From soaring overdriven lead guitar volleys to spanky baritone smackdowns, MARK LETTIERI can pull magical melodies and stanky grooves out of just about anything with strings. His new album, Can I Tell You Something?, is a case in point. On this episode, we “land the ‘copter” on the roof of Mark’s Texas home studio, play a bunch of his favorite guitars, stomp on a few of his favorite pedals, and do a deep dive on his work with everyone from SNARKY PUPPY and THE FEARLESS FLYERS to his prolific solo adventures in the studio and on the road. Speaking of the road, you can catch Mark Lettieri on tour in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe this winter/spring.

This episode is presented by GuitarPlayer.com, and is hosted by JUDE GOLD.

Wielding a fully customized war-torn and home-built Telecaster, blues-rock phenom and guitar luthier SETH LEE JONES taps into a fierce musical mojo whenever he takes his amps off standby and starts to wail (which he does quite a bit on this episode). Enjoy, as Seth reveals how he incorporates slide guitar moves, “steel bends” (courtesy of push levers on his guitar’s bridge), heaps of overdrive and sustain, a fleet of cool guitar pedals, and a sprig of shred guitar into every solo he takes (including the ones on his new album, Tulsa Custom), making him one of the most exciting guitarists to emerge from Tulsa, Oklahoma — a great music town! — in recent years. This episode is presented by GuitarPlayer.com and hosted by JUDE GOLD.

NOTE: Seth, as you'll hear him mention, often plays in Dropped-D tuning, and does so on this episode. If you need a refresher on Dropped D, the tuning is D, A, D, F#, A, D, low to high.

Plugging in a custom Dean solid-body, CHRIS POLAND jams with host JUDE GOLD and relives musical adventures spanning his days with jazz-rock daredevils the NEW YORKERS and thrash metal legends MEGADETH to his work leading prog-metal pioneers DAMN THE MACHINE and the hypnotic fusion trio, OHM. Chris also demonstrates sounds from his elaborate two-headed stereo guitar rig. This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE and GuitarPlayer.com

29-year-old Guitarist/frontman MATTHEW CURRY plugs in a cherry Gibson SG, and within the first few notes of this episode, you'll hear why his star is on the rise: He's got fire in his fingers, and soul in his voice. I first saw Matthew on the Rock Legends cruise, where, in just the opening song of his commanding set on the big outdoor stage, I knew I had to have the up-and-coming rock/blues/Americana guitar hero on the podcast. BONUS: Matthew's rhythm guitarist/keyboardist MIKE NELLAS joins Matthew for a tune. Enjoy!

—JUDE GOLD, host and creator, No Guitar Is Safe podcast.

Presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine.

GREG KIHN — the legendary rock radio hitmaker — died on August 13, 2024, so today we celebrate him with an encore of our epic 2017 guitar hang and interview/jam with him and his longtime lead guitar player RY (who also happens to be his son).

ORIGINAL EPISODE NOTES:

Today, the guitar 'copter descends upon Soundtek Studios in San Jose, California, to jam with platinum rocker GREG KIHN and his lead guitarist (and son) RY KIHN. Jude and the Kihns also talk about everything from Greg's classic hit songs (such as "Breakup Song" and "Jeopardy") and tunes on his brand new album, which is called REKIHNDLED; to great moments with the great guitarists the Greg Kihn Band has employed over the decades and what it's like being parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. (Special thanks to Robert Berry and Soundtek studios for hosting this interview.) HOSTED by JUDE GOLD. Presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine.

From CHRISTINA AGUILERA and 2PAC to SISQÓ and FRANK OCEAN, guitarist/composer MICHAEL “FISH” HERRING can be heard with a wide range of superstars. On this episode, we “land the ‘copter” on Fish’s front lawn, head into his amazing home studio, plug in some Yamaha guitars (Fish into a Line 6 Helix running though studio monitors, yours truly into a BOSS Katana combo), and do a little jamming. And, of course, we dive deep into what it takes to become one of the most in-demand lead guitarists in the challenging Los Angeles music scene. Bonus: Fish reveals who is the better billiards player — him, or JONI MITCHELL. This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE. Enjoy!

Albert King and B.B. King both loved CHRIS CAIN. And so will you. Previewing tracks from his new album, Good Intentions Gone Bad (out July 19th on Alligator Records), and playing a ton of guitar (as well as singing!) for you, blues legend Cain jams with host Jude Gold and shows you how he went from being a little kid going with his dad to attend concerts by the three kings (Albert, B.B. and Freddie) to becoming a world renowned blues artist in his own right. This episode is presented by Guitar Player magazine.

More than just an interview and jam with the great guitarist DAMON WOOD (currently of SEAL PARTY), this episode is also a portal back to the amazing "thrash funk" era of San Francisco Bay Area music, an exciting time in the late '80s/early '90s when live bands pushing an infectious new genre of music ruled the Bay Area clubs. Some of the acts coming up in this scene — Primus, Limbomaniacs, and Fungo Mungo come to mind — lived up to the genre description by alternating danceable funk grooves with heavy, head-bang-able rock riffs, typically within the same song. However, SMOKING SECTION — Damon Wood's immensely popular Bay Area dance band — truly delivered the "funk" half of the thrash/funk equation, and in spectacular fashion. And in this episode Damon relives those unforgettable days — and Smoking Section's unforgettable grooves — in all their glory, and celebrates the fact that Smoking Section's album "Smooth & Nasty" is finally (after over three decades!) available for you to hear on Spotify, Apple Music, and just about every other streaming service. Presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine. Hosted by JUDE GOLD.

Vic Johnson returns! The longtime lead guitarist for Sammy Hagar, Vic invites you into Hagar’s Northern California studio, where he fires up his glorious “tri-stereo” wet/dry/wet rig and demonstrates some tones, plays some riffs, takes a few solos, and relives adventures with everyone from Total Eclipse — his badass ’90s metal band — to the the Bus Boys, Eddie Murphy, Michael Anthony, Dr. Dre, Suge Knight and, of course the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar. (Note: Vic also appeared on Ep. 8 of this show, recorded back in September of 2015. All previous episodes are still posted, so go deep!)

Presented by GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE and GUITARPLAYER.COM. Hosted by Jude Gold.

From hearing David Bowie strum a simple acoustic chord pattern while singing the words "let's dance" to transforming the sketch into the superstar singer's biggest hit, NILE RODGERS (in this flashback to Episode 125) relives step by step how he pulled off the feat. He also details meeting a new musician on the session — a future guitar hero that Bowie's "Let's Dance" album would soon introduce to the world: a young Texan named Stevie Ray Vaughan. (ABOUT THE "REWIND" SERIES: There is simply too much treasure in No Guitar Is Safe's ever-growing archive of back episodes not to revisit some great moments once in awhile! That is why now, between new episodes, you can expect to be hit with short, curated, "fun size," easily digestible REWIND posts in which we "roll back the tape" and listen back to a magical moment in this show's history.) This episode is presented by GUITAR PLAYER magazine and hosted by JUDE GOLD.