Truetone Lounge
147 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsIn-depth interviews with working guitarists and other musicians. Studio & Touring players (and their gear) are highlighted in all Truetone Lounge interviews.
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Episodes
JOHN LEVENTHAL - Truetone Lounge
January 09, 2024 00:00 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBJohn Leventhal returns to go in-depth on his first solo album, Rumble Strip. We discuss his process of composing, recording, and the gear he used to create the 16 poignant tracks on the album. Leventhal also discusses his signature acoustic guitar tones that utilize both the natural "acoustic" sound, plus an "electric" sound hole pickup run-through effects and a tube amplifier. He also weighs in on the 30th-anniversary re-release of The Wheel, his first collaboration with his wife, noted sing...
DUKE LEVINE - Truetone Lounge
December 04, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 79.2 MBDuke Levine's resume is filled with a catalog of stellar solo albums, high-profile sideman gigs, and essential session work. We have Tom Bukovac to thank for making this interview happen, as he had requested Duke on a recent session here in Nashville, that gave us a chance to catch up in person with the Boston-area great. To kick off, we begin with a discussion of his latest gig, touring with Bonnie Raitt. Via the new gig, he has had his first experience with using in-ear monitors and having...
ADAM LEVY - Truetone Lounge
September 23, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 81.2 MBAdam Levy has an established guitar voice that we first heard on Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," then on albums and tours with Norah Jones, and sharpened to a fine point on his latest release, Spry. Besides his work as a guitarist, Levy has also devoted himself to being an educator through his Guitar Tips channel, Truefire instructional courses, and time spent as the Guitar Dept. Chair at the Los Angeles College of Music. Additionally, Adam made great contributions to the world of guita...
Jeff King - Truetone Lounge
August 07, 2023 20:30 - 1 hour - 95.5 MBJeff King was raised in the Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee, where as a young boy, he found a guitar in an attic and was immediately hooked. Though he loved music and played frequent gigs, he did not study it in college, yet post-graduation, he decided to throw in his lot with a friend that moved to Nashville in the early 80s. With luck on his side, he fairly quickly hit the scene in a big way in 1985 by landing the lead guitar spot with the then-new artist, Patty Loveless. Jeff was soon r...
Chris Scruggs - Truetone Lounge
March 06, 2023 19:13 - 1 hour - 193 MBTruetone Lounge Chris Scruggs is the host of his own WSM radio show that runs on Friday nights after the Grand Ole Opry, fronts his own band, The Stone Fox Five, and is a member of the white-hot group backing Marty Stuart, The Fabulous Superlatives. He is also a busy session man with everyone from up-and-comers to hitmakers Kacey Musgraves & Sierra Ferrell, and more recently, he was the youngest member inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. In today's episode, Scruggs tells his own stor...
Truetone Lounge - Chris Scruggs
March 06, 2023 19:13 - 1 hour - 193 MBTruetone Lounge Chris Scruggs is the host of his own WSM radio show that runs on Friday nights after the Grand Ole Opry, fronts his own band, The Stone Fox Five, and is a member of the white-hot group backing Marty Stuart, The Fabulous Superlatives. He is also a busy session man with everyone from up-and-comers to hitmakers Kacey Musgraves & Sierra Ferrell, and more recently, he was the youngest member inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. In today's episode, Scruggs tells his own stor...
Luke McQueary | Truetone Lounge
December 27, 2022 00:00 - 1 hour - 127 MBLuke McQueary was Don Kelley's final guitarist in his long line of amazing players. Today we sit down and talk about his beginnings and the importance of Don's tutelage in his progression as a musician and performer. Though Don Kelley is now retired, the tradition lives on with Kelley's Heroes Wednesday through Saturday, 6:30 -10:30 PM at Robert's Western World. Luke also shows off his rig which includes a specially ordered Custom Shop Telecaster Thinline, vintage Deluxe Reverb, and a small p...
Don Kelley - Truetone Lounge
October 10, 2022 16:48 - 2 hours - 128 MBA short list of the veterans of Don Kelley's band includes Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert, Johnny Hiland, Guthrie Trapp, JD Simo, Daniel Donato, Porter McClister, and Luke McQueary. Kelley was bandleader and coach for these giants, helping each of them hone their playing and tone by playing 5-6 days of the week, 4 hours a night, under his watchful eye. As important as these players and their stories are, today we get to hear Don's story of growing up in Texas, serving in Vietnam, moving to Nashv...
Truetone Lounge - JD SIMO - ELVIS Movie Guitarist
August 08, 2022 18:11 - 1 hour - 85.9 MBAn unseen star of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie is guitarist JD Simo, who was tasked with replicating the original parts and tones played by Scotty Moore, James Burton, Hank Garland, Reggie Young, and Tommy Tedesco. In today's special collaboration with Ask Zac, we sit down with Simo, as he tells the tale of how he was asked to take part, and the gear he used to replicate the legendary guitarist's riffs. We also take a look at his soon-to-be-released album Songs From The House Of Grease. Recor...
David Hood - Truetone Lounge
August 08, 2022 18:03 - 45 minutes - 42.5 MBDuring David Hood's 50-plus-year career, he has played on more hits than just about any other bassist on the planet. From Bob Seger to Wilson Picket, and Rod Stewart to the Staple Singers, Hood provided the bass lines for countless Pop, Rock, and R&B hits that we all know and love. Many of us became aware of David through the beautifully made Muscle Shoals documentary from 2013, which focuses on the story of Rick Hall and his former proteges, the Swampers. Here, David, the last of the Swamper...
Russ Pahl - Truetone Lounge
April 22, 2022 15:12 - 1 hour - 123 MBRuss Pahl is one of the busiest guitarists and pedal steelers in Nashville, with credits ranging from Robert Plant to Carrie Underwood. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who moves between both instruments and musical genres in such a fluid manner, that he is just at home playing lead guitar with Dan Auerbach on Austin City Limits, as he is playing hardcore country pedal steel in Vince Gill's touring unit. In our Truetone Lounge interview, Russ covers his career, what he feels has kept him in dem...
Carl Rydlund - Truetone Lounge
October 29, 2021 17:22 - 1 hour - 141 MBCarl Rydlund is the guitarist you are hearing on many of the movies you have watched over the last 20-years. Major films he has worked on with famed film composer, Hans Zimmer, all feature Carl's guitar work. Today we sit down with one of the soundtrack kings, who recently moved to Nashville to continue his film work, and to take a teaching position at the renowned music-focused Belmont University. In our interview, Rydlund discusses his musical upbringing, his move to Los Angeles, and how hi...
Truetone Lounge | Kenny Vaughan
September 22, 2021 18:27 - 1 hour - 176 MBKenny Vaughan is the perpetually calm and composed guitar slinger that is just as at home touring with Marty Stuart as he is fronting his trio in a club or recording in a studio with the likes of everyone from Lucinda Williams to the Pretenders. With an extensive background in rock, punk, country, and jazz, Vaughan brings a seemingly never-ending bag of tricks to every musical situation he participates in. In our Truetone Lounge, we drill down as to how he seamlessly moves between various gen...
Lindy Fralin - Truetone Lounge
August 26, 2021 20:04 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBIn today's Truetone Lounge interview with Lindy Fralin, the pickup man shares how repairs and rewinding in the 1980s led to the creation of his own pickups and how he eventually earned his current position as one of the industry leaders in both vintage replicas and groundbreaking original designs.
Jason Lollar - Truetone Lounge
August 04, 2021 17:27 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBJason Lollar is one of the premier pickup makers in the world, and even wrote a book on the basics of winding, and how to turn your mother's sewing machine into the perfect winder. In our Truetone Lounge interview, Jason takes us through his schooling at the Roberto-Venn School of Lutherie, and how he transitioned from guitar builder to pickup winder for many of the great guitar builders of today. Lollar also reveals the R&D that is involved in birthing new pickup designs, and how his work ha...
Jimmy Olander - Truetone Lounge
June 22, 2021 17:03 - 2 hours - 115 MBJimmy Olander's opening lick on Diamond Rio's "Meet In The Middle," let the listener know that they were about to hear something new. His double-bender meets banjo fingerstyle sensibilities created a singular sound that would lead off most of the band's hits over the next 3 decades. Today, we sit down with Jimmy in his home studio and get the full story of his climb from out-of-work banjo player, to double bender Tele man with multi-platinum success. Jimmy also gives us the inside scoop on hi...
Ron Ellis | Truetone Lounge
June 03, 2021 19:24 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBTruetone Lounge | Ron Ellis Ron Ellis, fueled by his love of great tone, and enabled by his background as a scientist, broke the code and began producing some of the most vintage authentic electric guitar pickups a little over a decade ago. Via his thorough research and analysis of working and broken vintage pickups, he discovered both the recipe and the proper ingredients to replicate various eras of holy-grail winds. Soon, he was breaking those rules to create modern interpretations to mee...
Ray Flacke - A Follow Up Conversation
April 16, 2021 17:48 - 1 hour - 74.8 MBWe had tons of comments on Ray's first episode, and additional questions posted, so we followed up with a second spot with Ray. In this episode, he talks about his playing style, gigging with the Everly Brothers because he "needed the money," interviewing Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, and his acoustic instrumental recordings, including his take on Paganini's 5th Caprice.
Steuart Smith - Truetone Lounge - 2021 Quaratine Edition
March 18, 2021 19:33 - 2 hours - 128 MBSteuart Smith is best known for having toured with the Eagles for the last 20 years, and for co-producing their "Long Road Out of Eden" album. His story begins long before in the Washington DC club scene, then expanding to the national scene through a band showcase for Colombia Record's Senior VP of A&R, Rick Chertoff. This led to collaborations with Rodney Crowell and Rosanne Cash on top-selling and award-winning albums, tours and production work with Shawn Colvin, and sessions with everyone...
Dan Strain (Danocaster Guitars) Truetone Lounge - Quarantine Edition
February 25, 2021 19:46 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBDanocaster Guitars is one of the most beloved and in-demand small-shop builders, yet next to nothing is known about Dan Strain and his small team that builds solid-bodies in Nashville, TN. After much prodding, Dan finally agreed to sit down and tell us about himself, his team, and the chain of events that led to the formation of Danocaster Guitars.
Elliot Easton - Truetone Lounge - 2021 Quarantine Edition
February 10, 2021 21:48 - 1 hour - 98.1 MBElliot Easton's well-constructed solos with The Cars were integral to their hits and were in many ways mini compositions within the songs. In our Truetone Lounge, we dive into how the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member constructed those solos, and look deeply into the recording process of those seminal albums. Easton also thoroughly contrasts the producing styles of Roy Thomas Baker (Queen) and Mutt Lang (Def Leppard, AC/DC) on the various Car's albums and the hard work, and eye for detail that ...
Ray Flacke | Truetone Lounge | 2021 Quarantine Edition
January 28, 2021 19:49 - 1 hour - 103 MBTruetoneLounge | Ray Flacke We are so honored to have one of the all-time Telecaster greats, Ray Flacke, sit down with us to tell his story, after a long season of staying under the radar. Those not familiar with him should know that Flacke's influence runs deep on just about any player willing to pick up a Tele and play with gusto. With equal parts Ritchie Blackmore, Chet Atkins, and Roy Nichols, Flacke grabbed everyone's attention by the collar with his aggressive and staccato guitar work ...
Truetone Lounge - Rick Holmstrom
December 21, 2020 17:22 - 1 hour - 86.3 MBRick Holmstrom is an esteemed blues artist with a new solo album, See That Light, releasing on February 26th. Besides his esteemed solo work, he is also the bandleader and guitarist for legendary Gospel/R&B singer, Mavis Staples. In our Lounge interview, we cover how he got the Mavis gig at the urging of Ry Cooder, the low down on his new solo album, and an amazing walk-through of his favorite guitars including his 1953 Telecaster, Harmony Stratotone, and Danelectro double cutaway.
Jim Campilongo
November 18, 2020 00:00 - 2 hours - 117 MBJim Campilongo is one of the finest Telecaster players of the modern era. On his many great albums, Jim brings his beautifully unique approach to everything from honky-tonk, to jazz. In our Truetone Lounge discussion, we cover everything from his history as a player, inspirations, to his current practice regimen. We also could not help but talk of his love for late 50s Telecasters and Princeton Reverb amps.
Arlen Roth
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 98.6 MBFamed Guitarist, and groundbreaking guitar educator, Arlen Roth, is our guest for the latest Truetone Lounge. We cover his touring days with John Prine, Phoebe Snow, and Simon & Garfunkel, and how his side hustle as a guitar teacher transitioned into authoring books. Those books turned to audiotapes, and then after his work with Ralph Macchio on the movie Crossroads, he turned to guitar instructional videos. The Hot Licks videos that were made from the mid-1980s through the 90s featured an am...
Al Perkins
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 85.3 MBWelcome to the Truetone Lounge. We are kicking off this show with the legendary Al Perkins. Al sits down with Truetone's Zac Childs (also a columnist for Vintage Guitar Magazine) for a casual and informative chat with Al about his life, career, and tools of his craft.
Gordon Kennedy
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 209 MBGordon Kennedy is a 2-time Grammy Award-winning musician, songwriter, and producer who happens to also have an amazing musical pedigree. His mother was a regular on the Louisiana Hayride with a recording contract, and his father was a member of the famed Nashville A-Team and ran Mercury Records’ Nashville division for 21-years. The stories abound about his musical upbringing, as he watches his record exec father steer the careers of Roger Miller, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Statler Brothers, ye...
Bill Crook - Crook Custom Guitars
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 42 minutes - 58.6 MBBill Crook is one of the most respected electric guitar builders of the modern era. Bill shares his guitar building philosophies, and how his days touring with the group, America, influenced the features and functionality of every Crook Custom Guitar.
Andy Reiss
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 128 MBAndy Reiss is one of the true western swing and jazz guitar greats in Nashville and can be seen just about every Monday night with the amazing Time Jumpers. In our Truetone Lounge interview, Andy discusses his time in San Francisco during the height of the hippy movement, his move to Nashville and mentorship with Harold Bradley, and how he ended up on tours with everyone from Slim Whitman to Reba McEntire. Reiss also educates us in the traditional 1950's-60's guitar styles utilized by the Nas...
Bob Britt - Part Two
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 32 minutes - 45 MBBob Britt is a true journeyman guitarist who has played with a veritable who's who of legendary musical artists.
Bob Britt - Part One
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 51 minutes - 70.7 MBBob Britt is a true journeyman guitarist who has played with a veritable who's who of legendary musical artists.
Bob Weil - Truetone 25th Anniversary
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 75.2 MBTo celebrate Truetone’s 25th Anniversary, we sit down with founder and president, Bob Weil, to tell both his own story and that of the company he launched in 1995. The idea to launch a business began to germinate when Weil was using an off-the-shelf volume pedal that he wished had some sort of a visual indicator. Finding that no such pedal existed, he began learning about electronics, eventually starting Visual Sound and releasing the Visual Volume pedal in 1995. In Bob and Truetone’s joint 2...
Brent Mason - Part Three
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBIn part 3 of our Truetone Lounge interview, Brent talks about the psychology of working in the studio and gives great advice to the aspiring session guitarist.
Brent Mason - Part One
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 38 minutes - 52.5 MBBrent Mason is one of the titans of the Nashville studio scene whose impact on the "Nashville Sound" cannot be overstated. His versatile and ear-catching guitar work has helped define the works of some of the greatest Country Music Artists of all time.
Chad Jeffers
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 75 MBChad Jeffers is currently celebrating his 13th year playing arenas with Carrie Underwood. Prior to Miss Underwood, he toured with Keith Urban, Kenny Loggins, and was a member of a band signed to RCA Records. In this Truetone Lounge, Jeffers shares volumes of great advice for the up-and-coming players, coming from both the position of the artist and the sideman. He also stresses the importance of networking, hard work, and the willingness to take chances as recipes for success. Jeffers also il...
Brent Mason - Part Two
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 42 minutes - 58.9 MBBrent Mason is one of the titans of the Nashville studio scene whose impact on the "Nashville Sound" cannot be overstated. In part 2 of our Truetone Lounge interview, Brent discusses his iconic Tele playing...
Guthrie Trapp - Quarantine Edition
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBVia Skype, we chat with Guthrie on what he has been up to. We start off talking about picks, but move on to his philosophy of using the right amp for the right venue. He then takes on a lesson talking about using chord notes when soloing, and some substitutions.
Chris Rodriguez
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 101 MBChris Rodriguez is one of the most in-demand sidemen in the music business. In our Truetone Lounge interview, Chris talks about an exceptional career playing music with some of the world's most beloved artists.
Daniel Carson
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 140 MBDaniel Carson is the long-standing studio and road guitarist with singer-songwriter, and Christian music artist, Chris Tomlin. In Our Truetone Lounge interview, Carson takes us from the Suburban to the tour bus on his career that started with Tomlin while Daniel was still in high school. Besides sharing his fascinating story, he also passes on important playing concepts, how he uses effects, and how he began learning the craft of songwriting from Tomlin and others.
David Grissom
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 204 MBDavid Grissom is one of the top American roots guitarists. His singular playing style and tone have garnered him multitudes of sessions, tours with acts from the Allman Brothers to John Mellencamp, and a long-running successful signature model from Paul Reed Smith Guitars. In our Truetone Lounge interview, Grissom takes us from his childhood in Kentucky and Indiana to the storied music hub he has called home for over 30-years, Austin, Texas. Along the way, David sheds light on his voracious a...
Daniel Tashian
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 85.1 MBIn January of 2019, Daniel Tashian won the coveted Album of the Year award at the Grammy’s for his work on the Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour album. In our latest Truetone Lounge interview, we sit down with the award-winning producer/songwriter/guitarist to talk about the album, and how he began collaborating with Musgraves. He also shares how he was inspired by seeing his father perform with Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band, and his journey as an artist, songwriter, and producer. Daniel also ta...
Derek Wells - Part Three
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 51 minutes - 70.2 MBIn our visit with Derek in the Truetone Lounge, we talk with him about his gear, and he demonstrates some of his session tools in Part 3 of this 3 part series.
Derek Wells - Part One
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 23 minutes - 32.8 MBDerek Wells is one of the top session guitarists in Nashville, TN. He has played on numerous top 10 albums, singles, and was recently nominated for the 2016 Academy of Country Music Musician of the year award, in the guitarist category. We talk with him about his beginnings as a touring guitarist in Part 1. https://truetone.com https://truetonelounge.com
Greg Martin
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 121 MBGuitarist Greg Martin lives at the intersection of hillbilly, blues, gospel, and rock, and is one of the greatest proponents of pure guitar and amp tones. In our Truetone Lounge interview, we cover his years of playing the club circuit, work with country star Ronnie McDowell, and his meteoric rise to fame with the Kentucky Headhunters.
Duke Levine - 2020 Quarantine Edition
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBDuke Levine is an in-demand sideman, solo artist, and is one of the foremost roots-based guitarists of that last 30-years. His well-crafted instrumental albums contain melodies and moods, which is why he has also done acclaimed soundtrack work with Mason Daring for many of the films of John Sales. Duke can also burn on the guitar when needed while playing with Peter Wolf, and the J. Geils Band, play Honky Tonk, or Country Soul guitar with his own combo. In today's Truetone Lounge, Levine walk...
Derek Wells - Part Two
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 20 minutes - 28.8 MBDerek Wells is one of the top session guitarists in Nashville, TN. In our visit with Derek in the Truetone Lounge, we talk with him about his break into the session world in Part 2 of this 3 part series.
Guthrie Trapp - Part One
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBGuthrie Trapp is one of the finest guitarists in Nashville, TN. In our Truetone Lounge interview, we talk with Trapp about his early playing experiences on the Gulf Coast, why he moved to Nashville, and how performing with the Don Kelley Band punched his career into overdrive. We also discuss his musically eclectic new album, Life After Dark, that features Vince Gill, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Jimmy Hall, The McCrary Sisters, and Bekka Bramlett as guests.
Guthrie Trapp - Part Two
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBGuthrie Trapp is one of the finest guitarists in Nashville, TN, a town known for its amazing musicians. In Part 2 our Truetone Lounge interview, we learn about his Country Guitar ArtistWorks lesson series, and how his students all over the world are able to share their videos with him and get personalized help with their playing. We also dive headfirst into gear talk, with Trapp sharing some of his tone concepts. These concepts include how he dials in his amps, and how he uses pedals to enhan...
Truetone Lounge Holiday Recap Episode 2016
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 28 minutes - 39.4 MBIn our Holiday Recap and Viewer Favorites episode, we take a trip down memory lane and look back at some of the best moments of our first season of the Truetone Lounge.
JD SIMO - Quarantine Edition
November 17, 2020 20:12 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MBWe chat with our good buddy, JD Simo, and see what he has been up to in 2020. Simo also shares a lesson in the challenges of playing simple parts, and in arranging multiple guitar parts.