Jon Gomm

Toronzo Cannon, hailing from Chicago IL, likes to do things The Chicago Way. He's an Alligator recording artist, bluesman extraordinaire, southpaw, and a cool cat! Mojo Magazine said Toronzo "rises to the front rank of Chicago bluesmen" and The Chicago Sun-Times said "The Bridgeport resident (and CTA bus driver) (is) one of Chicago’s new greats". Dig it as Greg and Toronzo get into the Gristle!

1:58 - Who here is a huge Jimi Hendrix fan?  And what drew Toronzo to wanting to music and playing guitar
8:49 - Toronzo’s path to forming a band, the road back to Hendrix, and unlocking the guitar
16:58 - Toronzo’s new record, signing with Alligator Records, and touring plans
21:45 - Famous Chicago blues clubs, and building a reputation as an artist
31:50 - What is Chicago blues, and the importance of writing music from the heart
40:21 - Working with a producer, and opening up your preferences to all sorts of music
49:19 - Following the influence of your favorite players


Total Length: 68:38

Dylan Adams is a slide guitar player extraordinaire. Greg first discovered him as many of us have, on social media playing up a storm! Greg was taken away by his beautiful technique, tone, and touch. Dylan has made that heavy impression on many via his Instagram and YouTube accounts, and today Greg and Dylan catch up for a very slide-oriented Chewing the Gristle!

3:03 - The resurgence of slide guitar, Dylan’s own unique voice, and The Allman Bros
8:46 - What interested Dylan in slide guitar, and more Allman Bros!
20:08 - The importance of making music for yourself, and hitting the road and just DOING IT
24:36 - Other influential guitar players, slide or no slide, and interesting slide techniques
34:34 - More on slide technique
38:31 - Ear training, theory vs gristle, and the nuances of learning and exploration
53:46 - GEAR AND TONE
64:12 - Dylan online, the when, the where, the what


Total Length: 66:42

Reggie is bass royalty in LA, where he has been a first-call session and touring bassist for many years. He has toured or recorded with Seal, Eros Ramazzotti, Babyface, Queen Latifah, Billy Childs, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Bette Midler, George Duke, Whitney Houston, Stanley Clarke, David Lynch, John Mellencamp, Warren Zevon, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner, Tiziano Ferro, Boyz II Men, Johnny Hallyday and many, many others. Greg and Reggie get into the Gristle!

2:38 - Touring with Chris Bodie, and what it’s like to tour 250 days out of the year and having no idea what kind of gear you’ll be playing
10:50 - Growing up in New York, and Reggie’s jazz mentors throughout the years
19:31 - Playing and studying with guitar legend Dennis Sandole, and the importance of great teachers
34:51 - What drew Reggie to Los Angeles, how music connects people (even if they disagree), and the joy of jamming with Reggie Hamilton around the world
52:27 - Reggie’s time jamming with Michael Landau, and what Reggie has been up to recently
61:03 - Fodera Guitars, guitar hoarding, and family
72:22 - Goodbye — oh wait, let’s talk about tour and food!

Total Length: 86:30

Chicago's Nick Moss has been recognized as one the great guitarists of his generation, garnering accolades from Buddy Guy and praise from Jambase, Relix, and Gratefulweb.com among many others. His recording career spans decades and his albums are staples at blues radio outlets worldwide and are now in rotation at stations with jam and rock formats. Greg and Nick catch up about his musical journey, life on the road, and his gear!

1:27 - Hellos, catch-up, sharing the stage w/ the great Nick Moss, and the glory of Wisconsin’s Summer Fest
7:21 - What drew Nick to the Blues, and how the guitar fell into his hands
20:32 - Hitting the road with Buddy Scott, Jimmy Rogers, more, and making a living as a musician in Chicago
31:45 - Life on the road with Nick Moss,and the importance of building your brand
42:32 - The difference between self-released material vs record label deals
51:23 - Nick’s current road rig


Total Length: 61:18

Eric Johnson can be found on anyone's list of the greatest electric guitar instrumentalists ever. His songs such as "Cliffs of Dover" (which won a Grammy) set the high bar for the genre, and have become all-time classics. Greg and Eric talk about G3, influences, tone, and gear on this Chewing the Gristle!   

3:16 - Greg and Eric - the pleasure of sitting in together and jamming on stage, and Eric approach to performance throughout the years 
7:13 - The upcoming G3 tour with Joe Satriani & Steve Vai, and a discourse on the almighty BB King
11:30 - The tone is in the fingers, the absurdity of social media, the joy of playing guitar, Eric history with teachers and ear training, and how the skill set of a modern-day guitarist has changed
21:03 - Eric’s tonal thoughts in preparing for his next record, and the idea of keeping things simple
25:51 - The idea of being a trailblazer, and thoughts on Jeff Beck
31:59 - Cream, Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, and how fame might affect the player
49:48 - GEAR
52:26 - What’s in Eric’s record player?
58:01 - Different picking techniques, and the influential players behind them


Total Length: 66:35

One of the world's best acoustic guitarists (just ask Total Guitar and Music Radar), Mike Dawes has made fans globally with his exciting and inviting brand of fingerstyle, percussive guitar. He first gained prominence on YouTube with millions of views for solo arrangements such as Metallica's "One",  Gotye's "Someone That I Used to Know", Van Halen's "Jump", his own tune "The Impossible" and others.  He has gone on to team up with players like Tommy Emmanuel, Periphery, Nick Johnston, Plini and more for collaborative, worldwide tours and videos.  Greg and Mike took a break from both of their busy touring schedules for this episode of Gristle!

3:49 - Growing up Guildford
8:33 - The exhaustion only kicks in when the touring stops, days off
13:13 - Doing everything yourself vs hiring out control of your career, and the importance of touring / building an audience
23:58 - The Music Industry in a post-COVID world
25:04 - Ben Lacy, creative fingerstyle, and Mike’s own virtuosic chops 
32:18 - How Mike works on timing as a solo player
37:44 - What inspired Mike to originally pick up the guitar
42:39 - The passing of the late, great EVH, and surviving COVID lockdown (mentally and fiscally)
49:50 - The digital age, guitar, AI, and how everything moves forward
64:14 - Being true to oneself as an artist and performer

Total Length: 76:30

Tom Quayle is an extraordinary musician, improviser, composer, cat,instruction-app entrepreneur, and six-string visionary hailing from Leeds in the UK. A master of legato playing, he has played all over the world giving him acclaim that means he can count Dweezil Zappa, John Petrucci, Brett Garsed, Greg Howe, Andy Timmons, and Tim Miller amongst his many fans. Greg and Tom get into the transatlantic gristle!

3:02 - The latest and greatest from Tom, from video courses, new apps, and lots of guitar
9:07 - Tom’s definition of a “legato” style of playing the guitar, and a few greats to help inspire your ear
18:17 - The importance of alternate picking, and honing in your own personal style of picking
30:30 - Tom’s formal guitar education
36:03 - The importance of a good teacher, and the influence of how music in the family shapes us as players
52:46 - Players who creatively combine jazz and other styles of guitar
60:10 - Buc-ee’s and tacos


Total Length: 65:32

The mighty Johnny Hiland astounds with his telecaster manipulations and chicken-pickin'-fricassee par excellence.  Known far and wide for his blazingly fast and tasty playing, Johnny is a guitar veteran of the Don Kelley Band (a Nashville institution where other veterans such as Guthrie Trapp, Brent Mason, JD Simo, and more got their start), and he's also played on records for artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, Hank Williams III, and Randy Travis, just to name a few. He was signed to Steve Vai's Favored Nations label in 2004, and he's been ripping it up ever since.  Johnny tells Greg his story as they get into the gear and the gristle!

2:12 - Thumbpickin’ (and how Johnny’s thumb is acting up)
6:05 - The birth of MTV and being able to SEE how people played guitar, and the importance of the pick, and noiseless pickups
12:40 - Johnny’s first real guitar and rig, and the glory of T and S style guitars
22:27 - The influence of early chicken pickin players, B-Benders, and The Byrds
27:55 - The Rockabilly Revival, Danny Gatton, and Roy Buchanan
37:23 - Johnny’s decision to drop out of school and move to Nashville, and growing up an absolute fiend for the guitar
47:02 - Johnny’s move from Nashville to Virginia, and knowing its never too late to make a good living as a musician

Total Length: 67:21

Duane is an incredible guitarist and songwriter, who has forged an impressive musical career by any standard. The son of The Allman Brothers Band's legendary guitarist Dickey Betts (who named him after Duane Allman), he has readily filled those large shoes with aplomb, appearing for years with his father, and also with bands like Dawes, Jamtown (Donovan Frankenreiter, G. Love, and Cody Dickinson), Whitestarr, The Allman Betts Band, and his own projects, such as Duane Betts & The Pistoleers. Greg and Duane get into the gear and gristle! 

2:16 - Greg playing with Duane and the Allman Family Revival, and digging in to Duane’s playing
7:05 - Growing up a Betts, Duane’s early musical taste, and his pull to the guitar
12:50 - What it was like having vintage Gibsons lying around the house, and Duane’s decision to go into music professionally
18:05 - Splitting time between the Allman Family Revival and Duane’s solo material, and Duane’s upbringing as a young Floridian 
26:42 - Gear, gear, more gear, and TONE!
43:36 - Stage volume - then and now
50:43 - Talking about The Blues and other musicians, father and son, and some tour talk

Total Length: 60:12

North Mississippi Allstars' frontman Luther Dickinson is a great guitar player, musician, and human being! Greg and Luther talk about their recent appearance together with the Allman Family Revival, his influences, Luther and Cody's famous father, producer Jim Dickinson, 80s rock, slide guitar, and all kinds of other fun gristle. Dig it!

2:25 - Luther’s time touring with the Allman Betts band, how he linked up with The Revival, and growing up an old (music) soul
11:17 - Growing up with a musically iconic father, distinguishing the differences between styles of play over the years, and integrating different influences
21:25 - Luther’s transition from Memphis to Nashville, Luther’s work as a producer, and Luther’s favorite guitars
28:32 - Guitar fever
33:22 - The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, and the legacy of improvisation
44:19 - 1984 - the year of Van Halen, Purple Rain, Greg’s wet toe into Hair Metal, and missing out on quality greatness over the years
54:04 - Derek Trucks, Sonny Landreth, and a thick conversation on slide guitar
70:44 - The inspiration of ‘the random element’ of playing guitar, and grooving on the upbeats
78:27 - The last days of Hendrix, and the favorite songs to play on guitar


Total Length: 96:10