Episode 6 - Andy Powers

Bill Schneider is a CA Bay Area based musician and band manager who has been involved with the SF music scene since the late 80’s. Not only has Bill played in bands such as Pinhead Gunpowder, The Influents, and Dead Sound, Bill has worked as a premier amp/ guitar technician (Joe Satriani, Green Day), managed multiple music shops (Broken Guitars, Black Market Music, Univibe), and is now working as a part of the management team for the legendary Green Day. Bill has played an integral part of designing Signature Models for members of Green Day…. working closely with Fender, Gibson, and the new Marshall 1959BJA Billie Joe Armstrong Signature Amplifier. In this interview, we talk about his entry to the Bay Area music scene, inception of early amp circuits, how to properly create a pirate radio station without going to prison, and of course…….Gear!

In this episode of Soundwall we interview Richard Hoover, the founder and Head Luthier of Santa Cruz Guitar Company.We discuss Richard's beginnings as a luthier, his philosophy on how to build the best sounding acoustic guitar, and the 50th anniversary of Santa Cruz Guitar Company.

Chris Dugan is a grammy winning recording engineer from Northern California. Although Chris is most known for his recordings and live Audio/Video productions with Green Day, he is a highly sought after engineer and mixer who has worked with the likes of Weezer, Alanis Morrisette, Fall Out Boy, Gaslight Anthem, Matt Nathanson, and Charger.In this Episode of Soundwall, we discuss going from recording in garages to major studios, great microphones that don’t break the bank, using plugins, and how to set up a simple home studio for those who want to start recording their own music. Enjoy!

David Victor is an amazing musician from the Ca East Bay Area. Although he is best known for Recording and Touring with Boston, David has committed his life to a host of other musical endeavors.In this episode, we discuss David’s journey to playing arena shows, his charitable work in “Harmony and Healing”, and starting protributebands.com 

In Episode 6, Adam interviews Andy Powers. Andy is CEO, President, and Chief Guitar Designer at Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, CA. Andy recently created Powers Electric, featuring a brand new electric guitar called the "A-Type", which has been an incredibly popular guitar at Danville Music!In this interview Andy discusses his beginnings tinkering in his Father's garage, making a living doing guitar repair, how he became an integral part of Taylor Guitars, and the process of creating a brand new style of electric guitar. 

In this episode, Adam interviews David Benson.David Benson is an incredibly talented musician, producer, and engineer hailing from California. His impressive list of artist he's worked with include Michael Jackson, Don Henley, Barry Manilow, Stevie Nicks, Barbara Streisand, and many, many more.His story was so interesting, we had to break the podcast into 2 parts.In Part 2, David discusses being a producer for American Idol, Clive Davis, and the television productions he's currently working on.

In Episode 4, Adam interviews David Benson.David Benson is an incredibly talented musician, producer, and engineer hailing from California. His impressive list of artist he's worked with include Michael Jackson, Don Henley, Barry Manilow, Stevie Nicks, Barbara Streisand, and many, many more.His story was so interesting, we had to break the podcast into 2 parts.In Part 1, Dave discuss his musical beginnings, his experiences as a keyboard tech and stage manager, starting a record label in Russia during the Cold War, and how to properly smuggle the Devil's Dandruff into the United States after attending a party with Pablo Escobar on the guest list.

This episode is an interview with Mike Kelly and Mark Yowe. Mike and Mark volunteer for Guitars for Vets in Martinez, California.Guitars for Vets (G4V) is a non-profit organizarion that serves at-risk United States Veterans impacted by PTSD and other service-related trauma. Through their unique, 10-week structured guitar instruction program, we put the healing power of music in the hands of our nation’s heroes, helping to foster renewal, connection and community. Visit guitars4vets.org for more information.

Jeff Tamelier is an established artist, musician, producer, and educator who has enjoyed playing with and producing artists from all walks of life, including Alternative, Country, Rock, Funk, Hip-Hop, R&B, Smooth Jazz, and Techno. Jeff has performed  and toured as lead guitarist for Tony Lindsay, Eddie Money, Tower of Power and with Mickey Thomas and ‘Starship’, while endorsing Dunlop, Fender, and Monster Cable. He learned the fundamentals of playing guitar at age 9 from blind teacher and mentor, Jim Phillips, aka “Blindgym,” joining his first band at age 11. In 1985, he joined Lydia Pense & ‘Cold Blood’, a popular East Bay band from Bill Graham’s San Francisco label. Today, Jeff spends time as President of House of Hansen Productions, LLC, where he is responsible for all music production and client services at The Track Shack Studios in Sacramento, CA, and performs regularly with various artists & bands at venues all over the Bay Area.In this interview we discuss the San Francisco music scene in the 60's-70's, working with Bill Graham, defending Starship's honor on the Howard Stern show, and gear!!!

As founder of the legendary Studio 880 in Oakland, John hosted recordings for Green Day, Beyoncé, The Killers, The Black Keys, and countless others. He led Walmart Soundcheck as Director of Audio Production, producing national concert events and helping define the corporate concert experience. John was responsible for personally mixing for artists like Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Keith Urban and many more for the in store and online releases of this series.. He’s also designed permanent sound systems for world-class venues like Union Square in San Francisco and consulted on hundreds of commercial and residential audio builds.Today, through Sound Advice Co., John helps artists build their business infrastructure, get noticed, and grow their careers — while also advising venues, restaurants, and home builders on custom sound environments.In this episode John discusses his trajectory into the music business, owning/running Studio 880 in Oakland CA, being a stuntman, and gear!!!!