Truetone Lounge

John Leventhal returns to go in-depth on his first solo album, Rumble Strip. We discuss his process of composing, recording, and the gear he used to create the 16 poignant tracks on the album. Leventhal also discusses his signature acoustic guitar tones that utilize both the natural "acoustic" sound, plus an "electric" sound hole pickup run-through effects and a tube amplifier. He also weighs in on the 30th-anniversary re-release of The Wheel, his first collaboration with his wife, noted singer-songwriter, Rosanne Cash. John is a multi-Grammy Award-winning producer and musician. A short list of Leventhal's collaborators includes Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Rosanne Cash, William Bell, and Sarah Jarosz. Rumble Strip - Release Date January 26th, 2024 https://music.apple.com/us/album/rumble-strip/1713810040

Duke Levine's resume is filled with a catalog of stellar solo albums, high-profile sideman gigs, and essential session work. We have Tom Bukovac to thank for making this interview happen, as he had requested Duke on a recent session here in Nashville, that gave us a chance to catch up in person with the Boston-area great. To kick off, we begin with a discussion of his latest gig, touring with Bonnie Raitt. Via the new gig, he has had his first experience with using in-ear monitors and having amps off-stage. We also cover his early gigs with Jonatha Brooke & The Story, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and how he got a record deal in the early 90s. Levine also talks about the eternal tone hunt, covering his move away from using compressor pedals to replacing them with low-gain overdrive pedals. We also cover his pedal board where he uses a Radial switcher to keep his tone as pure as possible by removing unused items from his chain.

Adam Levy has an established guitar voice that we first heard on Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason," then on albums and tours with Norah Jones, and sharpened to a fine point on his latest release, Spry. Besides his work as a guitarist, Levy has also devoted himself to being an educator through his Guitar Tips channel, Truefire instructional courses, and time spent as the Guitar Dept. Chair at the Los Angeles College of Music. Additionally, Adam made great contributions to the world of guitar journalism as a staff writer for Guitar Player Magazine in the 90s. Today Adam shares his musical adventures, expresses his love for his 1964 Gibson ES-335, and his excitement in releasing the "jazz album of his dreams," Spry.

Jeff King was raised in the Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee, where as a young boy, he found a guitar in an attic and was immediately hooked. Though he loved music and played frequent gigs, he did not study it in college, yet post-graduation, he decided to throw in his lot with a friend that moved to Nashville in the early 80s. With luck on his side, he fairly quickly hit the scene in a big way in 1985 by landing the lead guitar spot with the then-new artist, Patty Loveless. Jeff was soon riding the wave of success with Patty who was busy sending singles up the charts and wowing crowds and critics with her soulful Kentucky sound. This led to major screen time, as Loveless guested on the TV shows of the day, including Austin City Limits, The Tonight Show, Letterman, and the various music shows on The Nashville Network. Jeff was also getting to watch Patty make her records with guitarists Reggie Young, Ray Flacke, Albert Lee, Richard Bennett, and Steve Gibson. He soon was putting his watch-time lessons to use by working on demo sessions in-between road dates to the point that he was soon able to bid the road goodbye and focus completely on studio work. After decades of studio work, he was asked by one of his clients, Reba McIntire, to go out on the road with her, which lead to him also performing road dates with Brooks & Dunn. Jeff now tours with two legendary Country Music acts, and because of their less strenuous touring, he is able to keep his studio work thriving. On the gear front, King tells the backstory of his main guitar, a 1985 G-Bender equipped Glaser Tele-Style that is on its second neck. We also get a look at his Tom Anderson Strat, Gretsch Duo-Jet, studio pedal board, and his 1956 Fender Harvard amp.

Truetone Lounge Chris Scruggs is the host of his own WSM radio show that runs on Friday nights after the Grand Ole Opry, fronts his own band, The Stone Fox Five, and is a member of the white-hot group backing Marty Stuart, The Fabulous Superlatives. He is also a busy session man with everyone from up-and-comers to hitmakers Kacey Musgraves & Sierra Ferrell, and more recently, he was the youngest member inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame. In today's episode, Scruggs tells his own story and, along the way, shares plenty of country music lore and spotlights 4 of his favorite guitars, a 1962 Telecaster, a 50s Fender double-neck steel, a 1959 Martin D-18, and a 1938 Gibson L5.

Luke McQueary was Don Kelley's final guitarist in his long line of amazing players. Today we sit down and talk about his beginnings and the importance of Don's tutelage in his progression as a musician and performer. Though Don Kelley is now retired, the tradition lives on with Kelley's Heroes Wednesday through Saturday, 6:30 -10:30 PM at Robert's Western World. Luke also shows off his rig which includes a specially ordered Custom Shop Telecaster Thinline, vintage Deluxe Reverb, and a small pedalboard.

A short list of the veterans of Don Kelley's band includes Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert, Johnny Hiland, Guthrie Trapp, JD Simo, Daniel Donato, Porter McClister, and Luke McQueary. Kelley was bandleader and coach for these giants, helping each of them hone their playing and tone by playing 5-6 days of the week, 4 hours a night, under his watchful eye. As important as these players and their stories are, today we get to hear Don's story of growing up in Texas, serving in Vietnam, moving to Nashville to play with Joe Stampley, and how he came to lead his band and guide the careers of some of the finest guitarists in the world.

An unseen star of Baz Luhrmann's Elvis movie is guitarist JD Simo, who was tasked with replicating the original parts and tones played by Scotty Moore, James Burton, Hank Garland, Reggie Young, and Tommy Tedesco. In today's special collaboration with Ask Zac, we sit down with Simo, as he tells the tale of how he was asked to take part, and the gear he used to replicate the legendary guitarist's riffs. We also take a look at his soon-to-be-released album Songs From The House Of Grease. Recorded with his trio, the album features his recently acquired Danocaster Singel-Cut, along with an ancient Alamo amp and a venerable 1965 Deluxe Reverb. Simo also shows off his new Xact Tone Solutions built pedal board.

During David Hood's 50-plus-year career, he has played on more hits than just about any other bassist on the planet. From Bob Seger to Wilson Picket, and Rod Stewart to the Staple Singers, Hood provided the bass lines for countless Pop, Rock, and R&B hits that we all know and love. Many of us became aware of David through the beautifully made Muscle Shoals documentary from 2013, which focuses on the story of Rick Hall and his former proteges, the Swampers. Here, David, the last of the Swampers sits down with us at his former home away from home, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, to lay down his own story.

Russ Pahl is one of the busiest guitarists and pedal steelers in Nashville, with credits ranging from Robert Plant to Carrie Underwood. He is a multi-instrumentalist, who moves between both instruments and musical genres in such a fluid manner, that he is just at home playing lead guitar with Dan Auerbach on Austin City Limits, as he is playing hardcore country pedal steel in Vince Gill's touring unit. In our Truetone Lounge interview, Russ covers his career, what he feels has kept him in demand over the last 30-years, and his highly customized guitar and pedal steel rig. #truetonelounge #truetone #russpahl