More than just an interview and jam with the great guitarist DAMON WOOD (currently of SEAL PARTY), this episode is also a portal back to the amazing "thrash funk" era of San Francisco Bay Area music, an exciting time in the late '80s/early '90s when live bands pushing an infectious new genre of music ruled the Bay Area clubs. Some of the acts comin…

Vic Johnson returns! The longtime lead guitarist for Sammy Hagar, Vic invites you into Hagar’s Northern California studio, where he fires up his glorious “tri-stereo” wet/dry/wet rig and demonstrates some tones, plays some riffs, takes a few solos, and relives adventures with everyone from Total Eclipse — his badass ’90s metal band — to the the Bus…

From hearing David Bowie strum a simple acoustic chord pattern while singing the words "let's dance" to transforming the sketch into the superstar singer's biggest hit, NILE RODGERS (in this flashback to Episode 125) relives step by step how he pulled off the feat. He also details meeting a new musician on the session — a future guitar hero that Bo…

Chicago guitar ace DAN PETERS pushes his Gretsch 6120 to new limits by playing everything from rockabilly to blues slide to shred metal on the iconic hollowbody. Dan also deconstructs the energetic music of the West Side Winders and the Dan Peters Band — his two main original projects over the years — as well as shares his approaches to playing wit…

Folks, there is simply too much treasure in No Guitar Is Safe's ever-growing archive of back episodes not to revisit some great moments once in awhile! That is why now, between new episodes, you can expect me to hit you with short, curated, fun-size, easily digestible REWIND posts in which we "roll back the tape" and listen back to a magical moment…

Today we plug in with session king and bandleader MICHAEL THOMPSON — “MT” to his friends — who is one of the most recorded guitarists in history. Thompson has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson, Shania Twain, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Ray Charles, Fleetwood Mac, and Beyoncé to Lionel Richie, Bob Seger, Neil Diamond, Michael Bublé, Wh…

Grammy-nominated funk-jazz virtuoso WILL BERNARD plugs in! Home for the holidays, the renowned New York-based ES-335 tamer invites me into the Berkeley, California, house he grew up in, where he cranks up a Carr combo, shares some funkalicious pedalboard recipes, and offers insights he's gained from releasing tons of his own solo records, working a…

For this episode, we head out to Nashville, TN, where Smash Mouth founding guitarist GREG CAMP plugs in and shows you how he gets his magical, multi-platinum-selling "surfadelic" Jazzmaster sounds. He also details the art of writing hit songs (he wrote Smash Mouth's biggest hits, including "All-Star" and "Walkin' on the Sun"); introduces you to his…

One of the greatest soloists in hard rock, metal, and beyond, George Lynch has a signature mojo that has earned him legions of devoted fans ever since the '80s, when he broke big as lead guitarist for the platinum selling rock band Dokken. Since then, with his own band, Lynch Mob (who have just released a new album, called Babylon), and his many ot…

Mere hours after he rocked one the world's biggest arenas as part of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, ARIEL POSEN plugs in with us at his Los Angeles hotel room and demonstrates his singular sound, including the way he gets soaring slide notes out of a hollow, steel-bodied, Strat-shaped baritone from Mule Resophonic Guitars, and how he "t…

Grammy-winning solo artist and first-call session ace ANDREW SYNOWIEC plugs in several guitars, jams with us, previews his new album, FUN, more than a week before its release (it comes out September 8), and takes us on a sonic tour of his amazing Los Angeles studio. Having recorded and/or performed with everyone from the Who, Bette Midler, and Elto…

Blend the playing styles of Freddie King, Allan Holdsworth, and Duane Allman, and — as you’ll hear on this episode — you’d probably get something sounds like the great ALLEN HINDS. When it comes to improvising epic solos, grooving behind world-class singers (he’s worked with everyone from Bobby Caldwell and Randy Crawford to Gino Vannelli, Roberta …

WAYNE C. HENDERSON is a stunning steel-string player, and he's equally known for the amazing guitars he builds. Highly sought after instruments, Wayne's handmade guitars (and mandolins) have been ordered by everyone from Vince Gill and Eric Clapton to Brad Paisley, Peter Rowan and Doc Watson. To make a Henderson, Wayne says he just gets out his poc…

As if playing the famous “More Cowbell” episode of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE wasn’t cool enough, rock/fusion (emphasis on the ROCK) virtuoso RAFAEL MOREIRA — who invites us into his home studio for this epic jam and guitar hang/interview — has also worked with superstar singers such as P!NK and CHRISTINA AGUILERA, his hero PAUL STANLEY, and played huge g…

From his years touring, recording, and songwriting with MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD to his runs with BILLY PRESTON, SLY AND ROBBIE, OZOMATLI, BUSK!, P!NK, and other headliners, San Francisco guitar ace DAVE SHUL has been in demand for over three decades — especially by bandleaders who want some serious FUNK guitar in their ensemble. Inviting us into…

Guitar virtuoso PRASHANT ASWANI has worked with everyone from HERBIE HANCOCK to JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, but it's on his solo material (you'll hear TWO brand-new singles from Prashant on this episode — BEFORE they're released!) that Prashant's guitar personality really comes through. For this episode, host JUDE GOLD "flies the 'copter" up to Prashant's b…

From high-profile tours with DAVID LEE ROTH and WINGER to studio dates with platinum pop acts such as SELENA GOMEZ and DNCE, U.K.-bred guitarist JAKE FAUN is already in high demand -- and he only arrived in Los Angeles about four years ago! On this episode, Jake plugs in various guitars, jams with host JUDE GOLD, and demonstrates the approaches tha…

For fans of guitar, it’s hard to imagine a world without JEFF BECK. To help us process this unfathomable musical loss, we “land the ‘copter” in front of STEVE LUKATHER’s house, where we go inside and join the Toto/Ringo Starr guitar ace by a warm fire and get his take on his friend Jeff Beck’s life, legacy, and music, as well as his thoughts on the…

The lead guitarist of UFO since 2003, renowned guitar virtuoso VINNIE MOORE plugs in one of his new Kramers, runs it through a great sounding old Marshall, and shares the licks and approaches he employs on his new solo album, DOUBLE EXPOSURE, and also with UFO. Presented by Guitar Player magazine and guitarplayer.com. Hosted by JUDE GOLD.…

Ready to “fly the ‘copter” all the way to Germany? Well, being that I was just on tour opening shows for Deep Purple all over Europe (so cool!), you know there was NO WAY I was not going to land an interview with their brilliant new guitarist, Simon McBride. This exciting episode takes us all the way to the KP Arena in Oberhausen, for an inspiring …

From his own solo tunes to his guitar and bass work for the English Beat, the Uptones, Sacrilege B.C., and other headliners, Musashi Lethridge -- "Moose" to his friends and fans -- is a soulful guitarist/bassist/singer/one-man band. In this epic guitar hang with his longtime friend — your host, Jude Gold — Musashi plugs a steel-string into his P.A.…

From what makes a metal concert transcendent to the shocking things people throw on stage to his gear of choice to his love for Jackson guitars — including the brand new Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 just released today — Anthrax founding member Scott Ian sits down with Jude Gold and a Slime Green (Jackson's color name) SL3 for a heavy discus…

New guitar hero alert! Virtuoso steel-string fingerstylist and composer YASMIN WILLIAMS is a guitar star on the rise. In this exclusive interview, the young Washington D.C.-based guitarist performs her solo pieces and riffs for you, and demonstrates the techniques and inspirations that are the hallmarks of her captivating style — a shimmering sound…

Playing and deconstructing several of his hit songs for you, JIM PETERIK — who you might know from such radio smashes as Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” 38 Special’s “Hold On Loosely,” and Ides of March’s “Vehicle” (a number one song Peterik wrote when he was just 18) — is on the show! He’s one of rock’s most successful songwriters. Today, we’re “fl…

Demonstrating and deconstructing the riffs behind the Fixx’s greatest hits, JAMIE WEST-ORAM plugs in and lets your ears revel in his famous stereo sound. Deconstructing smash singles such as “One Thing Leads to Another” and “Red Skies,” Jamie also shares guitar parts from the Fixx’s new album, Every Five Seconds, as well as takes you on a tour of h…

From Janet Jackson to Stevie Wonder, ERROL COONEY is one of the most in-demand guitarists working today. Presented by TASCAM and the cool TASCAM MIXCAST 4 podcast workstation this episode finds Errol plugging in and jamming on Stevie Wonder tunes and much, much more, as he regales an inspiring musical adventure that has found him playing with every…

PHILIP SAYCE plugs in! The soulful master of the Stratocaster invites us into his home where he cranks up one of his favorite Fender rigs and shares how he developed his fiery, fret-melting brand of blues rock, as well as how he created the songs on his latest album, SPIRIT RISING. Plus, the Welsh-born, Canadian-bred guitar hero shares what he lear…

Inspired by everyone from Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Pass, and Mike Stern to his late, great guitar buddy, Allan Holdsworth, ALEX MACHACEK is a spectacular voice in the world of jazz fusion guitar. I had a blast “flying the ‘copter” over to his home studio, plugging in a couple of his signature-model Strandberg guitars, and having him demonstrate for u…

Today we plug in and jam with Chicago guitar hero DAVE UHRICH. A solo artist, super sideman, and stellar session cat, Dave stays busy playing, teaching, tracking, and composing. He has even worked out a solo arrangement of "Bohemian Rhapsody" (which he performs for you on this show). Dave also reflects on playing with legendary and none-too-serious…

In addition to winning Grammy Awards for his work on albums by Beyoncé and John Legend, guitarist/composer ERICK WALLS has recorded and/or performed with many other superstars, including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Black Eyed Peas, Whitney Houston, and Michael McDonald, to name a few.…

How cool would it be if Django Reinhardt jammed out on some Nirvana? Well, unless you get to heaven and find Kurt Cobain and the aforementioned Gypsy jazz legend jamming together, the closest you may come to hearing that all-star duo is listening to the amazing GUSTAV VIEHMEYER performing on today’s episode of this show. Gustav may be just 26 years…

Grammy-winning solo artist, session ace, and super sideman RICKY Z (aka Rick Zahariades) is one of the most versatile guitarists you'll meet. That's why he has played with everyone from Josh Groban, Steven Tyler, Harry Nilsson, JpegMafia, Jessica Simpson, John Fogerty, Steve Lukather, Nick Lachey, Don Grusin, the Sweet, Beto Cuevas, Vesta Williams,…

Plugging in no less than four amazing (and totally different!) guitars on this episode, Jim "Kimo" West, the Grammy-winning solo artist and longtime lead guitarist for "Weird Al" Yankovic, demonstrates everything from his own music and his take on the hypnotic Hawaiian II-V-I turnaround to "soprano" textures and rock guitar feedback (the latter via…

FERNANDO PERDOMO is equal parts lead guitarist, producer, and musicologist, which means you're in for an exciting ride through all things rock and roll as he invites you into his Los Angeles studio, plugs in his favorite Fender Mustang, and shows you the way he plays guitar — and the way he transplanted himself from Miami to California to become an…

From Les Claypool (Primus) to Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) to M.I.R.V to Duo De Twang (again featuring Claypool) to his own band, Kehoe Nation (AKA Kehoe International), nuclear-powered guitar hero BRYAN KEHOE — with his badass guitar kung fu, operatic singing voice, and anything-goes comedic spirit — is a treasured member of any band he is in.…

It's hard not to describe the amazing SID JACOBS as a master of guitar, but he'll be the first to tell you he's an eternal student of the instrument. And it's true — the renowned jazz solo artist, teacher, and instructional book author is still on a mission to unlock more secrets of the fretboard. Luckily for us, in this episode, Sid shares a ton o…

Soulful hard rock guitar ace DOUG RAPPOPORT plugs in and shares what it's like playing with rock legend Edgar Winter and also how he tracked what just might be the most blazing guitar moment in TV commercial history. Doug also reveals some the tracking approaches he employed on his solo song "Bionic Warz." This episode is brought to you FOCUSRITE a…

The secret to many a great Led Zeppelin song is knowing which tuning Jimmy Page used when writing and recording it. Today, I am thrilled be in the Bay Area, where GRETCHEN MENN and ANGELA PETRILLI are on hand with acoustic and electric guitars to demonstrate for you many of Page’s most magical tunings, including:“Kashmir” (DADGAD tuning: D, A, D, G…

This episode presents a one-on-one IN-PERSON funk throwdown with guitarist/producer JEFF TAMELIER (Tower of Power, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, Starship feat. Mickey Thomas). That’s right — live jams are back! Sure, during the pandemic, guests on No Guitar Is Safe played a ton of guitar for you and showed you a lot of playing approaches over Zoom, e…

Whether he's sharing cool improvisation tactics, ways to use "illegal" tempo shifts, ways to heal from playing injuries by using the Alexander Technique, or his thoughts on playing learned riffs and phrases versus purely spontaneous ones, jazz guitar prodigy JULIAN LAGE explores much in this episode. And throughout the interview he's got his beauti…

Focusrite brings you a deep guitar hang with MISHA MANSOOR, who plugs two of his favorite signature-model Jackson guitars, deconstructs some of his great riffs for you, and shares how he created PERIPHERY, one of the most influential prog-metal bands in history. (Some would even say Mansoor is one of the chief architects of the genre known as “djen…

It's not easy to establish yourself in Nashville well before you've turned 30, but guitarist/singer JOE ROBINSON — with a heap of musical talent, a ton of great songs, and a tireless work ethic — seems to have done just that. Today, the Aussie-turned-Tennesseean six-string wunderkind demonstrates many of his amazing riffs, songs, and approaches (in…

Grammy-winning rock/fusion guitarist JAMIE KIME has worked with everyone from Zappa Plays Zappa to Dr. John to Jewel, and back on episode 94 of this show — which was recorded in person, well before the world ever dreamed a pesky virus would put the world in lockdown — Jamie and I played a ton of guitar and he offered up many great soloing tips. In …

From Allan Holdsworth (Bonus: This episode features a previously unreleased interview clip with Holdsworth that may save you from ever playing "mayonnaise" chords again) to Steve Howe/Yes to Eddie Van Halen, renowned bassist JEFF BERLIN has played with some truly great guitarists. On this episode, he plugs in and shows you what he loves to play, st…

He's a founding member of the two biggest rock bands ever to have the word "Guns" in their names. He's an icon of California metal and hard rock. He's got a lethal looking new Kramer signature model guitar in his name. He's TRACII GUNS, and his main band since the early- to mid-'80s, L.A. Guns, is enjoying a resurgence — and also enjoying the retur…

From GUNS N’ ROSES to ASIA to SONS OF APOLLO to ART OF ANARCHY to his own BUMBLEFOOT albums, RON 'BUMBLEFOOT' THAL is not only one of the most in-demand rock guitarists of the new millennium, he’s also one of the most innovative, as you will discover when you hear him demonstrating everything from his Vigier double-neck electric (one neck is fretle…

What do QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, A PERFECT CIRCLE, FAILURE, IGGY POP, and other great rock acts have in common? They've all at one time had (and, in the case of that first band, still DO have) guitarist/producer TROY VAN LEEUWEN as a member. On this episode TROY plugs in his signature-model Fender Jazzmaster and shares his guitar playing and record…

From demonstrating guitar parts off his new solo album, DREAMCATCHER, to reliving an incredible career that has found him collaborating with everyone from George Benson to Pink Floyd, Grammy-winning guitarist/composer LEE RITENOUR visits us for a deep guitar hang — and he's playing guitar during most of the interview! Today's show is brought to you…

Texas-based, internationally beloved guitar hero ANDY TIMMONS plugs in his go-to ’94 Ibanez AT100 prototype and demonstrates several songs (he even SINGS one for you!), shares many of his tasty guitar techniques, and takes you on an audio tour of the amps and pedals that make up his rig — the tools that contribute to his amazing sound. He also shar…

British fingerstyle virtuoso MIKE DAWES demonstrates the techniques, tunings, technology, talent, and none-to-serious stage banter that have made him a rising star in the steel-string community and beyond. In addition to being a solo artist, Mike is also lead guitarist for Rock Hall-of-Famer JUSTIN HAYWARD (MOODY BLUES), who often lets Mike open hi…