My guest today is Dan Gilbert , a monster guitarist and top instructor at Hollywood's Musicians Institute. What is special about this episode for me is that Dan was my private teacher when I attended M.I. (then known as "GIT") in the early 90's.

One of the original graduates of the early days of the program at the school, Dan worked alongside legends such as Howard Roberts and Tommy Tedesco and has taught thousands of students in his 45 year career at the school.

In this episode Dan shares stories of studying with Pat Martino, how visualization techniques work when learning new material, his record "Before the Sunrise" and much more!

Click here for Dan's record "Before the Sunrise"

Click here for a video of Dan talking about learning techniques on the guitar.

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Here's a "best of" of some of my favorite moments from the early season of Riff Raff. Listen to Dweezil Zappa talk about how Eddie Van Halen coached his jr. High school talent show band, John Scofield telling me about how he approaches playing "outside" the chord changes, George Porter Jr. of the Meters in what he looks for in a groove and Ratt's Warren DeMartini driving me around Hollywood, shows me where the early days of Ratt all went down and talks about life before the big time when he and Jake E. Lee were roommates. All in 20 min? Wow.

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Le Combo! EP click HERE

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My guests today are R. J. Ronquillo and Jeff McErlain. Both of these guys are highly accomplished guitarists who have successfully moved onto the path of the YouTube guitarist/educator.

R. J. has a long resume and and has done touring stints with Ricky Martin, Tupac Shakur and Thompson Square.

He is now one of the top gear demo guitarists on the scene and his versatile playing can be see on hundreds of videos.

Jeff McErlain is a top NYC based educator with many videos on TrueFire. He also has a solo record called "Now" that was co-produced by Robben Ford with whom he also toured.

For more on Jeff and R.J.-

R.J.’s Website

Jeff’s Website

RJ's You Tube Channel-

Jeff's YouTube Channel

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My guest today is Mr. Joel Hoekstra. Joel is a fantastic guitarist who is holds down a number of high profile gigs, among them Whitesnake (of which he is a current member), Night Ranger , Cher, Trans- Siberian Orchestra, Rock of Ages and many others. As many musicians do Joel spent years paying his dues both in Chicago and later New York City where he worked gigs of all types including Broadway shows and even playing bass with the Turtles!

 Not just a sideman however Joel has many solo releases under his own name including the latest record called “Running Games” that features an all-star cast of musicians including Russell Allen (vocals), Tony Franklin (bass), Vinny Appice (drums), and Derek Sherinian (keyboards) as well as Jeff Scott Soto on background vocals.

In this interview Joel takes us into what it takes to land these high profile gigs and how networking and hard work still pay off.

LINKS

Check out “Running Games here

Joel’s Website

Joel Hoekstra Facebook

Joel’s Instagram

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My guest today is Mr. KK Downing, original member, co founder and guitarist for the legendary band Judas Priest, and his own project KK’s Priest.

It goes without saying that Judas Priest are one of the most influential bands in the history of metal. It's also a fact that KK's place in the history of metal is intact and secure since he was a part of Judas Priest since the very inception of that band. But KK doesn't seem content with resting on his laurels and he continues his legacy by creating new music and forging ahead with his new project named KK’s Priest. They have a brand new record out entitled “Sermons of the Sinner.”

KK was kind enough chat with me from his home in England via Zoom and we discussed many topics including songwriting, his early years, influences, the concept of “Light and Shade”, the guitar gear used in the early Priest days, and many other things (including the time Marie Osmond got upset over the use of a bullwhip prop on a TV show!)

As a big Priest fan myself I was thrilled to chat with KK. He is a very nice guy and enjoyable to talk to. I know you will enjoy it!

Recorded Oct. 11, 2021

LINKS

KK’s Website 

BUY SERMONS OF THE SINNER HERE

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My guest today is Mr. Mark Farner. Best known as the frontman guitarist/songwriter and lead singer for one of the biggest bands in 1970’s rock- Grand Funk Railroad. From the game changing Atlanta Pop Festival performance to the legendary Shea Stadium performance that they sold out in 72 hours (breaking the Beatles record many times over) Mark has seen and done it all. These days he’s still rocking with his Mark Farner’s American Band and tours constantly.

 One of his best known songs is the 1970 classic I’m your Captain (Closer to Home) which by now has reached legendary rock anthem status. In this interview he tells me about how a prayer inspired him to write the song, We also talk about his early influences, how Grand Funk blew Led Zeppelin off stage one night in Ohio, how he learned to sing by reading a newspaper upside down, his Musicraft Messenger guitar and much much more. There was so much I wanted to ask but we just ran out of time- (Hendrix, Zappa, working with Ringo etc…)but we still got a lot of good stuff in!

At 72 years of age he still plays and sings his ass off. If you need proof of this just check out the new DVD by Mark and his band- “From Chile with Love” which was released in April. Mark does a lot for Veterans and is donating 20% of all proceeds from each sale of the DVD to help Veterans. You guys all need to go and check this out! Mark is such a great guy and a class act. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did. 

MARK's WEBSITE- https://markfarner.com/

BUY MUSIC AND "FROM CHILE WITH LOVE" CLICK HERE

Veterans Support Foundation number- 1-800-882-1316

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My guest today is Trey Gunn- solo artist, Chapman Stick and Warr guitar pioneer and virtuoso and member of the groundbreaking band King Crimson for 10 years. With at 15 solo records (and counting) under his belt Trey shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he's only just getting going. After watching Trey's lecture on Youtube on developing your own voice (see below for link) I was inspired enough to contact him for some personal sessions.

We talk about all this and much more in this episode- thanks for listening!

Check out Trey's Music here

Here is the video I reference in the podcast- Trey Gunn on Original Voice

Trey's Website- Trey Gunn.com

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My guest today is Scott Sharrard, a great singer, guitarist and songwriter who hails from Michigan but could also have easily have been raised in the Delta. Scott is probably best known for being a long time member of Gregg Allman's band but as of late has also joined the legendary Little Feat.

In this episode he tells us about how he got the gig with Greg Allman, playing Duane Allmans legendary Les Paul, joining Little Feat, songwriting, teaching and much more!

Find Scott online at his website here

Little Feat click here

True Fire Courses

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My guest today is Mr. Guthrie Trapp. Guthrie is a monster Nashville “superpicker” with a wide range of credits including Jerry Douglas, Garth Brooks, Delbert McClinton, John Oates and many more. 

Guthrie is also a successful educator and has some great instructional material (Country Guitar) available from Artist Works.

His solo records Pick Peace and Life After Dark both showcase a diverse taste in styles- all of which he is able to perform with ease and with a great sense of time, taste and feel.

We’ve been friends for a while, but it was great to sit down with Guthrie in my studio in New Orleans where he was kicking back for a few weeks during the coronavirus shutdown last fall.

As always thanks for tuning in! Be sure and visit my page https://www.shanetheriot.com/ and sign up as a member on Rewards Music! It’s free and I’ll be doing a lot of cool things upcoming including Masterclasses, lessons and just overall community hangs! 

Guthrie Trapp Website https://guthrietrapp.com/

Artist Works https://artistworks.com/electric-country-guitar-lessons-guthrie-trapp

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My guest today is Mr. G.E. Smith.

As one of the most seen and heard guitarists in the heyday of late 70’s - 80’s era SNL (when the show was at it's peak) you would have no doubt seen G.E. on your TV set, mugging it up for the camera and playing a variety of cool vintage guitars while rubbing shoulders with the likes of guest guitarists Eddie Van Halen, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour. What a lot of people don't realize is that during this time (and often the very same day) GE was working with Bob Dylan, flying around the world and coming in for his "day gig" on SNL. He had just departed a huge 6 year run with Daryl Hall and John Oates.

This episode of Riff Raff is particularly interesting because I get to interview the guitarist that once not only stood in my shoes but basically formed the mold-GE was the guitarist with Daryl Hall and John Oates in the era of MTV and those huge radio hits that we still hear on the radio today- Maneater, Private Eyes and Kiss is on My List just to name a few. But his resume doesn’t stop there- he also worked with Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and many many others.

These days G.E. has a new album coming out with newly found collaborator and singer LeRoy Bell- Their new project is called “Stony Hill”. It’s a rootsy, raw pairing that is perfect for GE’s guitar playing and songwriting. Check out "America" and "Black is the Color of my True Love's Hair" for a taste of this great pairing.

We talk about guitars, Hall and Oates, Dylan, SNL, T-Bone Wolk, Stony Hill, guitars, why Eric Clapton took his pickup covers off of his Les Paul pickups in 1965 and all things in between.

Shout out to my manager Charles Driebe (Blind Ambition Mgmt. for connecting the Riff Raff podcast w/ G.E..

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My guest today is Allen Hinds, a player that most certainly possesses what I like to call the “Three T’s of guitar playing”- Touch, Tone, and Taste. Allen is originally from Alabama but has lived in Southern California most of his life and found a home at the world famous Musicians Institute in Hollywood (where we first met when I was a student there in the early 90’s). Along the way he has also built a successful career as a sideman (Gino Vanelli, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Randy Crawford, Hiroshima, etc..) and solo artist with 5 solo records to his name - Fly South, Monkeys and Slides, Falling Up, Beyond it All, and Fact of the Matter. His new yet to be released record entitled “The Good Fight” should be available very soon.

In this interview, which took place at Allen's house in Laurel Canyon, we discuss his teaching career, legato technique, Gino Vanelli stories, playing over chord changes, how slide guitar playing has been a big part of his sound, and much more.

Allen’s website https://www.allenhinds.com/

Recorded Los Angeles, CA March 2020

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My guest today is Greg Vorobiov a.k.a. “Greg V." Greg is a great guitarist with an individual voice who is proof that “tone is in your hands." To see and hear him in action, just watch any of the many videos on You Tube that he did during his time demoing amplifiers and pedals for various companies (before everybody and their brother was doing this) and you’ll get an idea of just how gifted a player Greg is. He’s one of those guys that can make everything sound great. Not long ago one of my amplifier repair guys said “you know that guy Greg V?” I said sure, for a long time now. He then said jokingly, “man I hate that guy - I bought 2 amps because of his demos!” (Add myself to that list, I just recently bought one too!)

Greg has had an amazing career playing with such legends such as Ronnie Montrose (including being on tour with Allan Holdsworth), Double Trouble, Buddy Miles and many others, and we talk about all these experiences. We also talk about his tenure as studio guitarist working on the shows “Baywatch” and playing the theme to “Max Headroom.”

His solo record “Tailgate Troubadour” is an excellent place to discover the talents of Greg V., from subtle open chords to melancholy textured drones to screaming fuzz, it’s all here and so fun to listen to. Be sure and pick up a copy of this record.

For the past 10 years Greg has put down the guitar and replaced it with the camera, channeling the same creativity and passion and swapping out ears for eyes, turning into one of the most gifted photographers that I’ve ever met. His photographs of Slash, Jimmy Vivino, George Lynch and other musicians and actors and actresses are full proof that Greg’s creative spark is more active than ever, even if he doesn’t need a guitar to express it.

 

Check out Greg’s record “Tailgate Troubadour” here https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/gregv

Greg V. Website - https://www.gregvorobiov.com/

Recorded Burbank, California  Nov 2019

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My guest today is Mr. Dave Malone. Dave is best known as being a 30+ year veteran as one of the vocalists, guitarists and songwriters with The Radiators, one of the quintessential New Orleans party bands. For over 30 years the “Rads” have defined the sound of good times in New Orleans and many a Tulane University grad has fine memories of attending a few Radiators gigs during his/her time spent in the Crescent City.

Dave is a great singer, songwriter and, as you’ll hear, an avid guitar collector with an amazing guitar collection. In this fun chat Dave talks about the New Orleans music scene in the early days of the Radiators, how the drummer brought in a chainsaw to the gig and proceeded to chop up tables, his brother Tommy Malone from the Subdudes (also a guest on the Riff Raff- see episode 19), how his hometown of Edgard, LA still affects his music and songwriting to this day and many other things- including a lot of laughs in between!

 

Recorded at Dirty Power, New Orleans Oct. 2019

 

*In 2001 the Radiators equipment truck was stolen, it was a huge hit and the insurance screwed Dave over. The equipment was never found. I’ve reposted some of Dave’s guitars that were never recovered so if anyone out there ever sees one of these instruments you know who it belongs to.*

Melancon Telecaster- Dark green serial#9607

Fender ’57 Reissue Stratocaster blonde serial #VO11050

Fender ’62 Reissue with Tele Neck (Sea foam green) Serial #VO27861

DanElectro 12 String Blue Sparkle - Serial # 019912279

DanElectro Baritone (Robin Egg Blue) Serial #029902687

Gibson Chet Atkins (Black solid body acoustic) Serial #940197784

Fender Electric Mandolin (FM-61) Serial # KD00008172

Budda Verbmaster 30 Amplifier Serial #V3F-003

Budda Twinmaster 12 Serial #19-0174

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My guest today is Julian Coryell. As those of you who are regular listeners probably know by know, I usually feature guests that I have some sort of prior working relationship or friendship with- I find it helps keep the show more intimate and honest. Out of all the guests that I’ve had on The Riff Raff to date I think I’ve known Julian the longest; we go back to the early 90’s when both of us were hired as young gun clinicians for Ovation and Hamer guitars and met in Connecticut where we stayed for a week. And although we lost touch for a while, we’ve remained friends ever since.

It goes without saying that Julian is a super talented and gifted guitarist, vocalist and a total musician. This is not surprising since his father Larry Coryell was one of (if not the) founding father of fusion guitar, and it’s in the DNA.

He has performed and recorded/toured with Alanis Morisette (his current gig), Blood Sweat and Tears (also a current gig), Madeleine Peyroux, Leonard Cohen, Aimee Man, Carole King and many, many others.

I got together with Julian in beautiful Venice Beach, California at his studio and sat down to catch up on good times both old and new. This one features some insight into the music business by Julian as well as some great playing concepts and ideas. Hope you enjoy!! 

 

Recorded  Nov 15, 2019 in Venice Beach, CA

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To all my Riff Raff fans out there who have been asking what's up with the show...... due to our ever-increasing listener base, we outgrew our server and had to upgrade! To keep getting the Riff Raff podcast, all you need to do is unsubscribe and resubscribe (on the same page!). For example, if you listen to Riff Raff on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, etc...just "unsubscribe" and then "subscribe" again, and you'll be all set. That will update the RSS feed source on your end, and you'll receive any new episodes. Thanks and get ready for new (and improved) episodes coming soon! -ST

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My guest today is Mr. Wayne Krantz. Wayne is one of my favorite guitarists and musicians and I was so glad to finally be able to have him on the show. I frequent the 55 Bar in NYC where he can be found on most Thursday nights playing with an ever revolving cast of NYC's finest musicians as part of his trio, which is always a treat for the ears.

A guitarist and musician with a highly original approach to the instrument, Wayne loves to take musical chances, trusts his ideas and leads the path of a true improvisor. Shortly after moving to NY in 1987, Wayne made a huge decision which would impact his music and style forever- to completely abandon all pre-conceived licks and cliches and reinvent himself, forcing himself to come up with his own original voice.

In this interview Wayne talks at length  about the early days in NYC, working with Leni Stern, Steely Dan and eventually his own project. He also discusses his approach to improvising, how "centering" the groove helped him with his own music, and more. We also jam on a few riffs together.

Wayne has many records out - from his debut "Signals" to the classic "Two Drink Minimum", captured live at the 55 bar, to "Good Piranha, Bad Piranha", they all are different and fresh. He has also completed a revision to his instructional book called "The Improvisors OS" that describes his approach to improvising. Click Here to purchase the book. For more info on Wayne's music visit Click here.

Wayne's website- http://www.waynekrantz.com/

This interview was recorded at my apartment, Manhattan NY in June 2019

 

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My guest today is Mr. Phil DeGruy, a "guitarist's guitarist" with a unique style that can oftentimes seem to defy description. Perhaps the closest that anyone has come to an accurate description of Phil's playing is non other than Steve Vai who said, “Phil's approach to the guitar sounds like John Coltrane meets Mel Brooks at a party for Salvador Dali.” Indeed. 

A highly creative and inventive musician, Phil was born and raised in New Orleans, LA, and quickly became attached to the guitar and the sounds that would later inspire many guitarists of his generation to pick up the instrument - The Beatles, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck etc.  In his late teen's deGruy became interested in jazz and began studying with local guru Hank Mackie who also introduced him to the sounds of Chet Atkins. His world changed when he met the late Lenny Breau (see Riff Raff # 28) who would become his mentor and close friend until Breau's tragic death in 1984, a case that to this day remains unsolved. In our interview Phil discusses many concepts that were introduced to him by Breau and we'll also get go "back in time" to hear a private lesson that Phil recorded in the early 1980's.

Known for his use of a custom 7 string guitars "The Guitararp" with their unique fan fretted necks, Phil creates sonic textures of beautiful chord voicings and lyrical melodies laced with Breau's harmonic technique- at times so stunning that if the great Bill Evans were still alive, would probably cause him to stop and ask- “wow who the hell is that?” His sense of humor is always present in his playing, particularly on display with his short comedic satirical pieces he calls his "Public Service Announcements."

Phil has 4 widely acclaimed solo records to his name- "Just Duet," "Innuendo Out the Other," "Hello Dali" and the recent "Mask and You Shall Deceive."  (An interesting side note, “Mask” was also edited and mixed by the legendary guitarist Jay Graydon of LA studio fame and also a fan of Phil’s.) 

Tune in to hear us talk about Phil’s early years, studying with Hank Mackie, Ron Eschete and go into detail about Lenny Breau. Phil also demonstrates his pedals and effects and other techniques. 

Recorded at Phil DeGruy’s home, New Orleans, LA  Feb. 2019 and May 2019.

PHIL's MUSIC AND WEBSITE- http://www.guitarp.com/

BUY "Mask and You Shall Deceive" 

BUY Phil's other music- 

CONTACT Phil here  phil@guitarp.com

Phil's Guitars- 

http://neworleansguitar.com/

https://www.novaxguitars.com/

Amplifiers- https://www.quilterlabs.com/

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My guest today is Mr. Greg Phillinganes, one of the most recorded keyboardists (both session and touring) of all time. Originally from Detroit, at age 18 Greg's musical abilities were captured on a demo tape which ultimately landed him the gig with Stevie Wonder. This proved to be a life changing opportunity and Greg ended up playing on the iconic record Songs in the Key of Life (including the song Isn’t She Lovely and other classic tracks.)

From that point on it has been an amazing musical journey for Greg. His volume of work and recording credits are huge- to say he has worked with the best would be an understatement -just a few- Michael Jackson, (he played on Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad and classic Jackson 5 tracks as well, ) 3 out of 4 Beatles-  George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Phil Collins, Mick Jagger, Toto, Herbie Hancock and many, many others. He has served as Music Director for many top artists including Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, as well as TV shows -(Vibe), the Grammy Awards and so many others. 

I met got to know Greg in 2008 when we both worked with Boz Scaggs and hit it off immediately. We would frequent cigar bars, share songs and had a great time touring together. 

In this interview which was conducted in Aug of 2018 in Los Angeles at Greg’s house and then in his car (I tagged along to a chiropractors appt. so I could maximize time!), Greg tells all- SO many great stories. He also talks about what it was like that day in 1975 when he auditioned for Stevie Wonder and demonstrates the songs on his keyboard. I then ask him about M. Jackson, Clapton, Donald Fagen’s “The Nightfly” and much much more. This is one of my all time favorite episodes that I’ve ever done on Riff Raff- so I hope you will enjoy!

Recorded Aug. 2018, Los Angeles.

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My guests today are Sammy Hagar and his longtime guitarist Vic Johnson. What really needs to be said about Sammy Hagar, one of the all time greats of rock and roll vocalists- From Montrose, Van Halen and his own solo career to everything in between he is one of the most identifiable voices ever, and even now at at age 70 he's still kicking ass. 

As a huge Van Halen fan myself (Edward Van Halen is the reason I play guitar today, he was such a big influence on me) it was great to sit with Sammy and talk about guitarists, songs, his new concept record (Space Between) with The Circle (with Vic Johnson, Jason Bonham and Mike Anthony.) We also talk about a few Van Halen stories, Montrose, what Sammy looks for in a guitarist and how Vic Johnson got the gig. Vic, a great guitarist in his own right also was a member of the Busboys and shared a couple great stories as well.

This interview took place at Sammy’s studio in Northern California in Aug. 2018.

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My guest today is Mr. Johnny Neel. How do you describe Johnny Neel? Well he is easily one on the most brilliant musicians I’ve ever worked with- keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, producer etc… 

Maybe start with one part Leon Russell, morph together with Ray Charles and add a dash of Thelonius Monk and a pinch of Art Tatum. Maybe a touch of Jaco’s basslines too. 

Johnny is best known for being a former member of the "Allman Brothers Band" after being recruited by Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Johnny on lot's of projects as well as in his band and even on a few of his records including "Late Night Breakfast". He’s always had great players in his band including guitarists Brent Mason, Jack Pearson and Pat Bergeson. 

Johnny and myself were in a short lived jam band for a while called “The Grease Factor”  (named after my 2nd solo record) which also included Jeff Sipe (Apt 254Q) on drums, Count M Butu on percussion and Derek Jones and Neal Fountain on bass. We did one live record before calling it quits. We also did a short stint together with Blue Floyd (with Mat Abts on drums and Berry Oakley Jr. on bass guitar.) 

He's featured on 3 of my 4 solo records- (Hwy 90, Dirty Power and The Grease Factor) and you’ll hear a few clips in this podcast. 

Johnny has also played with Gov’t Mule, Blue Floyd, written songs for many country artists and TV/movie soundtracks. He operates his own studio called Straight Up Sound in Nashville, TN. 

This episode was recorded in Nashville at his studio on Jan. 30th 2018.

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