21 episodes

Welcome to Guitar Villains! I'm your host, Tyler Larson. Why Guitar Villains? Because villains are cooler than heroes, it’s just a fact. This is a podcast by guitar players for guitar players and over the course of this series we’ll talk to some of the most creative and innovative minds in the community about how they’ve achieved the things they have on the instrument and how you can become a better player yourself.

Guitar Villains Tyler Larson

    • Music
    • 4.9 • 166 Ratings

Welcome to Guitar Villains! I'm your host, Tyler Larson. Why Guitar Villains? Because villains are cooler than heroes, it’s just a fact. This is a podcast by guitar players for guitar players and over the course of this series we’ll talk to some of the most creative and innovative minds in the community about how they’ve achieved the things they have on the instrument and how you can become a better player yourself.

    I Got Paul Reed Smith to Play THE FORBIDDEN RIFF

    I Got Paul Reed Smith to Play THE FORBIDDEN RIFF

    Welcome to Guitar Villains! Today's guest is the guitar luthier Paul Reed Smith.

    Thanks to American Musical Supply for sponsoring the show. Use code Tyler10 for a great deal: https://bit.ly/ShopAMERICANMUSICALdotCOM

    Sign up for the PRS Music School
    Part of ticket proceeds go to Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
    Guitars given away to random students 8/9, international included.

    0:00 - Introduction
    4:15 - Paul’s supervillain alter-ego
    11:20 - Burning Questions
    14:30 - The YouTube effect
    16:25 - “Guitars are the violins of our day”
    18:06 - Paul’s thoughts on THE FORBIDDEN RIFF
    24:17 - The Paul Reed Smith Music School
    32:07 - Unfiltered Q&A
    33:50 - Single cut or Double cut?
    38:35 - How to build a truly beautiful guitar
    41:01 - Paul’s opinion on other popular guitar brands
    46:21 - The PRS Artist roster
    51:20 - Paul screamed at Eric Johnson
    52:23 - Paul’s supervillain advice

    Join Guitar Super System today: http://guitarsupersystem.com

    • 57 min
    St. Vincent Doesn't Need a Berklee Degree to Win Grammys or Shred Guitar

    St. Vincent Doesn't Need a Berklee Degree to Win Grammys or Shred Guitar

    Welcome to Guitar Villains! Today's guest is the St. Vincent guitar sorceress, Annie Clark.

    Thanks to American Musical Supply for sponsoring the show. Use code Tyler9 for a great deal.
    https://bit.ly/SaveOnGear

    0:00 - Introduction
    1:40 - Annie's opinion about Berklee and music college in general
    4:15 - The REAL origin of the name ‘St. Vincent’
    7:10 - Annie’s supervillain alter-ego
    11:18 - Burning Questions
    17”07 - Name Those Notes
    17:40 - Perfect pitch versus relative pitch
    19:50 - Annie’s manual whammy bar effect
    21:00 - Led Zeppelin’s influence on St. Vincent
    23:36 - Annie’s favorite guitar riff she wrote
    27:10 - Annie talks about the brilliance of Metallica rhythm guitar parts
    30:38 - The new St. Vincent guitar approach
    35:08 - “I don’t love it when the guitar sounds like a guitar”
    38:36 - St. Vincent’s influence on my guitar playing
    39:30 - The MusicMan St. Vincent signature guitar
    45:18 - The art of improvisation on guitar
    47:53 - Songwriting tips from a Grammy-winning songwriter
    51:50 - Annie’s supervillain advice

    Check out St. Vincent on YouTube
    Follow St. Vincent on Instagram

    Join Guitar Super System today: http://guitarsupersystem.com

    • 1 hr
    Kyle Gass on the Best Tenacious D song, Tom Morello's "gimmick" & if Rock is Dead

    Kyle Gass on the Best Tenacious D song, Tom Morello's "gimmick" & if Rock is Dead

    Welcome to Guitar Villains! Today's guest is the Tenacious D 6-string maestro, Kyle Gass.

    Thanks to American Musical Supply for sponsoring the show.
    Use code Tyler8 for a great deal.
    http://bit.ly/PickOfSavingsHere

    0:00 - Introduction
    2:55 - Kyle’s supervillain alter-ego
    4:25 - Burning Questions
    8:50 - Kyle’s thoughts on Tom Morello
    13:20 - Name Those Notes
    14:16 - Kyle’s recorder-playing prowess
    15:45 - The beauty of 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures
    17:30 - Kyle’s best songwriting tip
    18:35 - The truth about Tenacious D’s “Tribute”
    21:44 - Is rock dead?
    25:49 - The best Tenacious D song
    27:57 - Jack Black’s songwriting style
    28: 58 - Kyle Gass is going solo
    32:34 - Kyle was a child prodigy… or… he wasn’t
    34:44 - Kyle’s guitar approach
    36:52 - Jack Black is a vocal savant
    39:55 - The knifing at a Tenacious D show
    42:12 - Kyle’s supervillain advice

    Kyle's brand new song, 'Vaccinated'
    Follow Kyle on social media

    Join Guitar Super System today: http://guitarsupersystem.com

    • 44 min
    Lari Basilio on Bending the G String the "Wrong" Way and the 'Ibanez Generation'

    Lari Basilio on Bending the G String the "Wrong" Way and the 'Ibanez Generation'

    Welcome to Guitar Villains! Today's guest is the instantly recognizable Lari Basilio.

    Thanks to American Musical Supply for sponsoring the show.
    Use code Tyler7 for a great deal on your next purchase!
    http://bit.ly/GearSavingsStartHere

    Lari's guest solo on "Reverie"
    Follow Lari on YouTube
    Follow Lari on Instagram

    0:00 - Introduction
    3:40 - Lari’s supervillain alter-ego
    6:40 - Burning Questions
    8:34 - Name Those Notes
    9:35 - What does it take to be successful in the studio?
    13:04 - How does phrasing work?
    17:30 - JamTrack Central is the Shrapnel Records of the YouTube era
    20:59 - Lari’s unique G bending technique
    24:52 - The Ibanez LB1 and its origin
    32:50 - The future of social media for guitar players
    35:30 - Lari quit being a lawyer to play guitar
    37:10 - Lari’s Brazilian roots
    39:38 - The effect of the Ibanez generation
    44:20 - Lari’s supervillain advice

    Check out Guitar Super System: http://guitarsupersystem.com

    • 48 min
    Mark Lettieri on the Art of Baritone Guitar and Perfect Rhythm

    Mark Lettieri on the Art of Baritone Guitar and Perfect Rhythm

    Welcome to Guitar Villains! Today's guest is the funk master Mark Lettieri.

    Thanks to American Musical Supply for sponsoring the show.
    Use code Tyler6 for a great deal.
    http://bit.ly/SaveOnGearNow

    0:00 - Introduction
    3:15 - Collecting lanyards is an addiction
    4:20 - Mark’s guitar villain alter-ego
    8:27 - Burning Questions
    10:30 - Name Those Notes
    11:43 - Gospel moves on guitar
    14:20 - Chord solos with melodic development
    16:45 - When you know a guitarist by one note
    18:45 - The art of baritone guitar
    26:29 - Mark’s songwriting approach
    27:50 - The PRS Fiore
    33:15 - Tonewood is real
    35:30 - The strangest tour moment of Mark’s life
    37:49 - Mark likes beer
    41:30 - Mark raises monarch butterflies
    44:32 - The hardest and easiest thing about guitar
    48:50 - Mark’s supervillain advice

    Mark and my video on FUNK
    Check out Mark Lettieri

    Join Guitar Super System today: http://guitarsupersystem.com

    • 52 min
    Zakk Wylde Says Who the Best Guitarist is and the Two Schools of Guitar Soloing

    Zakk Wylde Says Who the Best Guitarist is and the Two Schools of Guitar Soloing

    Welcome to Guitar Villains! Today's guest is the almighty Zakk Wylde.

    Thanks to American Musical Supply for sponsoring the show.
    Use code Tyler5 to save on your next purchase!
    http://bit.ly/SaveOnGearHere

    0:00 - Introduction
    3:00 - Who is the best guitarist?
    5:31 - Zakk’s supervillain alter-ego
    7:35 - Burning Questions
    14:45 - How Zakk developed his guitar tone
    22:00 - Name Those Notes
    22:45 - The sacred history of the No More Tears guitar solo
    24:10 - The two schools of guitar soloing
    26:55 - Zakk’s approach to the recording studio
    32:28 - Zakk’s use of music theory
    38:25 - The future of Wylde Audio
    44:50 - The feeling of playing live music
    48:58 - Zakk’s supervillain advice

    Subscribe to Zakk on YouTube
    Check out Wylde Audio
    Check out Black Label Society

    Join Guitar Super System today: http://guitarsupersystem.com

    • 51 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
166 Ratings

166 Ratings

Ricky Ragone ,

This Podcast is Win!

Tyler is a very talented and very down to earth host. I love how he doesn’t come across as “star struck” when sitting down and talking with some of the villainiest villains in the guitar world! The interviews are fun, entertaining, and informative! Even if I don’t know who a guitarist is when I start the episode by the time episode ends I’m ready to seek out their music. Is this some kind of mind control by Tyler Larson? Is Tyler Larson secretly Gorilla Grodd? I may never know, but I don’t care. I love this podcast.

Don Browder ,

Enjoyable

I really enjoy Tyler’s videos and podcasts. To answer the question asked on IG. Steve Vai’s Passion and Warfare album blew me away when it came out. For The Love of God is by far my favorite cut, but pound for pound the whole album is great.

Kip Williamson ,

Great Guitar-Podcast

This show is everything you’d want from a podcast and more.

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