The legendary shred maestro—best known for his work as a solo artist and as a member of Return to Forever and other high-profile, hot-shot collabs—drops by to chat with Cory about his new epic full-length, Twentyfour. It features “sixteen brand-new compositions and they’re all very involved. I hope I don’t have to do this again.” One of Di Meola’s biggest projects is, of course, the guitar trio he shared with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía and their thrilling 1981 record, Friday Night in...

Marcus King has already been through the wringer, but he’s on the come-up. His hotly anticipated third LP, Mood Swings, drops this Friday, April 5, and on this episode of Wong Notes, the earnest, honest 28-year old South Carolinian goes deep on his career with Cory Wong. The two shredders open by swapping notes on how touring has changed post-pandemic. Costs are way up, but they’re managing to make it work. King reveals to Wong that on his upcoming tour, he’s wrangled a few sizeable,...

The ascendant roots shredder shares intimate details from his musical upbringing and gets philosophical on the past and future of bluegrass. Millennial folk philosopher Billy Strings joins this episode of Wong Notes. The Grammy-winning acoustic picker is an open book—nothing is off limits with Billy, from recounting his days selling magic mushrooms in exchange for passing grades in math class, to an emotional drunk-driving revelation that might have saved his life. Now, Strings can recount...

This time on Wong Notes, Cory is joined by his Vulfpeck and Fearless Flyers copilot Joe Dart. Wong doesn’t waste any time, diving in by asking Dart, by now renowned as a modern bass wizard with flawless fundamentals, how he developed he signature “voice” on the bass. As Dart explains, it came from listening to players who had their own distinct “voice,” who sound like “they’re singing a part within the song,” he says. These “philosophers of the low-end,” like Flea, imprinted the value of...

Multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato has had a lot on his plate since taking over as bandleader for Jon Batiste on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in late 2022, but has been enjoying every minute of it. "I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, with exactly the people I'm supposed to be there with," he tells Cory on this episode of Wong Notes. Of course, given his role there is a fulltime gig, the release of his second solo album, Reflections, last August was kind of a big deal. Its...

Session drum ace Aaron Sterling might have fusion roots, but his bread-and-butter work lives at the top of the charts, where’s he’s featured on tracks by artists such as John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Lana Del Rey. He tells Cory what brought him to Los Angeles, why he’s “meant to be in the studio” instead of the stage, and he shares the surreal story of playing with EVH in a florist’s parking lot for Tracy Morgan. Sterling defines his approach to recording in his studio as a...

Cory Wong sits down with indie-rock bandleader Margaret Glaspy for an in-depth dialogue on artistry, celebrity, and the wisdom of Bruce Lee. Glaspy shares how she cut her latest record, Echo The Diamond, live off the floor, with most of the “homework” happening beforehand and studio performances happening in-the-moment. “It really felt like air blew through the studio and then the record was made,” she says. “What you’re hearing is mostly what happening.” The songs are like photographs of a...

"I don't consider myself a jazz musician," says guitarist Charlie Hunter on this episode of Wong Notes—essentially refuting how he's known in the music world. "I am maybe jazz adjacent." Most listeners probably wouldn't agree, but if nothing else, Hunter is experimental. He's known for playing a guitar that's strung with both bass and electric guitar strings, that has two pickups—one for bass and one for guitar—and two input jacks, which go to separate amps for the respective sounds. As the...

Cory’s cast is off and he’s here to tell you to “go get hip” to Bruno Major! The soulful, jazzy British singer-songwriter shares why he prefers to record in his bedroom than a studio to create his “relatively lo-fi” music. “It’s far more important to be transmitting a privacy than an audio quality,” Major says. But he’s quick to point out that you can get good audio quality recording at home and discloses his gear of choice—shoutout to the Shure SM7B. Together, they discuss the state of...

"When you switch the gear of what you're operating on from the memorized information to the gear of intuitive, faithful response, it's a whole different frequency that's emitted from the hands and from the soul," country shredder Daniel Donato expresses on this episode of Wong Notes. He's talking about what makes for powerful improvisation, and if you know anything about the guitarist, you know this insight around the topic is coming from someone who's a master on their instrument. Throughout...

Wolfgang Van Halen joins Cory for the season 7 premiere of Wong Notes! Chatting before the release of Mammoth II, the duo discuss guitar trios, 5150 studios, cloning, touring with Metallica, plus: Who’s that playing wah on the record? What’s WVH’s rig? And much more. On his new record, WVH has lots to share. When it comes to writing and recording rhythm tracks, he’s says, “It’s all groove.” Later, he adds, “I’ve always championed myself as more of a rhythm player than anything.” And on what’s...

Soulive, Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks, and most recently, Stanton Moore and Branford Marsalis—that's a short list of some of the acts Eric Krasno plays and has played with throughout his career. From one funk guitarist to another, Cory sits down with Eric to talk what it means to play the right amount of notes when jamming, what it takes for Eric to absorb and learn so many different genres, and the impact the jam band community has on its musicians. Thanks for listening to this season of Wong...

"If you keep your head and your ass in the same place, that'll happen on its own," says Jason Isbell on how he gets the most out of his live performances. On the heels of a new HBO documentary, he and Cory sit down for a deep discussion, talking creating genuine art that can also turn into hits, Muscle Shoals, and the intersection between "guitarist" and "songwriter"—as well as "for life" gear choices. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here:...

The Extreme guitarist shares his pedal philosophy—including how a visit from EVH inspired him to use a phaser on the new record—and talks about ripping with Rihanna at the Super Bowl and more. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Nuno Bettencourt: https://extreme-band.com/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter:...

The Phish bassist chats about everything from how to EQ a picked electric bass tone to drummers, the importance of a good shirt, his recipe for a good gig, and why he hates jam bands. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Mike Gordon: https://mike-gordon.com/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG:...

Cory sits down with his bandmate-brother, multi-instrumentalist Theo Katzman, to discuss the virtues of musical self-acceptance, the infectious charisma of Trey Anastasio, and how Theo has made a career out of being a jack of all trades. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Theo Katzman: http://theokatzman.com Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar:...

Mateus Asato shares on his experiences playing with pop stars, what it means to be of service to a song, and how taking a break from social media—which was where he built his fan base of 1.2 million—was crucial to his mental health. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Mateus Asato: https://www.instagram.com/mateusasato/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar:...

The professor is in. He dives deep into EVH’s moves, talks about why he prefers high action, and goes “full rant mode” into technical tips.  Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Paul Gilbert: http://paulgilbert.com Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG: https://www.instagram.com/wongnotespod Produced...

This week’s ep is just a couple of Strat dudes talkin’ gear. The guys get deep on everything from their favorite guitars to pedals and some speaker chat, and the busy New York guitarist and professor talks about improv and the up-and-coming crop of jazz cats. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Nir Felder: https://www.nirfelder.com/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar:...

The Scottish singer-songwriter talks about discovering looping, the perfect pedalboard, and gets deep about the mystery of songwriting and coping with hearing loss. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit KT Tunstall: https://www.kttunstall.com/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG:...

Roots guitarist “Captain” Kirk Douglas talks about his background as a pre-school teacher, the role of the guitar in hip-hop, and gives the definitive take on his Prince story. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Kirk Douglas: https://hundredwattheart.com/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG:...

The Punch Brother and MacArthur Genius talks about why he chose the mandolin and how it relates to Roger Federer. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Chris Thile: http://christhile.com Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG: https://www.instagram.com/wongnotespod Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory...

The Foo Fighter talks about his influences from the guitar-hero era, and shares all the details of his gear, from his signature model Fender to why “you gotta have a Phase 90 on your board.” Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Chris Shiflett: http://www.chrisshiflettmusic.com/ Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter:...

The jazz phenom chats about flying with his guitar, how he approaches fluidity on his instrument, overcoming injury, and his take on pedals and tunings. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Julian Lage: http://julianlage.com Hit us up: [email protected] Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG:...