Podcast Spotlight

EP 308: The War and Treaty

EP 308: The War and Treaty

Podcast Spotlight

BTB Ep 463: Kay Hanley talks about Chappell Roan’s Grammy Speech; musician and author Ben Neill

Podcast Spotlight

EP 307: Andy & Nick

EP 307: Andy & Nick

Podcast Spotlight

BTB Ep 462: Chappell Roan’s Grammys Speech; Gaelen McCormick of the Eastman School of Music

Podcast Spotlight

EP 306: Andy & Nick

EP 306: Andy & Nick

Podcast Spotlight

BTB Ep 461: Freelancing as an influencer; Daniel Brindley of Union Stage Presents

Podcast Spotlight

EP 305: Kendall Street Company

EP 305: Kendall Street Company

Podcast Spotlight

BTB Ep 460 Tim Walther All Good Productions, Founder

Podcast Spotlight

Kerry King's Wall of Sound: Riffs, Rigs, and Mayhem

The legendary Kerry King visits the Axe Lords studio and it’s raining blood - and, of course, laughs. Kerry tells us about the craziest thing he’s seen at a Slayer show, how he keeps track of his massive library of riffs, and explains the architecture of his current live rig. We talk mastering right hand technique, Mercyful Fate, custom Kahlers, and unleash the madness of his signature Dean’s Sustaniac pickup. Axe Lords is hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. Follow Axe Lords @axelordspod for news, updates, and cool stuff. Follow Kerry King @kerrykingmusic Listen to Kerry's latest album "From Hell I Rise" and see Kerry on tour! https://kerrykingofficial.com

Podcast Spotlight

EP 304: James Fadiman PHD & Jordan Gruder PHD, Psychedelic Specialists

EP 304: James Fadiman PHD & Jordan Gruder PHD, Psychedelic Specialists

Podcast Spotlight

BTB EP459: Marc Caruso Co-Founder & CEO, Angry Mob Music

Podcast Spotlight

EP 303: Andy & Nick

EP 303: Andy & Nick

Podcast Spotlight

Episode 10: The Wicked World of Vintage Guitars with Joe Bonamassa

Blues-rock virtuoso and legendary collector Joe Bonamassa joins Axe Lords for an episode that dives deep into the wild, weird, and sometimes downright wicked world of vintage guitars. Buckle up as Joe tries to convince Tom to stop weighing his instruments, expounds on the mythology of double-white PAFs, explains why taking a Flying V into a motel room is “sick and wrong,” and reveals that having a stage persona (and a good suit) is the true path to spiritual liberation. Axe Lords would also like to note that, as this episode airs, Joe—who has already evacuated once—is hunkered down in his Los Angeles home, hoping that his collection and house will be spared by the wildfires devastating the region. We wish him, as well as the millions of others affected, the best of luck and, if possible, a speedy return to some semblance of normalcy. Axe Lords is hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. Follow Axe Lords @axelordspod for news, updates, and cool stuff. Follow Joe @joebonamassa

Podcast Spotlight

EP 302: Andy & Nick

EP 302: Andy & Nick

Podcast Spotlight

BTB Ep 456: Music trends in 2025; we interview the founders of booking platform EVA

Podcast Spotlight

EP 301: The 2024 World Saving Award Ceremony!

EP 301: The 2024 World Saving Award Ceremony!

Podcast Spotlight

Gristletime Unleashed: Greg Koch Talks Van Halen, Vintage Teles, and Blues Mastery

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve seen the inimitable Greg Koch do one of his viral video instrument demos for Wildwood Guitars, shred his derrière off in one of his “Gristletime” livestreams from the Orange Room, or even learned to play reading his Hal Leonard books or watching his TrueFire instructional videos. In this raucous episode, Greg reveals all to the Axe Lords, including tales of growing up in a sprawling family steeped in diverse musical influences and a devout Catholicism that made him fear that listening to Van Halen’s “Running With the Devil” would in itself mark his young soul for eternal damnation. He also delves into how he developed chops so prodigious and tasty that Joe Bonamassa has called his blues-and-country fusion “scary good,” and Cindy, Dave, and Tom grill him about his three Reverend Signature guitars, Fishman pickups, love of vintage Teles, and of course, his new collection of flamenco standards, Blues. No, silly, it’s actually a blues record. We just wanted to see if you were still paying attention! Axe Lords is hosted by Dave Hill, Cindy Hulej and Tom Beaujour. Produced by Studio Kairos. Executive Producer is Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Justin Thomas (Revoice Media). Engineered by Patrick Samaha. Recorded at Kensaltown East. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Theme music by Valley Lodge. Follow Axe Lords @axelordspod for news, updates, and cool stuff. Follow Greg @gregkochmusic

Podcast Spotlight

“Pick Every Note!” Learn Zakk Wylde’s Wrist Workout on “Miracle Man”

From Ozzy Osbourne to Black Label Society to Zakk Sabbath to, most recently, his stint filling in for his old friend “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott in Pantera, Zakk Wylde has left an unmistakable mark on the hard-rock and metal music worlds. Fresh off performing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the Cleveland Browns game in October, and paying homage to his boss Ozzy at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Wylde joins this episode of Shred With Shifty to share his teachings from the book of rock. When he was learning to play, Wylde studied Frank Marino, Al Di Meola, and John McLaughlin along with Sabbath shredder Tony Iommi, Jimmy Page, and “King Edward”—Eddie Van Halen—but Osbourne’s original right-hand guitar-man Randy Rhoades was top of the crop. Little did Wylde know he’d go on to replace him after his tragic death, following up the work of Rhoades, Brad Gillis, and Jake E. Lee. He got to join his favorite band, but it wasn’t an easy gig. “What’s expected of you as an Ozzy player?” says Wylde. “The bar that Randy set was lights out.” After a quick pinch-harmonics tutorial, Wylde lays out how he used a Marshall JCM800 and Boss SD-1 with his “holy grail” bullseye Gibson Les Paul Custom to track the alternate-picking intensive on “Miracle Man,” a mix of “ingredients” from all the players Wylde loves. (“Pass the Ritchie Blackmore, boss!”) For those thinking of skimping and swapping in some hammer-ons and pull-offs, Shifty warns: “There are no shortcuts! Pick every note!” Along the way, Wylde discusses the inner workings of his tenure with Osbourne, including being the longest-running player in the group—like “working at the deli,” according to Wylde. And tune in to hear about Wylde’s relationship to Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne, who he refers to as “mom”—a role she performed well when she busted him at a nightclub while he was underage.

Podcast Spotlight

EP 300: Jakob Nowell (Sublime)

EP 300: Jakob Nowell (Sublime)

Podcast Spotlight

Derek Trucks Teaches His Classical Indian-Inflected Solo on “Midnight in Harlem”

Break out your glass, steel, or beer bottle: This time on Shred With Shifty, we’re sliding into glory with southern-rock great Derek Trucks, leader of the Derek Trucks Band, co-leader (along with wife Susan Tedeschi) of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and, from 1999 to 2014, member of the Allman Brothers Band. Reared in Jacksonville, Florida, Trucks was born into rock ’n’ roll: His uncle, Butch Trucks, was a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, and from the time he was nine years old, Derek was playing and touring with blues and rock royalty, from Buddy Guy to Bob Dylan. Early on, he established himself as a prodigy on slide guitar, and in this interview from backstage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Trucks explains why he’s always stuck with his trusty Gibson SGs, and how he sets them up for both slide and regular playing. (He also details his custom string gauges.) Trucks analyzes and demonstrates his subtle but scorching solo on “Midnight in Harlem,” off of Tedeschi Trucks Band’s acclaimed 2011 record, Revelator. In it, he highlights the influence of Indian classical music, and particularly sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, on his own playing. The lead is “melodic but with Indian-classical inflections,” flourishes that Trucks says are integral to his playing: It’s a jazz and jam-band mentality of “dangling your feet over the edge of the cliff,” says Trucks, and going outside whatever mode you’re playing in. Throughout the episode, Trucks details his live and studio set ups (“As direct as I can get it”), shares advice for learning slide and why he never uses a pick, and ponders what the future holds for collaborations with Warren Haynes.