
Chewing the Gristle with Greg Koch
Season 4 is here! Listen in on Greg Koch's conversations with his guitar-hero friends. Every episode Greg unleashes his fiendish humor and unique perspective as "one of the most famous unknown guitar players in the world", asking his often-famous musical friends the questions that we all want to kno
...more
Music Interviews
Music
Duane Betts
Duane is an incredible guitarist and songwriter, who...
more
Jan 12 2023 1h
Chapter 1 4 mins
Greg playing with Duane and the Allman Family Revival, and digging in to Duane’s playingChapter 2 5 mins
Growing up a Betts, Duane’s early musical taste, and his pull to the guitarChapter 3 5 mins
What it was like having vintage Gibsons lying around the house, and Duane’s decision to go into music professionallyChapter 4 8 mins
Splitting time between the Allman Family Revival and Duane’s solo material, and Duane’s upbringing as a young Floridian Chapter 5 16 mins
Gear, gear, more gear, and TONE!Chapter 6 7 mins
Stage volume - then and nowChapter 7 9 mins
Talking about The Blues and other musicians, father and son, and some tour talk
Luther Dickinson
North Mississippi Allstars' frontman Luther Dic...
more
Jan 5 2023 1h 36m
Chapter 1 8 mins
Luther’s time touring with the Allman Betts band, how he linked up with The Revival, and growing up an old (music) soulChapter 2 10 mins
Growing up with an musically iconic father, distinguishing the differences between styles of play over the years, and integrating different influencesChapter 3 7 mins
Luther’s transition from Memphis to Nashville, Luther’s work as a producer, and Luther’s favorite guitarsChapter 4 4 mins
Guitar feverChapter 5 10 mins
The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, and the legacy of improvisationChapter 6 9 mins
1984 - the year of Van Halen, Purple Rain, Greg’s wet toe into Hair Metal, and missing out on quality greatness over the yearsChapter 7 16 mins
Derek Trucks, Sonny Landreth, and a thick conversation on slide guitarChapter 8 7 mins
The inspiration of ‘the random element’ of playing guitar, and grooving on the upbeatsChapter 9 17 mins
The last days of Hendrix, and the favorite songs to play on guitar
Johnny Stachela
Johnny Stachela is the firey slide guitar player fro...
more
Dec 29 2022 57m
Chapter 1 5 mins
Playing with Duane Allman, and how Johnny fell in to playing with the Allman Family Revival, and early influencesChapter 2 5 mins
Growing up a young bluesman in high schoolChapter 3 6 mins
When the SG take hold of Johnny, and how to avoid guitar hoardingChapter 4 7 mins
The early days of the Fender Super Reverb (the amp world’s best kept secret), and the pains of inflationChapter 5 7 mins
Playing in different tunings, hanging with the old guard of the Allman Brothers band, and vintage guitarsChapter 6 11 mins
Dickie’s signature sound, how he achieved it, and the intricacies of different Allman Brothers partsChapter 7 4 mins
The Allman Family Revival set list, Johnny’s 2023 calendar, and the complexities of record dealsChapter 8 5 mins
Johnny’s thoughts on the “music game” in 2022
Jimmy Herring
An astonishing axeman of the highest order, Jimmy ha...
more
Dec 15 2022 1h 13m
Chapter 1 7 mins
Greg’s early exposure to Jimmy, falling in love with him and his playing, and Jimmy’s early exposure to musicChapter 2 10 mins
Music school, the power of good teaching, and the mysteries of JazzChapter 3 8 mins
Learning parts and playing with The Dixie DregsChapter 4 9 mins
Playing with Col. Bruce HamptonChapter 5 5 mins
The evolution of Jimmy continues - recording with Col. Bruce Hampton, Wide Spread Panic, and moreChapter 6 12 mins
Gear talk!Chapter 7 15 mins
Jimmy’s current rig, the importance of having an overdrive box on hand, and the nuance of understanding proper amplification
Val MacCallum
You've seen Val MacCallum on stage with Jackson...
more
Dec 8 2022 1h 7m
Chapter 1 6 mins
Val’s recent tour with Jackson Browne, and Val’s early work with some Milwaukee legendsChapter 2 6 mins
Playing professionally with players of different leveled proficiency (say that 3x fast), and different dynamics that existChapter 3 1 min
Surprising yourself Chapter 4 2 mins
Val’s Firebird (and a sampling of other treats)Chapter 5 8 mins
Guitar talkChapter 6 3 mins
Home improvements for guitar storage, and recording guitarChapter 7 2 mins
Recording professionally (in Val’s experience)Chapter 8 23 mins
Pedals and amps and lots of droolChapter 9 10 mins
The subtle truths of getting work, and a few experiences along the way
Devon Allman
Devon Allman has established himself as a band leade...
more
Dec 1 2022 1h 14m
Chapter 1 5 mins
The subtle intricacies of the Allman Brothers, ingesting material to fully understand the math, and bringing guitars on tourChapter 2 3 mins
Growing up an Allman, and finding your wayChapter 3 2 mins
Honey Tribe, and Devon’s dive into writing his own musicChapter 4 11 mins
Integrating blues and jazz into improvisation, and playing with Dan TolerChapter 5 4 mins
St. Louis, Corpus Christi, and the family ties that bindChapter 6 6 mins
Was the Almighty Gregg Allman supportive of his son pursing music?Chapter 7 14 mins
The internet, the Golden Age of Learning, the drawbacks of social media, and carrying on the legacyChapter 8 10 mins
Greg growing up an Allman brother freak, and his attempt to convert the jam band generationChapter 9 11 mins
Discovering Deep Purple, the Police, and a few great books to inspire
Jon Gomm
Jon Gomm is an acoustic guitar player extraordinaire...
more
Nov 17 2022 1h 5m
Chapter 1 2 mins
That time Jon watched Greg at a clinic, and then played adjacent each out in GermanyChapter 2 6 mins
A typical week for Jon - touring, playing, writing, and all that jazzChapter 3 4 mins
Jon's touring rigChapter 4 3 mins
Jon's unique playing style, when different techniques were introduced, and B-BendersChapter 5 4 mins
Influences, and striking out on his ownChapter 6 8 mins
Music degrees, the hordes of money they help you accumulate, and early gigsChapter 7 2 mins
A typical set when Jon performsChapter 8 4 mins
Different tunings, and those mistakes that live on YouTube foreverChapter 9 7 mins
Developing friendships through the love of music, and the modern influx of music education and technicalityChapter 10 2 mins
What's Jon been listening to recentlyChapter 11 8 mins
What's coming down the road for Jon, and thoughts on physical pressingsChapter 12 9 mins
The pressure of the modern music industry ($$$)
Mike Keneally
Can you imagine playing with Frank Zappa on your fir...
more
Nov 10 2022 1h 5m
Chapter 1 4 mins
What’s coming down the road for Mike: a solo band, the Zappa band, and ProgJectChapter 2 9 mins
Honoring the creative ideas that have been sitting on the shelf Chapter 3 3 mins
The interesting considerations you fail to see until you have 3 or more different projects under different names, and understanding metricsChapter 4 13 mins
Frank Zappa: his improv style, his roots, and everything in betweenChapter 5 2 mins
Looking back on Frank’s work, and stepping into his band as a young professionalChapter 6 10 mins
What Mike does to maintain his complex repertoireChapter 7 9 mins
Loving and respecting the music in order to keep things fresh and funChapter 8 6 mins
Paul Gilbert’s Great Guitar Escape
Rhett Shull
Guitar player extraordinaire and internet leviathan ...
more
Nov 3 2022 1h 3m
Chapter 1 3 mins
Life in Atlanta, a studio build, and oiling the YouTube machineChapter 2 9 mins
The importance of engaging with your audience, and the power of the internetChapter 3 8 mins
The glory of the Les Paul, and its evolution over the yearsChapter 4 4 mins
Controversy aside, Eric Clapton holds his place his history Chapter 5 6 mins
Connecting the dots between your heroes, their heroes, and their heroes hereosChapter 6 5 mins
Being your own boss vs being the hired gunChapter 7 15 mins
Tone woods, and does it matter?Chapter 8 7 mins
One must not forget Albert King, and appreciating the guitar greats of our kind
Jared James Nichols
Jared has been dominating the world with great rock ...
more
Oct 27 2022 1h 19m
Chapter 1 8 mins
Jared’s journey, from WI to LA, and off to Nashville, and running with the idea of going soloChapter 2 3 mins
The luck and joy of seeing the world as a traveling musicianChapter 3 9 mins
Jared’s signature guitar - the inspiration behind it, and the journey through its developmentChapter 4 5 mins
Guitar consumption: buying, playing, collecting - what’s your poison, and understanding the assignmentChapter 5 4 mins
Manufacturer relationshipsChapter 6 14 mins
Jared’s new single, the most recent iteration of his band (circa October ’22), and Jared’s approach to recordingChapter 7 10 mins
PRIMAL JAMS AND TONE (are we talking about Led Zeppelin?), and the best guitar-techs in the planetChapter 8 21 mins
Road stories, the thrill of touring abroad, and the challenges of being a working musician
Carl Burnett
Carl is one funky individual! He's toured the w...
more
Oct 20 2022 1h 5m
Chapter 1 1 min
Poppa Was A Rollin’ Stone!Chapter 2 3 mins
The magic of the wah Chapter 3 7 mins
Carl’s time in New York, that time Greg and Carl met for some music savagery, and the TelecasterChapter 4 9 mins
Modern vs vintage instruments, the Branford Marsalis yearsChapter 5 20 mins
The art of improvisation vs through-composed material, Carl’s start as a musician, influences, Larry Carlton, and so much moreChapter 6 19 mins
The power of relationships, publishing vs work-for-hire, the power of live music, and the unequivocal symbiosis of playing with other musicians
Sonny Landreth
A "slide guitar potentate of unparalleled propo...
more
Oct 13 2022 40m
Chapter 1 5 mins
Sonny’s relationship with John Hiatt; what brought them together, and the fun of reunitingChapter 2 8 mins
Sonny’s slide playing; how it developed, cool tips and tricks, and thumb pickin’Chapter 3 5 mins
Influences and adding to that stew of tasty morsels to feast uponChapter 4 3 mins
The magic of Sacred Steel slide guitarChapter 5 3 mins
Sonny’s tone, and how it lends to his creative voiceChapter 6 7 mins
Digging through old videos to discover the secrets of tone and creativity, and the gear acquisition condundrumChapter 7 5 mins
TONE TALK
Paul Gilbert
Paul is a legend in the guitar world known for his s...
more
Oct 6 2022 1h 18m
Chapter 1 8 mins
Paul plays upright bass?? Plus happy mistakes, learning new things, and Van HalenChapter 2 8 mins
Paul’s musical journeyChapter 3 3 mins
Improvisation; when and how Paul developed his improv chopsChapter 4 8 mins
Paul and gear; obsession or necessity, and Paul’s current live and studio rigsChapter 5 4 mins
Paul on the road - how much time in a bus vs at home?Chapter 6 2 mins
Learning, teaching, and sponging styles from the greats.Chapter 7 10 mins
Paul’s vocal influences, slide tricks, and Paul’s signature guitarChapter 8 9 mins
Portland, OR, Paul’s journey to the Pacific Northwest, and familial music traitsChapter 9 4 mins
New music: future or past, and hearing lossChapter 10 7 mins
What’s next for Paul, what is it about music that is so magical, and CATSChapter 11 9 mins
The Zep
Phil X
From YouTube to Bon Jovi, Phil X is known worldwide ...
more
May 19 2022 56m
Chapter 1 2 mins
What’s Phil up to??Chapter 2 4 mins
From Canada to Los Angeles, and how the gospel of Phil X never changedChapter 3 4 mins
Phil’s rise to fame through internet videosChapter 4 11 mins
From stadiums to clubs, the continued trouble of COVID, and the new Phil X signature guitarChapter 5 9 mins
Amps and pedals! What is Phil rocking these days, and what does he bring with him when playing with Bon JoviChapter 6 5 mins
How to create your own sound while staying true to the iconic sound you hear in your headChapter 7 16 mins
The ES-335, and delicious, delicious vintage gear
Jeff Kollman
A veteran of Glenn Hughes' band, the Alan Parso...
more
May 12 2022 1h 16m
Chapter 1 2 mins
Hailing from Toledo, OH - we have the great and mighty Jeff Kollman!Chapter 2 6 mins
Jeff’s jazz playing, his influences, and the importance of good teachersChapter 3 4 mins
Jeff’s move from Toledo to California, and the grueling life that Los Angeles can bringChapter 4 3 mins
Getting tied in to the session-scene, and transitioning to life on the roadChapter 5 7 mins
Jeff’s gear over the years, and the mystery of vintage amps and guitarsChapter 6 9 mins
The integration of digital, and a few fun storiesChapter 7 5 mins
More stories of fun, hilarity, and rock savageryChapter 8 6 mins
Does Jeff have any eyes on Nashville?Chapter 9 8 mins
Elliot Easton and The Cars, more gear talk, and the Jeff’s future touring plansChapter 10 21 mins
Playing with The Alan Parsons Project, the tricky decisions surrounding self-distribution as an independent artist, and the new generation of guitar players and content creators
Fred Tackett
You might know Mr. Tackett as Little Feat's gui...
more
Apr 28 2022 1h 8m
Chapter 1 2 mins
Fred’s signature ‘Texas Twister’ guitar lickChapter 2 7 mins
Fred’s INSANE discography as a session guitar player, trumpet player, and mandolinist, and what it was like back in the heyday of session workChapter 3 4 mins
How Fred’s gear changed over the years as a session player, and packing days to pack the bankChapter 4 7 mins
Fred’s time with Little Feat - the how, the when, the where…Chapter 5 12 mins
Transitioning from the studio to the road…with Bob DylanChapter 6 1 min
Fred’s rig while playing with DylanChapter 7 52 sec
From Bob Dylan to Bob SegerChapter 8 2 mins
How session musicians most often get paidChapter 9 12 mins
Little Feat’s ‘Let It Roll’ record, balancing the line between session and tour work, adjusting band members, a few of Fred’s favorite tunes, and guitars!Chapter 10 16 mins
Fred’s musical background growing up in Arkansas
Nathaniel Murphy
If you follow all things guitar on Instagram, then y...
more
Apr 21 2022 1h 11m
Chapter 1 7 mins
Nathanial’s unique sound, and how it developedChapter 2 1 min
Nathanial’s career in soccer (football for those in the rest of the world) prior to guitarChapter 3 5 mins
How Nathanial got into guitar growing up in the UKrChapter 4 12 mins
Eric Clapton, open tunings, records that changed our lives, the power of improvisation, and The Zep!Chapter 5 2 mins
A typical week as a working guitarist in ChicagoChapter 6 11 mins
Greg and Nathanial’s upcoming show, and being considerate when sitting in with other guitar playersChapter 7 14 mins
The power of pause and rewind when learning from the greats, and having fun onlineChapter 8 13 mins
You gotta embrace the filth, and being proud of your playing
Justin Derrico
As the guitarist on the Voice, extreme versatility i...
more
Apr 14 2022 1h 7m
Chapter 1 2 mins
What’s new with Justin - master classes with Fishman, playing guitar, and a whole lot of hanging outChapter 2 3 mins
Jimi Hendrix. ‘Nuff said.Chapter 3 6 mins
The blessings of the YouTube-verse, and the ability to deep dive into guitar wormholes Chapter 4 3 mins
A catchup with Greg Koch, Wildwood, and FishmanChapter 5 13 mins
Justin’s gig with P!nk and The Voice, and how his personal style carries throughChapter 6 5 mins
A day in the life working as a guitar player on The VoiceChapter 7 16 mins
What kind of gear does Justin play with on tour versus in the studioChapter 8 7 mins
Self-accompaniment as a guitar playerChapter 9 8 mins
Les Pauls, Tele, pickups, and more!
Jon Paris
A member of Johnny Winter's band and a frequent...
more
Apr 7 2022 1h 37m
Chapter 1 14 mins
Growing up outside of Milwaukee, starting out as a drummer, the intriguing naturing of the early Beatles, and Jon’s band The OxChapter 2 2 mins
Jon’s chops playing the bass and harmonicaChapter 3 20 mins
Jon’s transition from The Ox to New York, and a bunch of fun storiesChapter 4 16 mins
Jon’s relationship with Johnny Winter, and floating around with friends and different bands in New YorkChapter 5 31 mins
Getting the gig with Johnny Winter, hanging out with Les Paul, and so much moreChapter 6 10 mins
Some of Jon’s favorite guitar players, and GETTING LOUD
Danish Pete Honore
If you dig both guitars and YouTube, then you probab...
more
Mar 31 2022 1h 35m
Chapter 1 3 mins
Danish Pete ending up in Denmark - did the name proceed the man, or the man the name?Chapter 2 8 mins
The first time Pete picked up a guitar Chapter 3 10 mins
Pete’s first foray Ito the professional arena playing with Tom JonesChapter 4 13 mins
Pete’s choice to stay in the UK over time, and more Tom Jone fooleryChapter 5 15 mins
The connection with Andertons, and transitioning out of tour lifeChapter 6 26 mins
Kids, babies, and keeping up professional communication, and making sure you cast a wide net as an entrepreneurChapter 7 15 mins
The Importance of authenticity as a creative
Bernard Allison
Bernard Allison's blues lineage is direct, as t...
more
Mar 17 2022 1h 9m
Chapter 1 6 mins
Bernard’s new record, and recording during the pandemicChapter 2 3 mins
Getting acquainted with Bernard’s dad, guitar legend Luther AllisonChapter 3 4 mins
What drew Bernard to the guitar? Was his father an inspiration? And what it means to stay authentic as a playerChapter 4 5 mins
What it was like exist in the realm of old school Blues greats, and the different generation of Blues playersChapter 5 17 mins
Being self-taught, integrating influences to become the guitar player he is today, and who the heck is this SRV guy??Chapter 6 8 mins
Albert King, and where did he get his licks?Chapter 7 10 mins
How Bernard ended up in Minneapolis, and his time spent living in FranceChapter 8 3 mins
Wireless guitar systemsChapter 9 7 mins
Blade Guitars by Gary Levinson
Phillip Sayce
We have here a special and riveting conversation her...
more
Mar 10 2022 1h 7m
Chapter 1 9 mins
Emerging from COVID - what’s it look like, how do we do this?Chapter 2 2 mins
Amazing guitar players from Canada, and the blessing of hunkering down for the winterChapter 3 10 mins
Hooking up and playing with Jeff Healey, and being careful in the snowChapter 4 14 mins
Phillip’s signature sound and its evolutionChapter 5 5 mins
The story behind Phillip’s glorious ’63 StratocastersChapter 6 5 mins
Tone woods — the hype is real, but does it matter?Chapter 7 17 mins
How influences affect our personal sound, and the power of passion in getting better
Doug Rappoport
Doug's stunning playing with the Edgar Winter g...
more
Mar 3 2022 1h 22m
Chapter 1 10 mins
From the UK to LA - Doug’s youthful journey as a young guitar legendChapter 2 10 mins
Influential country rock and blues players, and the creativity of Hendrix at the core of both playersChapter 3 6 mins
Doug’s time with Edgar Winter - the how, the why, the whatChapter 4 3 mins
Manipulating Marshall amps, pedals, and everything in between to achieve THE TONE Chapter 5 6 mins
The glory of Friedman and Koch ampsChapter 6 2 mins
Jam PedalsChapter 7 8 mins
Going on the road with a Hammond organ, and the conception of the Koch Marshall TrioChapter 8 16 mins
More guitar influences, and the evolution of guitar playing over the yearsChapter 9 14 mins
The challenge and reward of mastering the sweet sound of single-coil pickups
AJ Ghent
AJ's melodic and inspired steel guitar playing ...
more
Feb 24 2022 1h 7m
Chapter 1 4 mins
The Sacred Steel guitar method, AJ’s own personal style, and his live albumChapter 2 6 mins
Growing up in a family of Sacred Steel players within the Church, and the genesis of the styleChapter 3 7 mins
The technical prowess that goes into Sacred Steel playing, and AJ’s transition from lap steel to electric guitarChapter 4 4 mins
AJ’s Abasi Laredo w/ Fluence pickups, and his go-to ampsChapter 5 11 mins
Living in Atlanta, hanging with Col. Bruce Hampton, and the fear of flyingChapter 6 22 mins
The COVs, how AJ has been getting through, and playing his part in bringing peace through musicChapter 7 8 mins
AJ’s ear for vocal melodies, and the importance of ‘singing’
Angela Petrilli
Angela's YouTube lesson series receives thousan...
more
Feb 15 2022 1h 9m
Chapter 1 3 mins
The term “influencer’, what it means to Angela, and the interesting confluence of the internet and music-makingChapter 2 7 mins
Angela’s time at UCLA, and what inspired her to pick up the guitarChapter 3 4 mins
The glory of Muddy WatersChapter 4 3 mins
“But why do you need so many guitars…?”Chapter 5 8 mins
Single-coils vs humbuckers vs WordleChapter 6 6 mins
Revenue sharing on YouTube and what it’s like to be a content creatorChapter 7 4 mins
Angela’s deep dive into J.J. Cale and David GilmourChapter 8 6 mins
Angela’s live rigChapter 9 11 mins
A day in the life, and future plansChapter 10 11 mins
The death of legendary amp manufacturer Howard Dumble