Everyone Loves Guitar – Details, episodes & analysis

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In this John Ondrasik interview: John's early songwriting was driven by a chip on his shoulder and a desire to be heard. We talked about the autobiographical nature of John's songs, the power of music to impact people's lives, the challenges of the music industry, the importance of speaking out against atrocities, how his ego has helped… and hindered him… and the low points and dark periods in his life. Specifically, being dropped by his record label and had to get a job, and the challenging time he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. John emphasizes the importance of gratitude, taking care of yourself, and making decisions that align with your values

John Ondrasik, better known as Five For Fighting, is a platinum selling multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. To me, his songwriting is along the lines of the classic songwriters of the 60s & 70s like Elton John and Neil Diamond. John's released 6 studio LPs… has several hundred music licensing placements, many in well-known TV shows and movies… he co-manages his family's business, Precision Wire Products… and he's also an in-demand keynote speaker (watch his TedX presentation)

Photo by Mike Donahue

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to John Ondrasik

02:02 Early Musical Influences and Songwriting

04:36 The Chip on John Androsik's Shoulder

06:04 Breakthrough Moments in his Career

12:19 Living in the Moment and Appreciating the Little Things

18:04 The Power of Will and Taking Risks

21:46 Positive Affirmations and Mindset

24:21 Reflecting on Mortality and the Meaning of Life

26:53 The Story Behind 'The Day I Died'

29:40 The Autobiographical Nature of John's Songs

30:11 The Power of Music to Impact Lives

36:14 Challenges in the Music Industry

43:25 Speaking Out Against Atrocities

49:10 The Role of Ego in the Music Business

53:52 Dealing with Low Points and Dark Periods in Life

58:41 The Challenges of the Music Industry

01:00:35 Navigating the Pandemic

01:04:23 The Traits that Contribute to Success

01:08:35 Gratitude and Making Decisions

01:11:39 The Power of Music

01:13:13 Speaking Your Mind

Five For Fighting Upcoming Tour

FIVE FOR FIGHTING FULL BAND TOUR DATES:

Thursday, July 11 Hot Summer Nights Concert Series @ Municipal Lawn in Sherman, TX (Free Show)

Saturday, July 27 @ Mystic Lake Casino, Mystic Amphitheater in Prior Lake, MN (Free Show)

Tuesday, August 6 @ Ardmore Music Hall in Ardmore.PA

Thursday, August 8 @ Electric City in Buffalo, NY

Friday, August 9, 2024 @ House of Blues, Cambridge Room in Cleveland, OH

Saturday, August 10, 2024 @ St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit, MI

Sunday, August 11, 2024 @ Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI

Tuesday, August 13, 2024 @ Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 @ Oceanfront Concerts Series, 24th Street Park in Virginia Beach, VA

Friday, August 16, 2024 @ Cabot Theater in Beverly, MA

Saturday, August 17, 2024 @ The Wolf Den At Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT (Free Show)

Sunday, August 18, 2024 @ Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, NY

Five For Fighting Quartet Shows 

Thurs, September 26 in Homer, NY at Center for the Arts of Homer 

Fri, September 27 in Saratoga Springs, NY at Universal Preservation Hall

Sat, September 28 in Corning, NY at Corning Museum Of Glass 

Sun, September 29 in Bethel, NY at The Event Gallery at Bethel Woods 

October 1 in Oneonta, NY at Foothills Performing Arts Center 

October 3 in Nashua, NH at Nashua Center for the Arts 

October 4 in Laconia, NH at The Colonial Theatre Laconia

October 5 in Bethlehem, NY at The Colonial Theatre

October 6 in Waterville, ME at Waterville Opera House 

October 8 in Newport, RI at The JPT Film & Event Center

October 9 in Red Bank, NJ at Count Basie Center for the Arts - The Vogel 

October 10 in Port Washington, NY at Landmark on Main Street

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On this Jeff Schroeder interview, Jeff discusses his new album 'Metanoia' and his decision to leave the Smashing Pumpkins. The album is a departure from his previous work and represents a new era in his musical journey. Jeff reflects on the challenges of leaving a successful band and the process of redefining his identity as a musician, and as a person. He emphasizes the importance of letting go of ego attachments and embracing new opportunities, the importance of being present and enjoying life, the role of passion in your career, the significance of finding your own sound amidst the vast array of gear options available. Jeff shares his interest in mysticism and spirituality, how it has influenced his music and life, the attraction of different cultural philosophies and theologies, the appeal of ambient music, and the process of creating Jeff's new record. Jeff shares his experience of working with friends and the joy of creating something from start to finish, his extensive guitar collection and his approach to production. LOADS of cool stuff here!

Jeff's most well-known as the guitarist for the Smashing Pumpkins. He initially took James Iha's place and was with the band from 2007 to his amicable departure in October 2023. He recorded five studio albums with the band and after bandleader Billy Corgan, and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, Jeff was the third-longest-serving member of the group. Jeff's got a new album out, called Metanoia… and today we're going to talk about the new record, and find out why he left the Smashing Pumpkins. As a side note, Jeff's one of THE most intelligent guests I've had on the show - very bright guy who's incredibly well-read

Photo by Vice Cooler

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On this Andy McKee Interview: His early years as a musician, his experiences playing with Prince, and his approach to songwriting and alternate tunings…. the emotional expression he finds in acoustic guitar music, his approach to playing guitar in altered tunings and the challenges and rewards it brings. He also talks about the inspiration behind his song 'For My Father' and the emotional connection it has with his audience. Andy shares his experiences touring with Eric Johnson and Dream Theater, as well as his involvement in the Michael Hedges documentary… balancing his music career and family life, and his struggle with social media. McKee also mentions his signature guitar models and his love for video game music… the importance of staying true to yourself as a musician, biggest change in his personality over the years, and more. Lovely, sincere guy, great convo!

Originally from Topeka, Kansas… Andy's an awesome finger style guitar player - he's released 7 LPs and 2EPs, and he's also played on records by Josh Groban, Lee Ritenour, and he hosts a lot of guitar workshops. He initially became well-known when a few of his videos blew up on YouTube back in the early 2000's, including his song Drifting - which has over 60 Million views. And at one time, the top 3 videos on YT were all Andy McKee's. This opened doors for Andy to play literally thousands of concerts all over the world, sharing the stage with artists like Prince, Eric Johnson & Dream Theater. Andy has a new finger style "supergroup" LP out featuring himself, Calum Graham and Trevor Gordon Hall. The band, and the LP are called Tripliciti

On this Willie J Laws Jr interview: Growing up in Taft, TX (population 3,000!), hanging out in his grandfather's beer joint, a terrible act of racism he was exposed to in 6th grade, joining the Navy, Moving out to California and getting caught up in the CRACK Epidemic, backstories to his top songs, career and personal highs and lows, most important life lessons he's learned & more:

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Originally from Texas and currently living in Massachusetts, Willie Laws plays Texas soul music, mixed with classic R&B, country, blues & funk. Willie's performed nationally and internationally in Russia, throughout Europe, and more. He won the Massachusetts Blues Society Challenge and was a semi-finalist at the Int'l Blues Competition and Beale St. Kings Awards, in Memphis. Willie has some amazing life stories and was kind enough to share a few of them with us, today. His latest album is Too Much Blues

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Robben's released over 50 albums in a career that's spanned almost as many years. Besides a successful solo career, Robben's played with Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, greg Allman, John Scofield, Susan Tedeschi, Keb Mo, Larry Carlton, Mavis Staples, Brad Paisley and many others

Robben shared literally dozens of personal stories in this conversation, including seeing Hendrix, Albert King, Mike Bloomfield, John Mayall and Mick Taylor in concert back in the late 60's… Stories about working with Joni Mitchell, George Harrison (how they met is pretty cool), Greg Allman and Miles Davis… why he put his career on hold to study Buddhism and meditation, and what he got out of this experience… interesting stories about his dad… personal struggles he's deal with over the course of his career… and some very good advice for musicians, or frankly, anyone in any endeavour. RARE for  Robben to get this personal, so give this a listen now:

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One of the absolute nicest, and most humble people I've been privileged to meet, Paul Jackson - although a rock star by any standards - is about as grounded a human being as you'll find. After a difficult childhood, Paul managed to find his way and become passion-driven by baseball and guitar. He talks about one of his early dreams of one day playing in the Pensacola Civic Center - a dream he successfully accomplished, along with many others.

Paul shared some great stories here, including how his (very supportive) mom turned him on to Motley Crue and changed his life, forever… some wonderful life lessons his parents taught him… cool story about how he met and fell in love with his wife… his vintage guitars… gratitude… and the meaning behind the band's latest EP, "Find A Light." Real class act, amazing guitarist and key member of one of the most successful bands out there, today…

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So many great stories Ricky told here. Like that time he ran into Cher in his local pharmacy… or the time Gregg Allman asked Ricky to keep Gregg's new custom Harley in Ricky's garage, so Cher wouldn't find out about it… Or how Capricorn (and all the other record labels) screwed their artists by including this ONE paragraph in each contract… why he left Wet Willie and moved out to LA… opening for the Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Grand Funk Railroad, REO Speedwagon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Humble Pie, and Slade… and his introspective thoughts on so many different things

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Ricky was one of the founding members of Wet Willie and one of the co-writers of their #10 hit, "Keep on Smiling." He also played and toured with Gregg Allman & Cher, Joan Armatrading… and owns two recording studios which he has kept filled for the last 31 years, producing hundreds of records and artists

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Avi Bortnick joined Scofield's jam-oriented band in 2000 and has played rhythm guitar and electronics, along with co-producing and co-writing three records: Überjam, Up All Night, and Überjam Deux. He's also played with Jim Weider, Zigaboo Modeliste, Bobby McFerrin, and his own Avi B Three. He's known in musician circles for his rhythm guitar playing and ability to blend in a variety of musical configurations.  

We spent quite a bit of time on this call talking about Avi's prolific side hustles, which include App Development, and consulting in a unique niche industry. Because he has these other income sources, he never feels pressure to take a gig or work with someone he really doesn't want to work with. Plus, it allows him to live in NYC and be centrally located to the places he enjoys being near. Avi also had some great advice for other guitarists. Interesting interview, not our usual conversations:

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Grant held the guitar chair in the legendary David Grisman Quintet for six years, and has worked alongside artists like Edgar Meyer, Steve Martin, Tony Trischka, Darol Anger, Dominick Leslie, Alex Hargreaves and Joe K. Walsh. Grant's performed all over North America and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Montreal Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Bonnaroo.

Definitely one of the most intense and introspective interviews I've done. Grant and I dig really deep in the second half of this call when we talk about everything from happiness… struggling when it comes to asking for help… feeling undeserving… finding your musical voice, getting comfortable in your own skin, and more. Truly one of the most genuine guys you'll have the pleasure of getting to know. GREAT success story, Grant is a real warrior - you MUST give this a listen now!:

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John is a 6 time Grammy nominated songwriter, a Grammy winning producer, and guitar player. He's produced and/or written 43 #1 singles, 86 #1 albums and sold over 60 million records. He's worked with Melissa Etheridge, Alanis Morrisette, Joe Cocker, Keith Urban, Santana, Take That, Steven Tyler, Santana, Fleetwood Mac, Robbie Robertson, Sheryl Crow, Michelle Branch, Bon Jovi - as a writer, producer, and now he's also touring with the band - and literally hundreds of other artists

John gets W-A-A-Y deep during this conversation and peels back the curtain behind all the "glamour" and talks about the challenges of doing what he does… moving to LA and not knowing a soul… seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their very first performance gig… passion, curiosity, drive… the 3 critical components every song has to have before it can ever become a hit… dealing with depression and being hard on yourself… compassion and forgiveness… retail therapy… great lesson his dad taught him… the danger of taking your foot off the gas… and how he's dealt with some personal challenges and accomplishments. VERY candid interview from someone who rarely gives interviews - this is a MUST listen:

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