Couch Riffs

Our guest for this episode is Kirk Douglas of The Roots . Kirk has probably found himself in more extraordinary musical situations than any of our guests before him. In addition to holding down the guitar position in The Roots and on Jimmy Fallon's Late Night Show he released an album last year by the name of Hundred Watt Heart . If you're a fan of nasty guitar riffs and tones, Gibson's through Ma...

Our 100th guest is Jason Dove, a very funny comedian, musician, and creator and operator of Chibson USA which is, of course, the very thing that Instagram was invented for (I'm pretty sure). There were quite a lot of laughs in this episode but we managed to get serious a few times. Jason has an interesting path that brought him to where he's at now with Chibson USA and it was an absolute pleasure...

Our guest this episode is Ben Weinman, founding member and leader of the incredible but defunct band The Dillinger Escape Plan. As of late he has been managing artists , raising a family, and managing a farm of rescue animals in rural New Jersey. A TON of energy goes in to maintaining this rescue and I would recommend checking out a little about that HERE . You can support the efforts of this resc...

Our guest for this episode is the multi-instrumentalist member of The Decemberists, Chris Funk. Chris knows his way around a studio and has recorded and produced albums by Red Fang, The Builders and The Butchers, and Langhorne Slim and also puts his dobro talents to good use in Black Prairie, an eclectic and dreamy band with a blend of bluegrass, klezmer, and soundtrack-oriented vibes. I had a gre...

Our guest on this episode is LG, the singer/guitarist and leader of Thelma and The Sleaze. If you haven't heard their newest album "Fuck, Marry, Kill" you should go do that now, before you even listen to our conversation. TATS has been a band for 10 years, recording and touring across the US with an energy unparalleled. Don't miss them when you get the chance to see the band again. Go support them...

Our guest on this episode is Barrett Jones, owner and operator of Laundry Room Studio. Barrett has been involved in some of the most important recordings you've heard! AND, he's got a really interesting history going all the way back to DC in his teens, recording bands out of his parents' home and later group houses where he lived. From the very word go he was recording some noteworthy and histori...

Our guest this episode is the incredibly multi-talented Myles Kennedy (Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, Alter Bridge, The Mayfield 4). This is one of the sweetest, most genuine folks you'll meet and he has a true passion for music that is clear and evident in this conversation. It has been a pleasure for me to get to know him a little over the years but this conversation was certain...

This episode we are pleased to be speaking with Scott Marceau of Yamaha. I've had a fairly long relationship with Yamaha and getting to know Scott has been a genuine pleasure. This week I'd have been seeing him in Nashville at Summer NAMM if it weren't for the pandemic conditions and so we instead enjoy this lengthy conversation about what ever we feel like. I hope you enjoy! If you are enjoying C...

I was very happy to have Don Gunn on the podcast this episode. Don is responsible for a lot of great sounding recordings and mixes (some that we've worked on together, even) including some Couch Riffs performance videos as of late. He's also one of the most entertaining folks to work with in a studio environment and is always down for a laugh. Did I mention he is a great drummer? It shouldn't come...

This episode features my guest William DuVall, most famously known as the lead singer of Alice in Chains but who had a long musical career leading up to that eventual position. We cover a ton of William's punk roots very candidly in this episode and I had an absolute Bl'ast (heh, heh) hearing him tell some great stories. There is a tiny bit of audio drop in this episode when William leaves home an...

My guest on this episode is Bob Balch of the mighty Fu Manchu. This band came on my radar so many years ago and I had the pleasure of opening for them and seeing them on a few occasions. This band, and Bob, always deliver the goods! Be sure to check out one or all of Bob's other projects which include his online teaching website PlayThisRiffs.com, his online lessons, and Big Scenic Nowhere. I hope...

My guest on this episode has had a number of killer gigs over the last 3 decades across all kinds of punk and rock bands including Murphy's Law, Faster Pussycat, US Bombs, and most recently LA Guns. As all Couch Riffs podcast episodes go we covered a TON of ground in this candid conversation about life, music, horror movies, dogs, and even managed to talk about guitars a little bit. I hope you enj...

Our guest on Episode 89 is a living legend in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. Mr Kurt Bloch has been blazing the guitar since the 70s and also happens to have one of the craziest guitar collections around Seattle. This conversation was a blast and we covered everything from his deep interest and knowledge of Coronets/Wilshires/Crestwoods to his seeing Van Halen and Judas Priest separat...

This episode features guest Brandon Ethridge who is, unless I'm mistaken, our first pianist/keyboardist. At least, our first with this as their primary instrument. Brandon has had such an interesting path to becoming a rock musician and such a great career once he was on that path. He's currently in Wichita KS rehabbing a home he bought during the pandemic gig-drought and will be appearing in a Co...

Dennis Leeflang is a Dutch drummer living in the states now for many years first in NY and now LA. We met 10 or so years ago in Seattle while he was touring with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and stayed in touch through social media. Dennis is another resourceful musician who has found a way to make Covid-era life actually work for him by continuing to record drums for many folks who are using their time...

Every time I think I can't possibly enjoy doing this podcast more something like this episode happens. My guest is Steve Hall who has a very different day job than most musicians. He's venture capital investor and has spent many years managing the financial investments of Paul Allen. In the last few years Steve has relaxed himself some and started pursue some more creative ventures like partnering...

My guest this episode is Dejha who possesses one of my absolute favorite singing voices. After being a fan and knowing each other for years, playing together here and there, we started co-writing songs at a time when we lived completely across the country from one another which is very similar to how folks are making music during the pandemic isolation now. Dejha has fronted and led many bands tha...

Toby Fresh , aka DV One , is a member of the Rock Steady Crew and an old-school b-boy and fixture in the Seattle hip hop scene, though he resides in Hawaii now. We met while we both had gigs at a casino north of Seattle and after a conversation we decided we'd trade guitar lessons for DJ lessons. Toby is also a very active jiu jitsu and fight trainer and the former DJ for the Seattle Seahawks whic...

Mike Doughty is an accomplished singer and songwriter with nearly 20 albums in his catalog. After forming and fronting NYC's Soul Coughing in the 90s Mike went on to carve out his own way as a solo artist in a completely new and uncharted environment where he continues to this day. Patreon contributors play a huge role in Mike's current world and he currently maintains and contributes to a support...

Our guest on this episode is Mike Gurnari of the legendary NYHC band, Madball. Mike has been with the band for just over 2 years as of the publishing of this podcast and has a very simple and immediate story of how that came to be. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him about playing, tattoo shop life, and guitars. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed having it.  If you enjoy Couch Ri...

Our guest on this episode is the legendary Wayne Kramer of MC5 . But, there is much more to Wayne's story than simply being the guitarist and leader of one of the most important bands of all time. I cheated some before this conversation and listened to Wayne narrate the audio book recording of his 2018 published, The Hard Stuff . I highly recommend picking up the book and/or listening to him perso...

Blag Dahlia , aka Blag The Ripper, is the leader of legendary punk band The Dwarves who have been pushing boundaries and melting brains since the mid-80s. Blag, it turns out, is quite well spoken which I was expecting. I wasn't really expecting him to be so nice, honestly. Funny, sure. But, I had a great time learning about some of his and the Dwarves' history and his plans for.a new Blag album. A...

This episode features guest Kathy Moore , one of the most in-demand and active guitarists in all of Seattle. We met a handful of years ago and it is always an absolute joy to see her perform and usually we can chat briefly when we cross paths but this was a great conversation for getting to know her story. Studied in jazz and orchestral band, Kathy didn't start playing guitar until she was 21 year...

Ken Haas owns and operates Reverend Guitars in Ohio, USA and we are happy to have him as a guest on the Couch Riffs podcast this episode! Reverend Guitars has been producing amazing guitars since the late 90s and I remember when they arrived on the scene, surprising folks with their alternative body construction and cool retro-futuristic shapes. I was always a fan and remain a fan. In this episode...

Dustin Boyer is one of the most entertaining people to hang out with and talk to. There is literally no time for slowing down a conversation. But, more importantly you are hoping that some of his magic will rub off on you just from hanging out with him because he is a MONSTER guitar player. He has a ton of performing and recording experience beyond his own bands and projects and his ongoing work w...