrite brings you a deep guitar hang with MISHA MANSOOR, who plugs two of his favorite signature-model Jackson guitars, deconstructs some of his great riffs for you, and shares how he created PERIPHERY, one of the most influential prog-metal bands in history. (Some would even say Mansoor is one of the chief architects of the genre known as “djent” — we’ll see if the ever-humble guitarist/producer agrees.) Misha also shares everything from his deep Allan Holdsworth influence to how he creates Hendrix-style echo-before-distortion psychedelic feedback loops. Additionally, Mansoor details how he and his other guitar hero friend, Tosin Abasi, like to go hot-doggin’ down canyon roads behind the wheels of exotic supercars. Thanks again to FOCUSRITE, makers of great audio interfaces and more, for making this episode happen.

It's not easy to establish yourself in Nashville well before you've turned 30, but guitarist/singer JOE ROBINSON — with a heap of musical talent, a ton of great songs, and a tireless work ethic — seems to have done just that. Today, the Aussie-turned-Tennesseean six-string wunderkind demonstrates many of his amazing riffs, songs, and approaches (including material from his new album, Borders). Joe also introduces you to his signature Maton guitar, teaches you how to Travis pick, and passes on great career lessons he received personally from Tommy Emmanuel and Robben Ford. Presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine. HOSTED BY JUDE GOLD.

Grammy-winning rock/fusion guitarist JAMIE KIME has worked with everyone from Zappa Plays Zappa to Dr. John to Jewel, and back on episode 94 of this show — which was recorded in person, well before the world ever dreamed a pesky virus would put the world in lockdown — Jamie and I played a ton of guitar and he offered up many great soloing tips. In fact, there was so much musical insight from Jamie in that interview that I couldn't fit it all into one episode. So, as promised, I have now (finally!) created a second Jamie Kime episode for you so you wouldn't miss out. Jamie is a spectacular guitarist, and this extra content — modal soloing tips, Ted Greene chord chemistry, harp harmonics approaches, and more — is valuable. There's even a cool Hiram Bullock rabbit hole explored by Jamie and I. This episode is PRESENTED BY GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE. Thank you for listening. — JUDE GOLD, host. No Guitar Is Safe, "the guitar show where guitar heroes plug in."