Willie Nelson and Trigger with Ray Benson

On our last episode, we had Joe Satriani join us to talk about his long history with his old pal Steve Vai. In celebration of the new SATCHVAI band, we've made this a two-parter, and Vai is here to return the favor. Sponsored by Vega-Trem: vegatrem.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

Joe Satriani and Steve Vai have one of the deepest guitar-shredding relationships in the 6-string universe. Famously, Satch was Steve Vai’s guitar teacher back in their Long Island days, and they’ve developed their careers across the decades as solo artists, as partners in the G3 world, and now with their own co-led band, SATCHVAI. To celebrate, we’ve got a two-episode arc with each of the guys talking about the other one’s playing. First up is Satch talking all things Vai, from their early days in the lesson room to their upcoming Surfing With the Hydra tour. Sponsored by Rocky Mountain Slides: rockymountainslides.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

PG Editorial Director Richard Bienstock has interviewed Slash more than a few times throughout the last couple decades. So, we’ve called on him to join us in celebrating the Guns N’ Roses guitarist as we discuss his sound, his riffs, and his look! Tune in to find out about the time the two went guitar shopping and when Slash showed up at Richard’s desk. Sponsored by Gibson: gibson.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

One of the many things that Willie Nelson and his trusty Martin nylon-string, Trigger, have in common is their truly unmistakable voices. And Willie’s laid back, behind-the-beat phrasing applies to both. To break it all down, we called on Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel. The two have been friends for a long time, and in 2009 they released the swinging Willie and the Wheel together. Benson tells us about what it’s like to work with Willie, what it’s like to play Trigger, and when he finally got to put his signature on the latter. Sponsored by Strings By Mail: stringsbymail.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

Singer-songwriter Jason Sinay, maybe best known for his work alongside Mike Campbell in Dirty Knobs, joins us to talk about the most foundational rock ’n’ roll guitarist of them all, the man who started the ball rolling, Chuck Berry. When it comes to his guitar playing, his influence can be heard across all styles. Without his licks, his songs, his vocal phrasing, who knows what path the electric guitar would have taken!While we’re at it, we get some cool Keith Richards and Neil Young stories from Jason, and we dream about what it would be like to have those guys step onto our own stage. Sponsored by Gibson: gibson.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

To celebrate the late great Space Ace, we called up PG’s favorite Kiss fan, Chris Shiflett. On at least one of your 100 Guitarists hosts’ favorite episode of Shred with Shifty, the Foo guitarist sat down with Ace to talk about his guitar playing on “Shock Me.” It’s a fun interview with lots of great anecdotes and killer vibes. But Shiflett has a lot more perspective on Ace, going way back to meeting the members of Kiss without their makeup as a kid.  Sponsored by Gibson: gibson.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

When it comes to rockin’ ’n’ rollin’, it doesn’t get more classic than Aerosmith. Guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford have spent decades bouncing their riffs off each other, and these days they’re still at it with the Joe Perry Project. For this episode, we called up JPP bassist Robert DeLeo—best known as a Stone Temple Pilot—to talk about his longstanding relationship with Aerosmith, what it’s like to be on stage with 3/5th of Aerosmith, and learned why he calls Perry and Steven Tyler his uncles.Sponsored by Gibson: gibson.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

John Scofield is undeniably one of the preeminent forces in contemporary jazz guitar. Along with a few of his peers—see Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Mike Stern—he modernized the sound of our instrument and the genre. But there’s much more to Scofield than just jazz.To break down the deepest of Scofield’s records and talk about the intricacies of his playing, we called up another great, Adam Levy. There’s a great chance you’ve heard Levy alongside artists such as Tracy Chapman or Norah Jones, and his solo discography is deep! Adam has a host of Scofield know-how, so we get right to it. Sponsored by Two Rock: two-rock.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

Adrian Belew has spent his career on the cutting edge of guitar sounds, inventing the most forward-thinking tones to ever appear on record. His work as a solo artist and with King Crimson would be enough to land him on every guitarist’s radar. But that’s just one facet of his musical life, and he’s famously spent time with some of the biggest artists of all time: David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, Nine Inch Nails. He even appears in places you’d never expect experimental guitar, like Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al.”To talk about Adrian, we called up Blair White. As co-owner of Nashville’s Eastside Music Supply, White and Belew struck up a friendship and they ended up working together to decode some of the tones that Belew needed for the much-lauded Beat tour and beyond. Blair gives us some insight into Belew’s playing, his process, and helps us solve a mystery.Sponsored by Vega-Trem: vegatrem.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331

When you think of classic rock guitar, what do you hear? Who is the most classic of all classic rock guitarists? We have a theory, and we tapped Greg Koch, the hard-touring, hard-rocking Gristlemaster himself, to join us and test it out. Is it Joe Walsh?From his time with the James Gang through joining the Eagles and embarking on a successful, hit-laden solo career, Walsh epitomized the sound of ‘70s rock guitar riffs and solos. There’s a reason he eventually found his way to Ringo’s All-Starr Band! So is he the definition of classic rock?Also, Greg takes this opportunity to chat about his Oasis obsession and shares his favorite Beach Boys song.Sponsored by Gibson: gibson.comFollow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoiFollow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrickGet at us: [email protected]/Text: 319-423-9734Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0dSubscribe to the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aXdYIDOmS8KtZaZGNazVb?si=c63d98737a6146afApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/100-guitarists/id1746527331