The Riff Raff with Shane Theriot

My guest today is Mr. Johnny Neel. How do you describe Johnny Neel? Well he is easily one on the most brilliant musicians I’ve ever worked with- keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, producer etc…  Maybe start with one part Leon Russell, morph together with Ray Charles and add a dash of Thelonius Monk and a pinch of Art Tatum. Maybe a touch of Jaco’s basslines too.  Johnny is best known for being a f...

My guest today is Emily Hughes, filmmaker and also the daughter of the late guitar giant, Lenny Breau.  In this interview Emily discusses her fathers legacy and her new film entitled " The Genius of Lenny Breau Remembered" as well as the first documentary she did back in 1999- "The Genius of Lenny Breau."   I highly recommend watching both of these excellent documentaries to get a...

My guest today is Pat Bergeson . Pat is an amazing guitarist, a natural who is at ease with virtually any style. His credits include Lyle Lovett, Shelby Lynne, Suzy Bogguss, Butch Trucks and many, many more. As Pat will tell you though, the one that is probably the game changer for him is the phone call he got from Chet Atkins that changed his life and career.   Not only a great guitarist, Pat is...

My guest today is Mr. Audley Freed. As with most of my guests on Riff Raff it kinda goes without saying that Audley is a badass player and his credits most certainly back this up but if there was an also award for “most humble guitar player” Audley would most certainly win it hands down. Never one to brag or name drop, he is instead constantly downplaying his achievements but not in a false way at...

How do you land a gig with one of the icons of American music and keep it for 45 years? Ask todays guest- Mickey Raphael . Unless your name is Keith Richards,  I don’t know anyone who has had a gig for as long as he has, much less on harmonica. Mickey is one of the best harmonica players on the scene and has been a member of Willie Nelson’s band for over 4 decades. Besides all the great gigs with...

                                                            ( L-R)  Andy Reiss, Harold Bradley, Shane Theriot  My guest today is a now legendary figure in the history of Nashville and a member of the original “A”- team of session musicians. Mr. Harold Bradley . And, as one of the most recorded guitarists in history, if not the most (he has the session logs and union contracts to prove it) he playe...

 OK so there is really no need to introduce Daryl Hall here. Everyone knows that he’s one of the greatest rock, R&B and pop singers ever and half of the most successful pop/rock duo of all time Daryl Hall and John Oates. He’s written some of the biggest hits of the last 30 years as well as the deeper cuts that perhaps not well as known but that are still as fresh and inventive both lyrically a...

My guest this episode is Mr. Oz Noy. One of the most accomplished guitarists out there on the scene today, Oz has it all- amazing chops, vocabulary, technique, all delivered with touch, soul and tone. His  9 solo records capture all of this and, if that's not enough there's more; he uses the best rhythm sections in the world, surrounding himself with drummers including Dave Weckl, Keith Ca...

My guest today is Mr. Sonny Landreth. Sonny is a singer, songwriter and guitarist who is probably the most innovative slide guitar player ever. Just ask Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford and his many legions of guitar fans. I first got hip to Sonny when I got a copy of his record called Outward Bound , which is still one of my favorite records of his. He’s had a very long and successful car...

  What is it about Texas and it's reputation for gunslingin' killer guitar players? You know the old cliche' "something in the water?", well, this certainly applies to the Lone Star State...think of the guitarists that have emerged from here- Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughn, Eric Johnson, Billy Gibbons, David Holt, Charlie Sexton, and newer cats like Carter Arrington- etc..but way...

My guest today is Mr. Tommy Malone. You know there is just something about hearing someone from South Louisiana belt out a vocal or play a guitar solo- they just seem to have a certain "thing" to the way they phrase and deliver a line and my guest Tommy Malone certainly epitomizes that.   Tommy is a New Orleans based singer/songwriter and guitarist who, in my opinion is criminally overlook...

My guest today is Mr. Adam Levy. Finesse, feel, restraint and taste. That’s what I think of when I hear Adam play. Perhaps best known for being a member of Norah Jones band in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, Adam has also done other high profile gigs, among them playing with Tracy Chapman (remember “Gimme one reason to leave here?” - then you’ve heard Adam cause that’s him playing the guitar solo on t...

My guest today is singer/songwriter/guitarist and my friend, Madeleine Peyroux . Known for her sultry, retro vocal style and phrasing, Madeleine is an internationally known jazz and blues artist having headlined some of the biggest jazz festivals around the world -from Europe to Japan- and all points in between. (As an on and off member of her band for the past 10 years, I got to play at a ton of...

My guest today is Mr.  Avi Bortnick. In a world filled with shredding guitar players who can play a gazillion notes and play over every chord change known to man, and teenage girls playing Van Halen's "Eruption", it’s refreshing to hear a player like Avi who can make a crowd groove with simple but effectively placed rhythm part. Although perhaps he is best known for being a member of J...

My guest today is Mr. Jon Herington. Currently the guitarist for Steely Dan, Jon has long been one of NYC’s top tier musicians and first call cats. His resume boasts many credits, (including Boz Scaggs, Michael Brecker, Bill Evans, Bette Midler, Madeleine Peyroux and many others,) but the mainstay of his workload is the coveted guitar chair with Steely Dan, a gig he has held since 1999. As you&#39...

My guest today is Mark Egan. Mark is a world renowned bassist, composer and bandleader who has recorded and performed with many of the greats in the world of music.  He was an original member of the Pat Metheny group , the first incarnation of the band which produced such classic records as American Garage . Mark has also recorded many of his own projects and solo records; perhaps the best known o...

My guest today is Mr. Zachary Richard .  Songwriter, performer, poet, activist.  Zachary is like a "Cajun- renaissance" man, who has never ceased promoting and educating others about the French identity of South Louisiana and his Cajun heritage. Beginning his career in the early 1970’s up to now- with almost 25 albums to his name, Grammy nominations, 3 volumes of poetry and even children&#...

Although he grew up in a small town just south of London, England, spend some time listening to Jon Cleary and you will swear he is the result of some sort of super-engineering experiment that sought to combine the absolute best of New Orleans/Funk/ Soul music into one performer- it’s in his DNA- from the way he plays to the subtle ways it permeates his native English accent. In addition to being...

My guest today is Mr. Will Lee. What can you say about Will that hasn’t already been said? He’s one of the most recorded bassists ever-     He hit the ground running in NYC after landing the gig with Dreams at age 18 and hasn’t looked back appearing on well over 1000 records. He’s also a very talented singer and sang on many jingles that you probably didn’t even realize he was on.  And even if you...

My guest today is Mr. John Leventhal. John is a guitarist, songwriter and producer, having won 5 Grammys  and 16 nominations for records he has produced. (I may be incorrect about this, it might actually be more…)   As usual on the Riff Raff, I have “selfish” ulterior motives and tend to interview people who were influential to me as a guitarist/producer and John is at the top of that list. He was...

Today’s guest is Mr. Warren DeMartini. Warren is best known as being the badass guitar gunslinger in one of the most prolific and massively successful of the 80’s bands- that would be Ratt.   If you’ve been listening to Riff Raff for a while you’ll know that everyone on the show was an influence or even hero of mine and Warren is no certainly no exception- he had a huge impact on my own playing an...

My guest today is Mr. Dweezil Zappa. I first met Dweezil a few years back at the Crown of the Continent Guitar Festival- an amazingly beautiful locale next to Glacier Lake in Bigfork, Montana where we were both teaching and performing. We hit it off and did a lot of jamming and trading ideas together in between our classes. Fast forward to this year and we’re at it again, teaching a weeklong maste...

My guest today is Mr. Kirk Covington.  You know, out of all the musicians that I can think of, there aren’t many that are as freakishly talented as Kirk. I mean I know guys can play a little of this and that on drums and keys, guitar , that kind of thing. But Kirk plays at such a ridiculously high level on drums, keys and vocals that it’s kinda not fair!….. One of my favorite bands and a huge infl...

My guest today is guitarist, vocalist and composer Leni Stern. Leni is someone I consider to be a good friend, as we’ve known each other for 16 years.  She’s one of the most inspiring musicians I happen to know and  - her contagious laugh and positive energy is something I never get tired of being around. Although she is married to guitarist Mike Stern ( check out my 4th podcast) - Leni has her ow...

My guest today is Mr. Johnny Vidacovich-  In a town that is filled with great drummers, all with their own unique style and approach, Johnny Vidacovich easily qualifies as an institution in the New Orleans music scene. His career spans 5 decades and he’s played with a who’s who of New orleans music royalty- Danny Barker, Professor Longhair, James Booker, Johnny Adams,  Astral Project, and many man...