The Tone Mob Podcast

On this episode of the Tone Mob Podcast, Blake is joined by Jesse and William of Top House for a conversation that starts with a ghost in the machine and ends somewhere between band mythologies and pizza philosophies. They unpack the chaotic beauty of songwriting, the grimy reality of touring (spoiler: pee when you can), and why having a fake country band called “Cornfield Boys” might just be the...

This week on The Tone Mob Podcast, Blake Wyland sits down with Steve Cobucci — guitarist, gear junkie, and founding member of Wolves at the Gate — to talk about the beautiful mess that is making music for a living. Steve kicks things off with the story of his first guitar: a classical hand-me-down from his mom, followed by a hard-earned Gibson Les Paul — because if you're gonna make noise, you mig...

From Garage Bands to Gibson: Mike Lawson’s Wild Ride Through the Music Industry In this episode of The Tone Mob Podcast, Blake Wyland sits down with Mike Lawson—musician, publisher, gear designer, and all-around music industry lifer. From his early days jamming in Florida to shaping the future of music education and publishing, Mike's career has spanned decades of innovation, reinvention, and pure...

I've been working on this for months now, and it is finally here! Introducing my new podcast that I created with my friend, business partner, and Tone Mob Podcast alumni, Scott Marquart. If you like the... odd side of music, you'll enjoy these tales. You can find Tape Spaghetti on the same platforms you get The Tone Mob Podcast as well as video episodes on YouTube. Here is the description for this...

On this episode of the podcast I have my good buddy Joel Korte of Chase Bliss back on the podcast to tell the tale of how he and the legendary AnalogMike came together to create the Brothers AM. We also get into some of the behind the scenes details of how Chase Bliss operates, and the harsh realities Joel & Co have had to navigate. It ain't all sunshine and rainbows, but it is fascinating! Enjoy!...

Andrew Spann is a guitarist/musician/frontman for the band low before the breeze. I met Andrew through the podcast itself, and I really, really enjoy the band's output. Plus being a gearhead, he was a natural fit for the show! We discuss Andrew's early experiences with music, the role of gear in his creative process, and the development of his vocal techniques. The conversation also gets into the...

On this episode of the podcast I experience another one of those "pinch me" moments! Red Fang has been a huge influence on me in both a musical sense and in some of my personal gear choices. Bryan and I discuss a whole bunch of stuff on this slightly condensed episode, including: Soundgarden, and their influence on the band The Sunn Beta Lead Amplifier (of course) Intra-band creative conflict and...

Emily Wolfe has returned for another episode! Since I have her by herself this time, I wanted to chat with her about her career since we recorded her last solo episode. There is a ton of "life" talk on this episode as we get caught up, and we cover a ton of ground including: Her new Tone Pack with STL Tones The importance of separation in personal and professional life Creativity can be sparked by...

The Bouncing Souls are an iconic melodic punk band from New Jersey. They are a personal favorite of mine and have been for over 20 years. Pete is also the owner of what I consider to be one of the raddest guitars in music history. It is a 1979 White Les Paul Custom that has the most iconic legit playwear that I have ever seen! We talk about that and a lot of other stuff like: The early days of the...

If you love guitar, gear, synths, or effects pedals... There is a good chance that you have heard of the company Meris. Meris makes some of the most awesome signal processing/producing devices that are currently available on the market. I absolutely love their stuff! And if you know about Meris, then you have been exposed to Jinna's incredible handiwork on the brand, the wonderfully inspired launc...

What an episode!!!! Today I'm talking to Tracii from LA Guns! I start off with telling Tracii a little tale from my childhood that centers around his band. It is quite a fond rock'n'roll memory for me. (I think you'll appreciate it.) We dive right into some gear talk, and the first subject might be a little bit surprising. Along the way we discuss the joy of pursuing a career that aligns with pers...

WOW. That is first word that came to mind when I went to write this episode description because this episode is AWESOME. Reverend Peyton is well known as a master of slide guitar and country-blues style music. But the man is quite simply a guitar and music obsessive. You are going to love this episode. We talk about things like: A brawl that involved Fletcher from Pennywise, Alesana, and a half-bl...

What is going to happen to "guitar media" personalities in 30 years? Will I still be interviewing guitarists? Will Ryan still be engaging in shenanigans? Is it possible that all of this will still be around? Ryan Burke is a fellow guitar podcaster and popular YouTube personality. He and I have been buddies since about 2015. In that time the guitar media business has completely changed. (Maybe we s...

Brian Fallon is the frontman for the legendary New Jersey Band The Gaslight Anthem and Emily Wolfe is an amazing guitarist/songwriter/singer/force of nature. They have both been on the podcast independently multiple times and when I saw that they went on tour together and became pals... I had to get them on for an epic dual-guest episode! On this one, a lot of goofing off occurs. Because that is w...

On this episode I have a super rad chat with Mike Stern. A guitarist who's co-conspirators include other greats such as Blood, Sweat & Tears, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorius, Eric Johnson and more! We talk his current rig, his past vs current approach to the instrument, pedalboard order, our thoughts on "practice" and a whole lot more! Enjoy it folks! Check out more info on Mike on his website HERE ht...

I've got a hot one for you this week! On this episode I'm talking to none other than the legend himself, Mr. Brian Ray. Brian is best known for playing guitar with the absolute powerhouse that is Sir Paul McCartney for the last 20 years. But his credits don't stop there! Brian also played with the fabulous Etta James for 14 years and shared the stage or collaborated with the likes of Keith Richard...

NAMM is officially over and I am releasing this before midnight Pacific time so I am still offically on schedule! On this episode, I am talking to my other business partner, Sean Arbow of Gunstreet to get into what the heck he's been up to the last few years. And let me tell you, it is a LOT of stuff. We chat about: The growth over the last two years. Solderless technology in guitars Understanding...

Drayton Farley is an incredible musician from Alabama. His music and songwriting is definitely in the Americana/Country/Singer-Songwriter vein, but what I didn't know is that this dude is a legit metalhead. The conversation spans a great many subjects from Drayton's top 7 listened to songs, his compact pedalboard, the Kendrick vs Drake beef, how he got hooked up with Martin Guitars, how horrible t...

In this episode I am joined by Mark Turley and Steve Peterson from Summer School Electronics. They discuss the origins of their company, the challenges and excitement surrounding the NAMM show, and the complexities of explaining the music industry to outsiders. The conversation also touches on nostalgia for 90s music and the evolution of musical tastes over time. In this conversation, the speakers...

I have a very special guest on this episode of the podcast, and that guest is none other than Jordan Buckley of Better Lovers & Every Time I Die. We discuss a TON of things on this episode, and there is some fun gear chat at the end for us tone nerds. But the bulk of the episode revolves around things like: Processing massive personal challenges in the public eye The emotional challenges of the mu...

On this special edition of the podcast, we have one more "Gift Swap" episode with my "other show", The Chasing Tone Podcast! Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to interview Gabe Dalporto, the current CEO of Guitar Center. As the head of the worlds largest music retail store he has probably seen more amazing string, valve, and transistor based toys than most of us can dream of. Gabe's story...

Brent Mason is an absolute legend in the guitar world. Not only for his chameleon like ability to adapt to any song, but also for his technical precision and speed. He is also one of the most prolific guitarists on the planet having played on basically any 1990s country song that matters, and a whole bunch of songs you never would have expected. On top of all of that, he's a heck of a nice guy and...

Have you heard of Warm Audio? If you've been around the audio world for the last decade or so then I'm sure that answer is "Yes!" But what do you know about Warm Audio? Who is behind the company? How did they come to own a piece of the rack real estate inside almost every major studio? And they are making pedals now? What's up with that? Today I get into the Warm Audio story with the folks behind...

On this episode I am sitting down and chewing the fat with Mike Poorman aka Woodshop Mike. I met Mike during a dinner with the StewMac folks at NAMM, and he had a different story than many other "guitar youtuber" friends of mine. So I knew I wanted to get him on the show to share his rather unique tale with all of you. Mike is a content creator who got his start in woodworking by building a neck-t...

On today's episode I'm chatting with renowned guitarist Tim Pierce. (This is wildly exciting for me!) Some of the artists that Tim has worked with include Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Phil Collins, The Goo Goo Dolls, Celine Dion, and many, many more. We discuss Tim's extensive career in the music industry, his early inspirations, the evolution of gear, the challenges of being a session musician t...