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Get out the Kleenex, hankies, or whatever you use to wipe away your tears: It's the last episode of this season of Shred With Shifty, a media event more consequential and profound than the finales of White Lotus and Severance combined. But there'll be some tears of joy, too, because on this episode, Chris Shiflett talks with one of country music's greatest players: Vince Gill. Gill's illustrious solo career speaks for itself, and he's played with everyone from Reba McEntire and Patty Loveless to Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton. He even stepped into the Eagles after Glenn Frey's death in 2017. His singing prowess is matched by his grace and precision on the fretboard, skills which are on display on the melodic solo for “One More Last Chance.” He used the same blackguard 1953 Fender Telecaster that you see in this interview to record the lead, although he might not play the solo the exact way he did back in 1992. Tune in to learn how Gill dialed his clean tone with a tip from Roy Nichols, why he loves early blackguard Telecasters and doesn't love shredders, and why you never want to be the best player during a studio session. If you're able to help, here are some charities aimed at assisting musicians affected by the fires in L.A: https://guitarcenterfoundation.org https://www.cciarts.org/relief.htmlhttps://www.musiciansfoundation.org https://fireaidla.org https://www.musicares.org https://www.sweetrelief.org Full Video Episodes: http://volume.com/shifty Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1690423642 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4B8BSR0l78qwUKJ5gOGIWb iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shred-with-shifty-116270551/ Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shred-with-shifty/PC:1001071314 Follow Chris Shiflett: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisshiflettmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shifty71 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.shiflett Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisshiflett71 Website: http://www.chrisshiflettmusic.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5tv5SsSRqR7uLtpKZgcRrg?si=26kWS1v2RYaE4sS7KnHpag Producer: Jason Shadrick Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis Engineering support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion Video Editor: Addison Sauvan Graphic Design: Megan Pralle Special thanks to Jon Romeo, Michelle Yoon, Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
The Cars' self-titled 1978 debut record changed the world of power pop forever. Guitarist and co-vocalist Ric Ocasek penned all the tunes, but lead guitarist Elliott Easton transformed them with his tasteful 6-string stylings. This time on Shred With Shifty, Easton sits down with Chris Shiflett to show him how to play the solo from “My Best Friend's Girl.” Born in Brooklyn before winding up in Long Island, Easton washed dishes to save up for his first 1971 Fender Telecaster, and after high school he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he picked up key theory and technique that he still holds dear. Reared on country and rockabilly players like Roy Buchanan, Jesse Ed Davis, Gram Parsons, James Burton, and Roy Nichols, Easton brought a slick twang to Ocasek's new-wave gems. Easton tells Shifty how the band came to work with producer Roy Thomas Baker in London, while crashing at a label-provided mansion nearby and driving a loaned Jaguar and Land Rover to the sessions. Easton's celebrated leads didn't take long to come together. “On my mother's memory, I did all my guitar parts in a day and a half,” he says. All he had with him was a 1978 or '77 Telecaster with a Bartolini Firebird-style mini humbucker in it, a red Les Paul, a Martin acoustic, and two effects: the brand-new Boss CE-1 and a Morley EVO-1 Echo Volume pedal. His amp of choice in those days? An Ampeg VT-22 or VT-40. After running down his giddy-up guitar parts from “Best Friend's Girl,” Easton talks about which modern players impress him, why he doesn't consider himself a shredder, and the experience of working with Mutt Lange: “I spent as much time tuning with him as playing!” If you're able to help, here are some charities aimed at assisting musicians affected by the fires in L.A: https://guitarcenterfoundation.org https://www.cciarts.org/relief.html https://www.musiciansfoundation.org https://fireaidla.org https://www.musicares.org https://www.sweetrelief.org Full Video Episodes: http://volume.com/shifty Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1690423642 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4B8BSR0l78qwUKJ5gOGIWb iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shred-with-shifty-116270551/ Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shred-with-shifty/PC:1001071314 Follow Chris Shiflett: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisshiflettmusic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shifty71 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chris.shiflett Twitter: https://twitter.com/chrisshiflett71 Website: http://www.chrisshiflettmusic.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5tv5SsSRqR7uLtpKZgcRrg?si=26kWS1v2RYaE4sS7KnHpag Producer: Jason Shadrick Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis Engineering support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion Video Editor: Addison Sauvan Graphic Design: Megan Pralle Special thanks to Jon Romeo, Michelle Yoon, Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
To Support the Channel:Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AskZacTip jar: https://paypal.me/AskZacVenmo @AskZac Or check out my store for merch - www.askzac.comIn August 1998, I was reading the latest Guitar Player Magazine and excitedly read a feature on the new guitarist for Merle Haggard's Strangers, Redd Volkaert. In the accompanying photo, he was captured holding a number of Roy Nichols-era Haggard albums, and cradling a number of vintage Telecasters, including a blackguard. In the article, Redd promoted his new "Telewacker" album and professed his love for Nichols, and I knew that this was the man that was going to bring the Telecaster sound back to the Hag's lead guitar spot. As much as I had loved the 1980s-era Roy and later Clint Strong with their Les Paul and Peavey Session 400 rigs, I had longed to hear the tunes played with a Tele and a JBL-equipped Fender amp. I soon learned that Haggard was playing nearby and I immediately bought a ticket to see Merle and the Strangers for their show on September 4th, 1998, in Corpus Christi, Texas. For the entire show, Redd was on-fire, as he paid homage to his predecessors, yet put his spin on the guitar parts to Merle's incredible catalog of hits. It was one of the best shows I have ever heard.Today we look at Redd Volkaert and his huge influence on Telecaster players over the last 30 years. Also, we feature a new segment, Zac's book time.Book link https://amzn.to/3T0g9DXPlaylisthttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/4DL...Redd guests quite a bit with the Western Flyershttps://www.thewesternflyers.com/Gear Used:1957 Fender Esquire with a 1954 neck pickup, and original bridge pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Both pickups were rewound by Ron Ellis.Strings: D'Addarion NYXL 10-46Pick:D'Andrea Medium-HeavyAmp:1965 Deluxe Reverb with a 60s JBL D120F gray frame speaker with its original cone. Used with AmpRX Brown Box set to 113vEffSupport the show
To Support the Channel:Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AskZacTip jar: https://paypal.me/AskZacVenmo @AskZac Or check out my store for merch - www.askzac.comJBL began producing efficient, high-wattage speakers in 1948 with the introduction of the D-130 model 15" speaker. The speaker was mainly used in public address (PA) systems until 1953 when Bob Crooks decided to spare no expense with his new Standel line of guitar amps, and factory install D-130's in them. Standel became the Dumble of the early 50s with their innovative cabinet and circuit designs, and also due to their use of a speaker that could produce a much clearer and louder tone than the less expensive pressed frame speakers being produced by Jensen and others. Stars from Chet Atkins to Speedy West began using Standel models over Fender, and the boys in Fullerton began to take note. Leo Fender, whose goal was always to make a great instrument at a more pocketbook-friendly price, continued to use lower-cost Jensen units until he finally relented in late 1959, producing the Vibrasonic amp, which was his first factory-equipped model with a JBL and the first Fender with Tolex covering and forward facing controls. In today's episode, we will look at some of the myths about them concerning brightness, the actual weight of the popular alnico magnet D120F & K120 models, and the differences between cast frame and pressed from speakers. Also, we will discuss the polarity issue and the frame thickness of the later D120F and K120 models that can require modifications to be utilized in some amps. A short list of guitarists that have used JBL speakers during important phases of their careers would include, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Albert Lee, Albert Collins, James Burton, Jerry Garcia, Roy Nichols, Duane Allman, Chet Atkins, Dickie Betts, Vince Gill, Mick Taylor, Keith Richards, Jesse Ed Davis, and Eric Johnson.Gear Used:1957 Fender Esquire with a 1954 neck pickup, and original bridge pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain. Both pickups were rewound by Ron Ellis.Strings: D'Addario NYXL 10-44 (10,12,16,24,34,44)Pick:D'Andrea Medium-HeavyAmp:1965 Deluxe Reverb with a 60s JBL D120F gray frame speaker with its original cone. Used with AmpRX Brown Box set to 113vEffects used:Amp reverb#askzac #jbld120f #zacchildsSupport the show
To Support the Channel:Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AskZacTip jar: https://paypal.me/AskZacVenmo @AskZac Or check out my store for merch - www.askzac.comRoy Buchanan took the Telecaster, and guitar playing in general to a new level with his groundbreaking use of volume swells, tone control "wah" simulations, pinch harmonics, and feedback. Although influenced by Buck Owens and Roy Nichols initially, while living near Bakersfield, he would go on to take in a host of diverse musical styles and influences. In today's episode, we look at his history, playing style, gear, and how he has in one way or another influenced legions of players. Also, we look at motifs of his tune "Cajun," including how to play the snaky intro lick. Spotify Playlist for Buchananhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Ee...1960 version of "After Hours," one of his first recordings using a Tele. His style is solidifying here. • Roy Buchanan - Af... "Potato Peeler" First use of pinch harmonics by Roy • Bobby Gregg and h... Gear for this video:1957 Fender Esquire with added Ron Ellis "New Tall" neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain.Strings: D'Addario NYXL 10-46 https://amzn.to/3bWYb1MPick: Fender Heavy Jazz Pick 358Amp: 1965 Deluxe Reverb with Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, and bright cap clipped on the vibrato channel.Effects used: Amp Verb. #askzac #guitartech #telecasterSupport the show
To Support the Channel:Patreon https://www.patreon.com/AskZacTip jar: https://paypal.me/AskZacVenmo @AskZac Or check out my store for merch - www.askzac.comWith the blessing of Redd Volkaert, who has an album by the same name, this Roy Nichols episode is titled "No Stranger To A Tele." Roy of course was the guitarist in Merle Haggard's band, The Strangers, from 1965-1987, but there is so much more to his story than just his time with Merle. Today we look at his story that takes flight during the depression, going through his time with The Maddox Brothers and Rose, Lefty Frizzell, Wynn Stewart, Johnny Cash, and his seminal work with the Hag. Of course, we take a look at his gear, and specifically what he used on the Merle live records that are to many the "Nichols Bible" of licks and tone.More information and photos of Roy through the years, including shots of him playing his main Tele, are at my site. https://www.askzac.com/post/roy-nicho...Spotify Playlist for Royhttps://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Tb...Gear for this video:1957 Fender Esquire with added Ron Ellis "New Tall" neck pickup. Restoration and aging on the body by Dan "Danocaster" Strain.Strings: D'Addario NYXL 10-46 https://amzn.to/3bWYb1MPick:Danocaster MediumAmp:1965 Deluxe Reverb with Celestion Vintage 30 speaker, and bright cap clipped on the vibrato channel.Effects used:Amp Verb. #askzac #guitartech #telecasterSupport the show
Musicians Tori Lund and Blake English met while performing and engineering music at a Los Angeles area church. Today, the musical duo, Few Miles South, lives in rural Georgia and performs throughout the southeast. They've opened for the Kentucky Headhunters, Nikki Lane, Junior Brown, Brent Cobb, and many others. Blake is an incredible musician, demonstrating "Roy Nichols-style electric guitar licks" along with an excellent command of the acoustic guitar when the duo performs one of their bluegrass-style originals. A classically trained vocalist, Tori showcases her amazing singing ability - that fall somewhere between Patsy Cline and Trisha Yearwood - on recent cuts such as "On Down the Road," Outlaw," and their recent release "Doggone." I sat down with Tori and Blake at Black Bear Bakery in Grayton Beach, Florida, during a tour of 30a ventures in late June of 2022 to chat about their careers, living in rural Georgia with their two dogs, and life on the road.
TruetoneLounge | Ray Flacke We are so honored to have one of the all-time Telecaster greats, Ray Flacke, sit down with us to tell his story, after a long season of staying under the radar. Those not familiar with him should know that Flacke's influence runs deep on just about any player willing to pick up a Tele and play with gusto. With equal parts Ritchie Blackmore, Chet Atkins, and Roy Nichols, Flacke grabbed everyone's attention by the collar with his aggressive and staccato guitar work on the back-to-basics radio hits of Ricky Skaggs of the early to mid-1980s. After his stint with Ricky, he moved on to session work, and a return to touring with Marty Stuart in the early 90s, and the Jamie Hartford Band in the late 90s to early 2000s. After a stint out of the music limelight, Ray has a new passion, writing. He has just published a children's book entitled "The Boy Who Would Be Birds," and is in the process of completing his tongue-in-cheek autobiography, 'Kin 'Ell, Fired Again. Flacke also discusses his gear through the years, and how he has used super glue to save his right-hand nails, and baby powder on the neck of his guitar for left-hand precision. To order his children's book, send an email to rayflackenhauser@protonmail.com
This week we're celebrating 400 episodes (!) of the show by playing a stack of that twangy, steel-rich brand of country music known as The Bakersfield Sound. We'll pack in as much West Coast country as we can this week til we run out of time - a tonne of the big Bakersfield names right through to the less-than-household figures. From Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to Roy Nichols and Tommy Collins - it's our Bakersfield Birthday Bash and it's gonna be twangalicious! Yes, that's a word (as of now).
This week we're celebrating 400 episodes (!) of the show by playing a stack of that twangy, steel-rich brand of country music known as The Bakersfield Sound. We'll pack in as much West Coast country as we can this week til we run out of time - a tonne of the big Bakersfield names right through to the less-than-household figures. From Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to Roy Nichols and Tommy Collins - it's our Bakersfield Birthday Bash and it's gonna be twangalicious! Yes, that's a word (as of now).
This week, legendary guitar virtuosos, songwriters, and Telecaster Jedi Bill Kirchen and Redd Volkaert recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with these two guitar giants. “Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer, and songwriter Bill Kirchen first gained national recognition as a founding member of the original “Americana” group Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. His trademark guitar licks drove their “Hot Rod Lincoln” into the Top Ten in 1972. His latest recording “Transatlanticana” hit the Top 10 on the Americana Radio chart, staying in the Top 40 for 5 months.” - https://www.billkirchen.com/bill-kirchen-biography “Redd Volkaert was a successor to Roy Nichols in Merle Haggard's backing band, and is "among the country’s top Telecaster guitar slingers.” Volkaert won a 2009 Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Best known as a Fender Telecaster player, with a personal collection that includes a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a 1951 Fender Nocaster, a 1958 Fender Esquire and a 1950s-style Hahn Telecaster.” Volkaert has backed up literally everyone in country music at some point. - https://www.reddvolkaert.com/default.html In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers a 1978 archival recording of Ozark original Mike McGee performing the traditional song “Rank Strangers,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Writer, musician, and traditional dancer Aubrey Atwater guides us through a cultural transposition of the traditional song “One Morning in May,” with musical examples and her own cultivated insight.
My guest today is GRAMMY Award-winning Country Guitarist, Redd Volkaert! Volkaert is well known for his long tenure in Merle Haggard's band, The Strangers, as the successor to Roy Nichols. A master of the telecaster, Volkaert, has played and recorded with many top artists such as Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, Merle Travis, Eric Johnson to name a few. In addition to the many records he's appeared as a sideman on, Volkaert has recorded several solo albums including Telewacker, No Stranger to a Tele, Twangbangers - 26 days on the road, For the Ladies and Reddhead. In 2003, Volkaert was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Country Instrumental Performance for Spaghetti Western Swing with Brad Paisley and in 2009 he won the GRAMMY for best Country Instrumental performance on Cluster Pluck, again with Brad Paisley.
In this week's episode, we're featuring a landmark album in what would later become known as the western swing revivalist movement: Merle Haggard's sensational "My Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World (or, My Salute To Bob Wills)" (1970). Along with Jimmie Rodgers and Lefty Frizzell, Bob Wills was one of The Hag's primarily influences. A young Haggard even snuck out of his home at age 12 to go see Wills play at the famous Beardsley Ballroom, such was the influence from a very formative age. Armed with a fiddle he only took a few months to learn - a fiddle which once belonged to Bob Wills himself - Haggard, in discussion with Roy Nichols and Norm Hamlet of his band The Strangers, decided a tribute to "The Old Man" could only be done properly with the help of those who were there to make the sound in the first place. Johnny Gimble, Joe Holley, Eldon Shamblin, Tiny Moore and others graciously and eagerly agreed to be a part of this project and "The Best Damn Fiddle Player" is generally accepted as the first mainstream album to kickstart the western swing revival, still very much alive today. The enjoyment had on this collection of Wills standards (with a few choice obscurities) is evident, and legend has it that at the end of the three-day recording session, such was the emotion in the room that when the final note was played, you could see a tear in the eye of most all the pickers there. That's the soul of country music and western swing right there.
In this week's episode, we're featuring a landmark album in what would later become known as the western swing revivalist movement: Merle Haggard's sensational "My Tribute To The Best Damn Fiddle Player In The World (or, My Salute To Bob Wills)" (1970). Along with Jimmie Rodgers and Lefty Frizzell, Bob Wills was one of The Hag's primarily influences. A young Haggard even snuck out of his home at age 12 to go see Wills play at the famous Beardsley Ballroom, such was the influence from a very formative age. Armed with a fiddle he only took a few months to learn - a fiddle which once belonged to Bob Wills himself - Haggard, in discussion with Roy Nichols and Norm Hamlet of his band The Strangers, decided a tribute to "The Old Man" could only be done properly with the help of those who were there to make the sound in the first place. Johnny Gimble, Joe Holley, Eldon Shamblin, Tiny Moore and others graciously and eagerly agreed to be a part of this project and "The Best Damn Fiddle Player" is generally accepted as the first mainstream album to kickstart the western swing revival, still very much alive today. The enjoyment had on this collection of Wills standards (with a few choice obscurities) is evident, and legend has it that at the end of the three-day recording session, such was the emotion in the room that when the final note was played, you could see a tear in the eye of most all the pickers there. That's the soul of country music and western swing right there.
The city of Bakersfield served as an unlikely centre of a new kind of country music, one tinged with electricity, which catapulted musicians Buck Owens and Merle Haggard to international acclaim. We take a different approach for this show and interview a practitioner - Dallas Good of the Toronto-based Sadies. The Sadies have cross-polinated a number of styles, creating their own unique brand of contemporary music, which draws upon 60s garage rock, psychedelia, surf, roots and of course country. The Sadies have collaborated with the likes of Neko Case, Andre Williams, John Doe and Neil Young. In this 12-minute podcast, Good discusses the influence of musicians Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. He also reflects on the importance of the Fender Telecaster and Mosrite guitars in the music, and pays homage to Don Rich, Roy Nichols and Clarence White of the Byrds and to the lesser-known session player Alvino Ray, considered to be the father of the pedal steel guitar. The interview fades out with a portion of the song “The Trial” from The Sadies. Next episode, "Re-Coding California" - urban development and its challenges in the Golden State with UCLA's Jon Christensen. Thanks for listening, subscribing and sharing.
Rick removes some of the mystery, but not the glamour, of European Royalty with help from guests Roy Nichols and Norway's Princess Martha Louise. Tour guide Roy Nichols gives Rick an overview of the British royal family and discusses why they remain an important instituion to the average Briton. Princess Martha Louise of Norway, who has written a children's book, "Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns" explains the modern realities of being from a royal family. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.
What better way to enjoy the world in bloom than to wander through an English country garden? Rick Steves asks British tour guide Roy Nichols about the English passion for elaborate gardens. Then Rick and Roy take listener calls and share tips to help you to experience the wide variety of gardens in Great Britain. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.