The Tone Mob Podcast

The music gear business and the restaurant industry couldn't look more different to the untrained eye. Which is not unlike most people not seeing the similarities that chefs and musicians share. Chef Ricky Bella is an accomplished culinary expert, metalhead, massive music enthusiast, and a fellow guitar gear nerd. We went down the rabbit hole of his original aspirations as a metal guitarist, his j...

I've got a banger of an episode for you today! I'm talking to Devin Shidaker of The Acacia Strain and we dive down into the creative rabbit hole. We talk about how he ended up joining The Acacia Strain, his work at Balaguer Guitars, his personal approach to bands, songwriting and a whole lot more! Check out The Acacia Strain on THEIR WEBSITE Devin's Instagram is HERE You can keep the lights on and...

What is it like to end up playing guitar in your personal favorite band? That isn't a question that very many people get to answer, but Grayson Stewart is one of the few people on the planet that can actually talk about that subject. On this episode we dive into how Grayson joined Norma Jean, the journey he went on collecting gear for the role, how he approaches life in a heavy touring band, we di...

Joey Sturgis is a dude with a vast amount of experience in the music industry. He gained notoriety as a very popular producer in the metal community. He has worked with the likes of Asking Alexandria, We Came As Romans, The Devil Wears Prada and a whole lot more. But these days he is probably best known for his software endeavors. Joey Sturgis Tones is a his software company that makes absolutely...

A massive component of advancing in any career is building your network. So much of every opportunity that presents itself is based upon "who you know". But what if you don't know anyone working in the sphere you'd like to be in? On this episode, Blake talks to Matt about his career and how he managed to find himself working on such a wide variety of projects such as A Perfect Circle, Pucifer, Pop...

Colt Capperune is a very successful producer/recording engineer/content creator with a very inspiring story. He also has some insight into Apple's plans for integrating Dolby Atmos into Apple Music that could have MASSIVE implications for independent artists and their ability to achieve visibility in the same way that we've become accustomed to. On this episode we get into his career trajectory, h...

What is it like playing a three string guitar? Why would you need two tuner pedals on your guitar effects pedalboard? What makes Filtertrons so magical? Is pedal steel hard to play? Henri and I go over all of this and a whole lot more on this fresh episode of your friendly neighborhood guitar podcast! Make sure you check out Starcrawler on their website here: https://www.starcrawlermusic.com/ Give...

The Balkun Brothers are an epic two-piece rock band from Connecticut. Steve and Nick formed their band after being arrested in New Hampshire. Which is not exactly the most common starting point for a band. We quickly bonded over a mutual LOVE of pizza, and we went down the deep rabbit hole of baritone guitars, why you need one, and what makes them so special. Check out the VIDEO that introduced me...

The Shootouts play both kinds of music. That's right both of them. Country AND Western. The band also has a ripping guitar player named Brian Poston. Brian came on the show today to talk about his experiences working with and meeting some absolute legends in the country music scene, as well as some of his personal musical heroes. (Marty Stewart and Jim Campilongo anyone?) We also talk about his gu...

Browne Amplification has really blown up in the last few years. Thanks in large part to The Protein Dual Overdrive Pedal. On this episode we discuss how Josh Scott (of JHS Pedals) convinced him to give surface mount components a try in his guitar pedals, germanium transistors, how he was able to make the leap from touring tech to owning a manufacturing operation, the perils of operating a small bu...

First Act is a brand that almost nobody associates with a high quality instrument. We are used to seeing them in the Walmart toy section, not in the hands of professional touring musicians. But at some point in the mid-2000s First Act created their own Custom Shop. These instruments went into the hands of some very popular musicians of the era, and are experiencing a serious resurgence all these y...

This episode is definitely something different! On this one you are getting something a little different. Today Sean Arbow of Gunstreet and Scott Marquart of Stringjoy are on the podcast to announce that Stringjoy and Gunstreet are officially teaming up! This is something that we've all been working on behind the scenes on this merger for a very long time, so it is very exciting to finally have th...

Carlos Lopez has a fascinating story. On this episode we explore how his extreme level of focus have guided him through his career. From his early days in East LA as a boxer, to attending Musician's Institute, getting a job a Fender Musical Instruments, becoming a freaking MASTER BUILDER in the Fender Custom Shop... and then heading out on his own adventure with Castedosa Guitars. It is a fantasti...

Thursday is an absolutely incredible and influential band so you can imagine how excited I was to sit down and talk with guitarist Steve Pedulla for this very special episode of the podcast. On this episode we dive into Steve's gear journey in a very extensive way. Starting with his Gibson SG, and landing in Telecaster land. We really went down the rabbit hole of his guitar pedal choices, his digi...

Jo Braga is the insanely talented and very hard working creator behind the YouTube channel Pedal Playhouse. It is one of the most entertaining and unique viewing experiences in the guitar gear content world. What started out as a very light and bouncy episode took a very unexpected turn when Jo told me her full story. That said, her insane positivity and bubbly personality somehow still managed to...

On this very special video episode of the podcast I invited my friend Dewey Halpaus of The Peer Pleasure Podcast to the Shred Shed for a TWO HOUR conversation of epic proportions. We intended on this being a recap of our podcast lives in 2022, and we definitely got into how things are changing for his podcast, as well as my own. Including a new effort focused on YouTube for me! The chat included a...

This episode is absolutely insane! Big KO and I sit down with the guitar legend Eddie Martinez for one of the most epic chats in the history of this show. Whether you know it or not, you have almost certainly heard Eddies guitar playing. The tracks are too numerous to list, but some names include RUN DMC, Meatloaf, Mick Jagger, Patti LaBelle, and many more. We had a blast and I think you are going...

Mo Tedder is a songwriter from Nashville, TN who has an extremely interesting story! I met her on one of my plane rides back home from Nashville, and we talked for basically the entire flight. Once she told me about her work with Healing Heartstrings, I knew I had to get her on the podcast. She takes people in the their darkest moments and helps them write and create songs to help them manage thei...

Chris Gill has worked in the music industry in many different capacities over the years, but is most well known for his long tenures at Guitar Player & Guitar World Magazines. He has interviewed the most famous guitarists on the planet hundreds of times, (Eddie Van Halen, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons etc.) collected hundreds of pieces of gear, did artist management at Boardwalk Records, and just gener...

Today I am talking to Dan and Krystal from a company called Online Marketing. (No it isn't necessarily THAT kind of online marketing). They hold a rather unique position in the musical instruments market that I do not think most people have considered or are even aware exists. We talk about what that is, what the purpose of the company is and go over some products from a couple of the brands that...

Hemorage are a San Francisco based band who have made a name for themselves by performing heavy thrash metal out of their van. They just pull up outside of a venue (oftentimes venues that refused to book them) and rip a fantastic set right in the street. We talk about the philosophy behind this process, what their rigs look like, the goals for the band and a whole lot more! Check out the band at t...

This is definitely one of those "pinch me" moments. Chris Shiflett is not only a member of one of the raddest bands of all time, but he also is the host of a podcast that I love called Walking The Floor which you definitely should be listening to. This was truly an epic conversation where we break down his process, talk about how he started his podcast, get into how he got into Foo Fighters, and a...

This is a long overdue episode! I am bringing back one of my favorite people, Bob Keeley himself. When Rob agreed to come on the podcast way back in 2015, I was not only flabergasted that he agreed to it, but it was one of the best episodes of this show that has been published. Rob is back and giving us a much needed update on the state of Keeley Electronics, talking about collaborating with Andy...

On this glorious episode, Ryan Ratajski from Fuzzrocious Pedals returns to the podcast to nerd out with Blake about Thrice's Alchemy Index, talk about his new collaboration with the band Cave In, and just generally hag out for a fun chat. Ryan has become a true friend of the show for several years, and this is officially his fourth podcast appearance. Check his wares out at his website.  The Tone...

Lots of people have theorized that the video game "Rock Band" may have kick started a whole generation of guitarists. Ayla proves that that might just be true. We had a great conversation about bringing just what the song needs to the table, technical ability vs songwriting, asking about the death of "genre" saying "YES" to everything and a whole lot more! Check her out on YouTube & Instagram as w...