No Guitar Is Safe

Esteemed guitar virtuoso and educator DANIEL GILBERT plugs a Suhr guitar into a Suhr amp and demonstrates the mighty power of triads and other handy guitar shapes. Gilbert also reflects on his 30+ years of teaching at Musicians Institute, as well as shares hilarious and inspiring stories of those magical days back when he, Tommy Tedesco, Pat Hicks, Howard Roberts, Beth Marlis, Frank Gambale, Paul Gilbert, Jennifer Batten, Don Mock, Ron Escheté, Steve Lynch, and many other famous alumni and teachers all roamed the halls and performance rooms of GIT together. Hosted by JUDE GOLD. Presented by Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com.

Presented by Guitar Player magazine, this episode finds us cruising the 'copter way up to Rochester, NY, to rock out with MICHAEL STAERTOW, lead guitarist for legendary Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm. Staertow has held the Gramm gig for nearly seven years, and from "Hot Blooded," "Double Vision," and "Urgent" to "Feels Like the First Time," "Head Games," and "I Wanna Know What Love Is," the set of tunes Staertow plays lead guitar on each night is packed with an astonishingly high number of hits. It's a dream gig for Staertow, and, as you'll find out, it's one he had to wait a long time to get. BONUS: Staertow also shares songs from his forthcoming solo album, and relates adventures such as meeting Stevie Ray Vaughan, Neal Schon, and other of his heroes. Enjoy. —JUDE GOLD Host, No Guitar Is Safe Podcast—the Guitar Show where Players Plug In.

Today, we cruise the 'copter up the Bay Area, north of San Francisco, and drop in on renowned jazz virtuoso MIMI FOX. Playing both acoustic (a Taylor steel-string) and electric (her signature-model Heritage jazz box), Mimi reveals some of her favorite approaches to improvisation, song arranging, and performing. She also shares what it was like be the only jazzer at Paul Gilbert's guitar camp, sign a record deal with Steve Vai, and have late, great jazz legend Joe Pass as her mentor.

Guitar virtuoso SCOTT TARULLI invites host Jude Gold up to his Boston guitar attic to share the improvisation, composition, and risk-taking approaches that inform his playing, teaching (his side hustle is teaching at Berklee College of Music) and songwriting, as heard on his solo album, Anytime Anywhere.

ELLIOT EASTON and THE CARS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month, and on this episode Elliot plugs in with host JUDE GOLD to show you exactly how he created the iconic guitar parts that helped the band get there. Elliot also shares music from his new band, THE EMPTY HEARTS, and reflects on what he learned tracking Cars guitar parts with super-producers such as ROY THOMAS BAKER and ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE. Presented by Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com

After an afternoon rehearsal with Ozzy Osbourne, metal guitar titan ZAKK WYLDE plugs in with host Jude Gold, mere days before the launch of Ozzy's globe-spanning, two-year No More Tours 2 farewell tour. On this episode, Zakk plays several great Ozzy riffs for you and shares guitar approaches he used on Black Label Society's new album, Grimmest Hits.

In the hands of ADRIAN LEGG, a guitar becomes an orchestra, which explains why Guitar Player magazine readers voted Adrian Legg "Best Acoustic Fingerstylist" four years in a row in the '90s. This episode puts you onstage with Adrian at the Tower Theatre Lounge in Fresno, CA, an hour or so before doors open. Get ready -- the British guitar legend is about to blow your mind when he demonstrates several of his sonic secrets for you, including his soulful pedal-steel-style bends, his sneaky use of set-interval banjo tuners, and what he feels is the ultimate Piezo pickup.

Wielding his favorite Fender Stratocaster, blues guitar ace KIRK FLETCHER stops by No Guitar Is Safe headquarters and jams with host Jude Gold, shares nine or ten of his favorite blues shuffle approaches, and demonstrates some of the wonderful gospel licks he learned as a youth playing in the Compton church built by his father, pastor Walter Fletcher, Sr., who died recently at age 86. BONUS: Kirk previews tracks from his forthcoming self-titled album!

Vertical Horizon lead guitarist, lead singer, and band leader MATT SCANNELL has come a long way since he was a kid in his parents' living room trying to play his first riff on a nylon-string guitar. Since then, Scannell has sold millions of records with Vertical Horizon, become buddies with one of his heroes (Rush drummer Neil Peart), and amassed a wonderful collection of tube amps. I was thrilled to talk shop and jam with Matt at his home studio, as well as hear tracks from Vertical Horizon's new album, THE LOST MILE. It was an inspiring guitar hang that I hope you will enjoy. -- JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe

GUTHRIE TRAPP, presented by AUDIO-TECHNICA. From Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, and George Jones to Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett, and John Oates, Nashville guitar ace GUTHRIE TRAPP has worked with an astounding array of renowned headliners. He also has a new solo album coming out March 9 called LIFE AFTER DARK that features such A-list guest stars as Vince Gill, Paul Franklin, and Sam Bush. And Trapp tells you all about these musical adventures and more — and plays a ton of guitar for you, as well as plays samples of the new album for you — on episode 67 of No Guitar Is Safe, which is hosted by Jude Gold and is presented by Audio-Technica and their highly evolved USB-ready microphone, the AT2020USB+. To enter to win an Audio-Technica At2020USB+ microphone, visit www.guitarplayer.com/contest/guthrie.

MITCH PERRY has worked with everyone from The Edgar Winter Group, David Lee Roth, The Michael Schenker Group, Quiet Riot/Dubrow, and Talas to Alphonso Johnson, Steeler, Sam Kinison, and Cher. Mitch has also released solo albums of his own, including Wire to Wire, which you're about to hear excerpts from. On this episode, Mitch plugs in his weathered, black P-90-loaded Les Paul and jams a lot with me at his home in Southern California. Mitch currently tours with The Sweet, and you can also catch him most Tuesday nights at Ultimate Jam Night (no cover!) at the famed Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. —JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

Previewing tracks from his forthcoming album, GUITRONICA, and playing a ton of guitar for you, solo artist and super sideman JAY GORE is on the show. Surrounded by guitars and amps in his Hollywood Hills studio, Jay details an adventurous professional odyssey that began when he was a 13-year-old kid trying to land gigs on the Sunset Strip and has since taken him all over the world. Jay has shared stages and/or studios with Sly Stone, Mindi Abair, Rick James, Hillary Duff, the Pointer Sisters, Seal, Eddie Money, Lauryn Hill, Dave Koz, Bobby Caldwell, and Michael McDonald, and has composed for major television shows such as E.R. and American Dad. And while his main gigs these days are in the contemporary ("smooth") jazz arena, you’re about to find out that he’s just as handy at rock, funk, metal, and other genres. — JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe Podcast

Presented by AUDIO-TECHNICA and their E-Series in-ear monitoring headphones, Grammy-winning guitarist STEVE LUKATHER reflects on five years as a member of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band, and 40 years on stage (and 40 million albums sold) with Toto, the band Lukather co-founded when he was still a teenager. Lukather also jams with host Jude Gold on a variety of songs; comments on the art of rhythm guitar; examines his sobriety; discusses both his new autobiography, The Gospel According to Luke; and Toto's new album, 40 Trips Around the Sun; and looks back on his years as a session ace tracking guitar parts on hit records by Michael Jackson, Don Henley, Boz Scaggs, and other stars.

From Django jazz to pop, rock, bebop, and beyond, JOSH WORKMAN is an astonishingly well-versed cat. And from the opening moment of this episode forward, he plays a ton of spirited guitar for you, and even shares a super-useful, Barry Harris-inspired "six-to-diminished" lesson. I've been friends with Josh since we met as youths at music camp, where he was already playing like a pro. It was only a few years later that Josh actually BECAME a pro, ultimately landing gigs with Indigo Swing (we'll hear some great examples of Josh blazing with them later in the episode), the Hot Club of Los Angeles, Lynda Carter, Debbie Harry, David Grisman, John Jorgenson, Jon Hendricks, Maria Muldaur, Groove Collective/Groove Thing, Deanna Martin, the Hot Club of San Francisco, Benny Green, and others. On this episode, Josh also plays tracks for you from his solo album, called Jumpin' at the Border. (This episode brought to you by Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com.) Dig it! — JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast

Presented by D'ADDARIO strings and accessories, JOE SATRIANI plugs into a Marshall half-stack and shares sneak previews of his forthcoming album, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, releasing January 12. (Album samples used with permission from Sony/Legacy.)That's right — we not only hear final mixes from the record, Joe also shows you on the fretboard exactly how he plays the songs, and what inspired the parts. And he jams with me on a few tunes, too! This episode also marks the first time a No Guitar Is Safe guest has returned for a second interview — and who better to be that person than the great Joe Satriani? After all, he was my very first guest, 62 episodes ago! .... Thanks again to D'Addario (www.daddario.com) for making this very special episode happen! —JUDE GOLD, host, NO GUITAR IS SAFE podcast.

From touring her own brand of virtuoso prog-metal to delivering guitar pyrotechnics (sometimes literally!) in her role as the mesmerizing guitar goddess who lights up the stage of Michael Jackson One by Cirque du Soleil, Israeli-American guitar badass NILI BROSH always finds exciting gigs. I was thrilled to sit down with her in Las Vegas in the lobby of the Michael Jackson One theater at Mandalay Bay before the show to talk shop, trade licks, hear about her new life as Cirque du Soleil's stunt guitarist, and learn how she self-produced her amazing sophomore album, A Matter of Perception. EXTRA: The sad news of Malcolm Young's passing hit the the music world today, so, at the end of the episode, I share a tribute to the powerhouse AC/DC strummer, one of the greatest rockers of all time. RIP Malcolm! Thanks for listening! — JUDE GOLD, host and creator of No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

Known for his rippin' solo albums, high-profile session work, and long tenure as lead guitarist for multi-platinum rock band Supertramp, CARL VERHEYEN is one of the most versatile guitarists on the planet. His latest album, ESSENTIAL BLUES, shows off his soulful and virtuosic approaches to everyone's favorite 12-bar progression. I loved visiting his Southern California home, plugging into a couple Fender Princeton Reverbs with him, and jamming with him and learning lick-by-lick some of the ways he honed his stunning six-string chops. — JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

It's no wonder CHRISTIAN LOPEZ landed a record deal when he was just a freshman in college — his old-soul singing, playing, and writing abilities belie his youthful age. Now 22, Christian is touring his latest album, RED ARROW (Blaster Records), and recently, at the Los Angeles home of his girlfriend, actor SKYLER SHAYE, we sat down and jammed on several of his wonderful songs, and he explained to me how he constructed them. He also shared how he evolved from playing restaurant gigs as a teenager in the tiny town of Martinsburg, West Virginia, to becoming one of the hottest up-and-coming signed artists in Nashville. —JUDE GOLD, host, No Guitar Is Safe

From the tragedy of his first gig to the triumph of his new album, Galaktikon II: Become the Storm, BRENDON SMALL plugs in his signature-model Gibson and Epiphone guitars and shows you how he succeeded in blending metal riffs, animation, and standup comedy to forge one of the most unique careers in the history of guitar. Picking up where Dethklok (the animated intergalactic thrash band from Brendon's hit series Metalocalypse) left off, Galaktikon has an even more massive sound, courtesy of huge armies of guitar and vocal overdubs stacked in spectacular harmony. On this episode, Brendon not only reveals how he planned, produced and recorded Become the Storm, he also shows you some of his favorite guitar techniques — some learned from other great players, and others arrived at on his own. Every time I meet with Brendon, he inspires me to take my playing, composition, and music production abilities to the next level; hopefully, with this in-depth interview, he will do the same for you. — JUDE GOLD, host, No G

AUDIO-TECHNICA and their E-Series in-ear monitoring headphones present wild jams and great guitar discussion with 28-year-old finger-style rock prodigy JARED JAMES NICHOLS. Heading out on the road with Saxon and UFO for a run of U.S. shows starting September 22, Jared is no stranger to touring, as he's already played arenas and theaters around the world supporting huge acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Glenn Hughes, Blue Oyster Cult, and Zakk Wylde/Black Label Society. This tour finds Jared pushing his new single, "Last Chance," the first release from his forthcoming album, Black Magic (which he recorded at the home studios of Johnny Depp and Joe Perry). I had a wonderful time trading licks and stories with Jared at Swing House studios in Los Angeles, and, most of all, I was (as I'm sure you will be) thrilled by how many sounds this inspired guitar mangler is able to get using just a bridge-position P-90 and his ten fingers. Young gun, old soul! Tip: Enter your email address for a chance to win groovy E-Series