Couch Riffs

Guests on this episode of Couch Riffs are South of Eden's Ehab Omran (vox) and Justin Young (guitar). South of Eden are a young midwestern band out of Ohio that throw it down with some old school flavor ,tipping their hats at multiple generations of rock music that came before them. They released an EP in 2020 and a couple of videos over the past year with a full-length and some more fun covers/singles coming soon (stay tuned). I had a great time talking with these guys and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and our performance videos please consider supporting us at Patreon! And, don't forget to check out our website to find all of our content and a link to our webstore to. find our handsome and cozy 100% cotton tees and stylish trucker hats! Thanks for watching and for your continued support! 

Our guest this episode is Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and we are quite happy to get the opportunity to host him. Ron is a great guy to hang and talk with and I first met him in 2009 while my band, Loaded, was on tour and he played some songs with us a couple of different nights in and around NYC. Ron is a stop-what-you're-doing-and-listen level guitarist and a master of the fretless guitar, to boot. He's in Art of Anarchy, Sons of Apollo, Asia, and the former lead guitarist of Guns 'n Roses. Ron also works as a producer with bands and has a studio in Central NJ that he works out of. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or our accompanying music performance videos please consider becoming a patron at our Patreon account. Link is below. Also, don't forget to check out our website to find all of our content plus a link to our webstore where you can score our sweet t-shirts and trucker hats. Thanks for listening and for your continued support!

This episode we have the pleasure of hanging out and speaking with our bandmate Burke Thomas who started a podcast this year called The Drum Recovery Network. Go check it out! Burke has played in a number of bands over the years, does a bit of music production work for TV/advertising, runs a music school called Loudhouse and is an avid gardener and fitness fanatic. Check out the performance of Somebody's Baby Tonight that Burke played drums on, as well! We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did! If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and/or videos please consider becoming a patron at Patreon! This is the only place you can download the audio from our cover songs and there are a handful of tiers to support at there. Thank you! Don't forget to visit our WEBSITE to find links to all of our content and webstore where you'll find our super comfortable tees and trucker hats.  

Our guest this episode is Sarah Carbonetti, the Brooklyn singer and songwriting force of Ess See. I thoroughly enjoyed discovering Ess See's music this past year and had a great time learning about Sarah's musical history and on-the-job education. AND, we were lucky enough to have her sing in a Couch Riffs video for our rendition of Making Plans For Nigel by XTC. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! Please go check out Ess See's latest singles A Better Home and Overdrive, both released in 2020. Thanks for listening and for your continued support!  If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or videos please consider supporting us as a patron at Patreon.com/couchriffs! Also, check out our WEBSITE to find all of our content and a link to our webstore where you'll find cool shirts, trucker hats and more! Thank you! 

Our guest on this episode is Jeff Smith, CEO of Newman Guitars. Newman Guitars has roots back to the early 70s and the founder, Ted Newman Jones worked for Keith Richards, building him multiple guitars including some famous 5-strings. He went on to build guitars for Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Billy Gibbons and more while he has a shop set up in Austin TX. Today Newman guitars is based in Washington, Indiana and carries the iconic Newman design into the future with modern building practices and comfortability tweaks that are sure to keep players happy for another 5 decades. Be sure to check out Newman's website and consider getting a custom build from them as your next collector's piece!  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or cover videos please consider becoming a patron at PATREON. Your support is appreciated and goes a long way toward helping Couch Riffs grow, improve and keep the gears greased. And, don't forget to visit our WEBSITE to find ALL of our content as well as a link to our m

Our guest this episode is Charlie Starr of Atlanta's Blackberry Smoke. Charlie recounts some of his early influences, moving to Atlanta in pursuit of his musical dream, starting Blackberry Smoke and the making of their yet-to-be released new album for 2021, recorded and mixed mid-2020. Charlie will be performing SHOWS IN JANUARY 2021 through the south. Check the hyper link for dates!  Thank you so much for listening and watching our companion cover song performance videos. Please be sure to check out COUCH RIFFS WEBSITE for all of our content. If you're enjoying Couch Riffs please consider supporting us as a patron over at the COUCH RIFFS PATREON. Thanks so much to everyone for helping to keep Couch Riffs moving forward. Happy New Year!   

Our guest this episode is Jeff Pilson who is most famously known for being the bassist for Dokken. Jeff has had a ton of great opportunities over the span of his career to showcase his talents including playing with Dio and Foreigner and continues to do so most recently releasing Heavy Hitters, a covers album, with his Dokken bandmate George Lynch. Jeff practices hot pilates and yoga and leads a virtual meditation class on Monday evenings. YOU CAN CHECK THAT OUT HERE. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Thanks for listening and for your continued support!  If you're enjoying Couch Riffs' podcast and quarantine cover song videos please consider becoming a patron at Patreon. Your support goes a very long way toward making these productions continue to improve and grow. Thank you so much to folks our Patrons! 

Our guest this episode Marc Ford, former lead guitarist for The Black Crowes, Burning Tree, Ben Harper, The Magpie Salute, and leader of a number of his own bands. Earlier this year (2020) the elusive  Fuzz Machine LP got a proper release and Marc has a live record releasing in January 15, 2021, Live In Germany, which is full of the same fire that his fans have come to expect. I've been enjoying it very much and know that you will, too. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Thanks for listening and for the continued support.  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and covers videos please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. Your patronage goes a long way toward helping us reach our ambitious goals for Couch Riffs' future. And, don't forget to visit our WEBSITE to find all our audio and video content plus a link to our MERCH STORE!

Our guest this episode is Pete Nordstrom who is the bassist of Seattle band Stag, co-organizer (along with his wife Brandy) of SMooCH (Seattle Musician's for Children's Hospital) and who happens to have started his career in the women's shoes stockroom at the department store that bears his own family name (not a coincidence). We had a great time talking through tons of stuff including his early aspirations of becoming a NBA player, Seattle Supersonics politics, band life, and how he and Brandy came to put SMooCH together. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! Please do go support SMooCH and be sure to catch the entire benefit program that will stream on KEXP's YouTube Channel through the end of December '20.  Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast or our video series of the same name please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. This is the only place that you can download the MP3 audio for the cover songs in our videos and we have exclusive merch for specific tiers a

Our guest this episode is Joe Balaguer of Balaguer Guitars, a boutique Pennsylvania guitar company who is among those leading the charge in price-accessible guitars of a quality that far exceed their price tag. I loved hearing Joe's story and getting to know him a bit throughout the course of this conversation. If you haven't check out Balaguer's website, you should There is a custom guitar building program you can get lost in for hours and I've done just that. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or have seen some of our performance videos and want to become a Patreon supporter, please visit our PATREON PAGE HERE. Your support is appreciated very much and it goes a long way toward making this eipsode and every thing we create happen. Thank you so much!  Don't forget to check out our official COUCH RIFFS WEBSITE, too. A hub for all of our audio and video content as well as a link to our Etsy store. 

Our guest this episode is Carrie Akre, a major fixture in the Seattle rock music scene for the past 30 years. Carrie has put out a number of solo releases as well as fronted the bands Hammerbox, Goodness, and The Rockfords featuring Mike McCready of Pearl Jam fame. Hearing her story of walking into her first band audition after cold-calling an ad from a local newspaper is inspiring! She has most recently been working with individuals as an Intuitive Life & Creative Coach and you can reach her at this link. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.  If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and video series, PLEASE support us at Patreon. This support helps us get closer to our goal of focusing 100% of our energies on producing the best and highest quality content for you that we are humanly capable of (or that we can recruit!). Thanks so much to folks who support us. 

Frankie Clarke fronts the LA band Frankie and The Studs and released their new single 9/20 called (Not Your) Victim. It was our pleasure to have her as a guest singer on a recent Couch Riffs video and we are looking forward to more and more from this great talent and her band. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and/or our cover song videos PLEASE support us at Patreon! We have exclusive merchandise at different tiers and it is the only place where the music from our covers videos can be downloaded. Thank you to everyone supporting and don't forget the Golden Rule!   

I've played more shows with Jeff Rouse than with any other band member or person I know. We've created a bond of over 20 years and never had a single fight. Can you even imagine that? I'm not sure how he hasn't fired me as a friend over the years, but he hasn't. We played in Alien Crime Syndicate and Loaded for years of touring all over the world and I can't image having had any of those experiences with any other person. Jeff has a band called The Gemini Affair with 2 releases coming in the next month or so, a 7" single on Mike McCready's Hockey Talkter label and an EP coming later. Look for these new releases which are Rouse to the core: hook-laden, goth-tinged rock music with great production and a dynamite band.  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and/or our performance videos please consider supporting us at Patreon! There is exclusive merch to be had there as well as access to the music downloads from cover song videos we produce. Thank you for listening, watching, and for your continued support

Bob Wayne does it like no one else, he does it his way. And, I admire that. I had an incredible time speaking with Bob and we tour his property a bit as well as getting the backstory of his musical progression. If you enjoy this episode half as much as I did you'll love it! If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and/or videos please consider becoming a supporter at Patreon. Your support goes a long way toward making these both happen. Thanks so much for watching, listening, and for your continued support!

Tucker Rule is most well-known for being the drummer of post-hardcore band Thursday but stays busy playing for a host of folks including The Wanted, Frank Iero, and My Chemical Romance. You can hire Tucker to play on your record through SoundBetter.com and you'll be happy you did! This was the first time speaking with hm and we had a great time talking a lot of random crap. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.  If you are able and feel inclined please help support Couch Riffs podcast and covers videos at Patreon! Patreon support helps this grow and improve and your support is much appreciate!  Thanks to River City Guitars for continued support!

Our guest this episode is Jasin Cadic, a multitalented creative who is a painter/artist, musician, film maker, and set designer. He's the kind of person that gathers no moss, for sure, as he's always working on something and planning his next project. Currently he's making music with Kelsey Warren of Blak Emoji under the name PASSWORD: (dOOMsDAY). His film credits include The Perfect Age of Rock 'n Roll (2009), Sidemen: The Long Road to Glory (2016), and there is something very cool in the works now which is covered in the podcast.  I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did! If you enjoy Couch Riffs please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at https://patreon.com/couchriffs Thanks so much for listening and for your continued support!

Dan Presencer  of Moar Guitars is building some of the most elegant guitars you'll find in the world, as far as I'm concerned, and I was very happy to get the opportunity to catch him with a little time over a recent weekend to tell me a bit about his history, what he's up to now, and what he sees himself doing in the future, possibly. If you've not seen his guitars you should do yourself a favor and go check them out at the link below. Thanks for listening and for your continued support!  If you enjoy the Couch Riffs podcast and/or our music performance videos please consider becoming a supporter at Patreon! Your support goes a long way toward making all of the different parts of Couch Riffs happen and is much appreciated! There is a link below if you're able to help. Thank you!   https://couchriffs.com  https://patreon.com/couchriffs  https://moarguitars.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/support

Our guest this episode is Anthony Cartinella of Black 35 Guitars out of Red Bank NJ. Anthony is a music teacher and a former drum company operator/owner and has poured tons of energy into Black 35 since starting in 2015. Recently he began building pedal boards featuring similar distressed appearances similar to his guitars and they are handsome bits of kit! Go check them out at his website and order your own. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!  If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast and/or videos please consider supporting us at Patreon.com/couchriffs and visit our website for links to all episodes as well as our Etsy store where you can find our super comfortable, high-quality t-shirts and trucker hats. Thanks for listening and for your continued support!  https://couchriffs.com https://www.rivercityguitars.com/listing/seymour-duncan-shape-shifter-tremolo/17660275 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/sup

This episode features my conversation with Keith Nelson, former guitarist and founding member of Buckcherry. Keith shares his story of diligence in the music world as we catch up and talk about his going from working at Guitar Center to having a platinum selling album and owning '59 Bursts. As of late Keith has been working with a variety of bands and artists producing and cowriting a number of songs out of his studio in LA. Need some help from a very capable and talented writer? Hit him up!  I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Thanks for listening!  If you are enjoying the Couch Riffs Podcast or Videos please consider supporting via our PATREON page. Your support goes directly toward making this the best version of itself and making the performance videos come to life. Thank you so much for listening and for your continued support!  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/support

Our guest this episode is Sam Bam Koltun of Faster Pussycat, Budderside, and most recently Dorothy. Starting at an early age and encouraged by the Rockstar INXS reality tv show he picked up the guitar and hasn't rested since, moving to LA to attend Musicians Institute at 18 and staying in Hollywood after graduating. I had a great time hearing about what an encouraging environment he grew up in and hope that his story through this conversation might encourage anyone listening to nurture creative interests in their own kids. Thank you so much for listening and for your continued support!  If you're enjoying the Couch Riffs podcast or the performance videos we are producing please consider hopping over to Patreon.com/CouchRiffs and becoming a supporter there. There are a handful of levels to support at with different incentives and some fun exclusive merchandise as well as audio downloads of the Couch Riffs video performances! Thanks again. Golden Rule! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/couch-riffs/