While Alex is out on the road with Testament and the Bay Strikes Back Tour, we thought we’d take you on a journey back to the early days of Moods & Modes. This week, we begin with the vey first episode, which was released in July 2020.
Alex visits Matt Umanov of Matt Umanov Guitars, a legendary guitar shop in New York City. Matt is a guitar dealer and repairman who’s been a fixture in Greenwich Village since the late 1960s and whose regular clients include the likes of Eric Clapton and Pat Metheny. Matt shares some great stories about some of his most notable customers, including an unlikely connection between Pat Metheny and J. Geils, and the two discuss the nightmare repair job that has brought Alex to the shop.
Stay tuned for upcoming Best Of episodes, including Carnatic Crash Course with guest Guitar Prasanna (5/17), and a tribute to Peter Green (of Fleetwood Mac) Part 1 (5/24) and Part 2 (5/31).
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Best Of Moods & Modes: Guitar Rescue

Traveling from vintage guitar shops in Brooklyn to iconic recording studios and legendary music venues around the world, guitar legend Alex Skolnick explores the work of renowned musicians through commentary, conversation, and live performance. Follow @moodsandmodes on Instagram for updates.

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Mohini Dey is a renowned bassist, producer, and vocalist who has gained international recognition for her extraordinary talent and versatility. She joins Alex to talk about growing up in an independently-minded musical family, the challenges she faced as a female musician in India, and the difficult decisions she had to make in the early days of her career. Mohini discusses the lessons she learned from her musical elders, explains her approach to teaching young musicians, and provides a track-by-track breakdown of her debut album “Mohini Dey”.
Mohini Dey began performing at the age of 11 and first appeared on record at age 14 after being discovered by film composer and jazz drummer Ranjit Barot. Since then she has played alongside Alex Lifeson, Steve Vai, Marco Minnemann, Dewa Budjana, Jordan Rudess, A.R. Rahman, Jason Richardson, Zakir Husain and various other notable figures in international jazz, rock, and classical Indian music. Her first, self-titled solo album (featuring her husband, saxophonist Mark Hartsuch, as well as Minnemann and other famed fusion drummers Narada Michael Walden and Simon Phillips) was released in 2023.
This episode is dedicated to Jerome H. Skolnick and Sujoy Dey.
Follow Mohini Mohini Dey and @dey_bass
Follow Alex @alexskolnick and @moodsandmodes
Moods & Modes is hosted and produced by Alex Skolnick. Executive Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Tom Sullivan. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Distributed by Osiris Media.

Mohini Dey

In this first episode of 2024, Alex welcomes a trio of guests who are among the most important and influential players of electric guitar - Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson. They are also the original lineup of the iconic G3, a tour organized in 1996 by Satriani that has featured legendary players like Robert Fripp, Ynwgie Malmsteen, Phil Collen, and many more. Ahead of this year’s tour, they sit down with Alex to discuss the origins of G3, what they’ve learned from the experience of performing together, and weigh in on how to keep egos in check when playing alongside fellow giants. They commiserate over growth moments that resulted from musical projects created during the pandemic, and do a deep dive into the equipment they’re using, from string gauges to amp modelers.
Conceived in 1995 by the multi-Grammy nominated guitarist, Joe Satriani, the inaugural G3 Tour took place in 1996 bringing together three of the most iconic and virtuosic guitarists of their time: Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai. Known for their incredible technical prowess, musical innovation and unique styles, the G3 tour was a celebration of guitar mastery and proved extremely popular, captivating audiences worldwide. Though the line-up has continually changed over the last 29 years since its inception, Satriani is celebrating G3 in 2024 by reuniting the original trio: Satriani, Johnson and Vai. The tour is set to begin on January 23, 2024 in Tucson, AZ hitting eleven cities before winding up with a pair of shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.
Get G3 Tour information here
Follow Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson
Follow Alex @alexskolnick and @moodsandmodes
Moods & Modes is hosted and produced by Alex Skolnick. Executive Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Final Mixes by Tom Sullivan. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Distributed by Osiris Media.

Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Eric Johnson

Legendary bassist Stu Hamm joins Alex on this episode to talk about Hold Fast, Stu’s latest album, on which Alex is a featured player. Recorded in Estonia during Stu’s Bass Oasis, the two discuss the tracks on the album, the role of bass in musical composition, and Stu shares his approach to playing and collaboration. Alex reflects on the first time he saw Stu perform and how he handled auditioning to tour with Stu, and the two reminisce about touring together in the nineties. 
Stu Hamm is known for his technical prowess, melodic creativity, and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of the bass. He rose to prominence as the bassist for Joe Satriani and his playing became synonymous with innovative tapping and slapping techniques, setting him apart as a trailblazer in the world of bass guitar. He has also had a prolific solo career and has worked with a wide array of artists, including Steve Vai, Frank Gambale, and many others. Stu is also a music educator and leads clinics and workshops around the world.
Listen to Hold Fast here
Follow Stu at stuhamm.com and @stueybass
Follow Alex @alexskolnick and @moodsandmodes
Moods & Modes is hosted and produced by Alex Skolnick. Executive Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Tom Sullivan. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Distributed by Osiris Media

Stu Hamm

On this episode, renowned guitarist and improviser Adam Levy joins Alex at a cafe in Brooklyn to talk about the incredible list of artists he’s worked with, including Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, and Ani DiFranco. The two discuss his approach to playing as well as the styles of the world-class musicians they both know and love, and the instrumental project that Adam led during the pandemic that inspired some of Alex’s new music. Adam and Alex dive into the early days of Adam’s career, and Adam explains how he’s seamlessly moved between being a player, a writer, and a guitar educator.
Adam Levy is a session guitarist who has played on releases by Norah Jones, Ani DiFranco, Amos Lee, Jill Sobule, Tracy Chapman, Allen Toussaint, and many others. He’s also a respected writer and educator, and has written numerous articles for Guitar Player, Fretboard Journal, and other top guitar magazines.
Follow Adam at adamlevy.com and @adamlevyguitar
Follow Alex @alexskolnick and @moodsandmodes
Moods & Modes is hosted and produced by Alex Skolnick. Executive Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Tom Sullivan. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Distributed by Osiris Media.

Adam Levy

Karina Rykman plays bass, sings, jumps around, and laughs a lot. Straddling the worlds of jam rock and indie pop drenched in psychedelia, Karina’s effervescent presence comes to life in musical form. She joins Alex on this episode to talk about the making of her debut album Joyride, learning to hustle as a musician at a young age, and the impact that Pat Metheny had on her playing. Karina tells Alex about working with Trey Anastasio on the new record, and the unexpected moment that led to a special gift from Rush. 
Listen to Karina's debut album, Joyride.
Follow Karina karinarykman.com and @karinarykman
Follow Alex @alexskolnick and @moodsandmodes
Moods & Modes is hosted and produced by Alex Skolnick. Executive Producer: Kirsten Cluthe. Edited by Tom Sullivan. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd. Distributed by Osiris Media.

Best Of Moods & Modes: Guitar Rescue

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