The Tone Mob Podcast

I had the opportunity to sit down with singer/songwriter Calder Allen when I was at Fairwell Fest over the summer. This dude didn't start writing until 2020 and he is already churning out some really incredible stuff. It's a quick one, but we had a really cool conversation about his story, fly fishing and a whole lot more. Enjoy! Check out Calder on his website HERE: https://www.calderallen.com/ ...

On this Fairwell Fest conversation, I sat down with The Band The Brook And The Bluff. Unlike most episodes, on this one I'm talking to the WHOLE BAND! These Fairwell Fest episodes are recorded in the "green room area' of the festival and it is a much different environment than I'm accustomed to, and I was running around like a maniac for the whole weekend. So you'll notice the vibe is slightly dif...

Barry is back on the podcast! Barry builds some of my favorite guitars ever, but he isn't just an expert luthier. Barry is an real deal acoustician by trade and has a vast array of experience managing, creating, and controlling sound in almost any environment imaginable. On this episode we talk about his transition to building guitars full time, and some of his more challenging builds as an acoust...

Does producing music work when there are a significant number of "cooks in the kitchen?" Can more brains on a project lead to a better outcome? Or does the result become a shadow of the former concept? Taylor and I dive into all of that, plus some REALLY exciting updates from the land of Mixwave, we talk in depth about his recent obsession with vintage guitars, "in-the-box" vs "out-of-the" box mix...

Colt Capperune is an incredibly talented music producer in Nashville, TN. This is his second appearance on the podcast and we recorded this at Sweetwater during Gearfest 2023. We are a bit delirious, but that sometimes that makes for the best episodes! Grills, lawn mowing, pellet smokers, and WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH DOLBY ATMOS???? We get into it, and I think you are going to like it! Make...

Spilly Cave is a fantastic guitarist, composer, video creator, and as it turns out... an EXCELLENT conversationalist. I met Spilly (Billy) through him becoming a Stringjoy artist, and just loving the music he makes after I discovered it. This dude spent multiple years posting videos EVERYDAY before he actually gained traction publicly, and we discuss his mindset/approach during that timeframe. He'...

My dude Ian Fowles is back on the podcast this week! If you are not familiar with The Aquabats, you need to get familiar. (Unless you are allergic to fun. If so, you are going to have a SERIOUS reaction.) Ian and I talk about balancing work life and Dad life while on tour, his signature pedal with RUDETECH, lefty guitars, and a whole lot more.  Give Ian a follow on his Instagram HERE: https://www....

Do you really have to give up ALL of your rights to get attention in the mainstream? Is country music having a Nirvana/Grunge moment? What drives folks to head to Nashville? Is it harder to make it now vs "the good old days"? Colby Acuff is a country music artist from Northern Idaho who is currently residing in Nashville. The dude has fantastic songwriting chops, and puts on a great live show. I a...

Mitch Stark is a guitarist and songwriter for the band Silent Planet. On this episode we take a deep dive into his backstory, the evolution of his guitar rig, some of his major influences, and how he is approaching songwriting these days. (Chester Bennington and crew have a lot to do with it! Give Mitch a follow on the ole Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/mitchastark/ Check out Silent Pla...

This week we have the comedy world's foremost guitar gear nerd on the podcast! Mr. Dave Hill has managed to pull together a rather fascinating career as a creative person. Dave is a published author, a professional stand-up comedian, a televison writer, a sketch comic, radio host, a musician and as I mentioned...obsessed with guitars. We had a great chat about his encounters with baboons in Africa...

Matthew Oram is a British luthier who is making some of the most striking, yet classic, designs that I have seen in recent memory. Taking inspiration from an old, forgotten treasure you might have uncovered in your Grandparent's attic, Matt is making guitars that feel like they should have existed for years, but somehow haven't. Until now! We also dive into diving into entrepreneurship with both f...

Starting a guitar store is really hard. Keeping a guitar store alive is even harder. Having a SUCCESSFUL guitar store when you are in a hyper-competitive and saturated market like Nashville is an insane task. Blair White is one of the founders of Eastside Music Supply in Nashville, TN and his team has managed to create a thriving store against all odds. I wanted to get him on the show to tell his...

Imagine your are flying to Africa on a hot tip. And that hot tip is that there is The Holy Grail of vintage Gibsons waiting for you there. Thats right. You are flying to Africa to acquire a 'Burst Les Paul for Joe Bonamassa. For John Shults, that is a part of his reality. John has a company called True Vintage Guitar and he makes his living by traveling all over the world hunting down the finest,...

On this episode I sat down with my dude Matt Holl from Wren & Cuff to chat about... Well... Big Muffs of course! But we didn't stop there! We dove deep down the rabbit hole of all things music. Including the somewhat controversial subject of paying for expertise. Whether that be a professional Mastering Engineer, an experienced Producer, or investing your money in an obsessively developed product....

You are in for a real treat with this episode folks! Today I'm talking with Gina Gleason from the legendary band, Baroness! We dive straight into her career and how she ended up playing in one of the most iconic bands to ever come out of Philly. But not before we dissect what life was like playing guitar for Cirque Du Soleil. Yes you read that correctly. We are talking about LITERAL guitar acrobat...

"We can't be everything to all people, or we'll end up being not anything to anybody." - Jeremie Murfin If you EVER thought about starting a guitar or musical instrument store, you really need to listen to this episode. Geoff and Jeremie are two of the partners in an epic independent guitar store called Five Star Guitars here in the Portland, Oregon area. They are celebrating their 25th anniversar...

On today's episode I sit down with flatpicking phenom Trey Hensley to discuss his story. The dude started out extremely young and almost immediately started performing live. All of these years later, he's not only one of the most sought after pickers in the bluegrass scene, but a wide ranging music enthusiast and super rad dude. You are in for a treat with this conversation! Check out Trey's websi...

The man, the myth, the guitar legend Ariel Posen has returned to the podcast for the third time! On this episode we dissect the idea of what makes up a "real song". Is one method of creation more valid than another? Does improvisation count as songwriting? Does more time spent on a project mean that more people will appreciate it? We dive into a all of this and a whole lot more on this episode of...

Sometimes you have to prank your bandmates into making the right choices! Andy Marsh from Thy Art Is Murder is on the podcast this week and we are talking about AMPS. Specifically Andy & co's journey through the world of high gain amplifiers and how they landed in the digital world for live use. We also talk about Andy's "hands-on" approach to running a band/business, and the type of mindset he ha...

"I think the road ahead is going to be a lot more difficult..." Those were the words that Derek Eastveld said to his family after Revv's very first NAMM show. On this episode Dan and Derek sat down with me to discuss the history of Revv as a company, and to dissect the challenges associated with running a guitar amplifier company in the modern era. This is a fantastic glimpse into the minds of som...

Nicole Papastavrou has been a part of the hardcore/death metal/progressive metal/heavy music community since she was a teenager. She is currently playing guitar and fronting the band Kallias. She has had a pretty wild musical journey that has taken her all across the globe, found her learning how to perform harsh vocals, and writing original music all the while. We had an epic conversation about h...

This one has been over a year in the making! I had the opportunity to sit down with Mark and Dan Gooday of Ashdown Engineering to chat at GearFest and we had an absolutely incredible chat! Ashdown is a UK based amplifier company that is most widely known for their innovations in the bass amplification market, and the iconic VU Meter adoring their equipment. Mark starts off the discussion by diving...

Kyle Bull, the High-Gain Chugmeister of YouTube fame, is on the podcast this week! We dive headfirst into his backstory, and he explains how he got into the content creation game in the first place. We also explore what he has planned for the future, how creators often find themselves in a content "crisis", the power of self-awareness, and much more. Kyle and I also explore the somewhat contentiou...

On this episode I sit down in person in The Shred Shed with local legend Scott Rivera of Scotties Pizza Parlor. Scott is not only a Portland pizza mainstay, but a dude straight out of the music scene that I came up in during the early 2000s. We discuss dangerously modified home ovens, how your business can end up running YOU, mental health, varying pizza styles, his experience growing up in the mu...

Has a human body ever been implemented into guitar pedal design? Does Josh Scott have an enclosure made of bones in his collection? Can volleyball save your life? Should fuzz pedals be integrated into chorus effects? When you die, will you become a tree? The answers to all of this and more on Ryans FOURTH appearance on the Tone Mob Podcast. Check out Tyrannochorus here https://fuzzrociouspedals.co...