Per Nilsson: 4 Years Without Guitar — Then Better Than Ever

"It's just a shattered human and an acoustic guitar."

Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde on Joe Satriani, Les Claypool, Frank Zappa, Rush and losing 60 guitars in the LA wildfires.

Misha Mansoor founded Periphery in 2005 and helped define a sound he never set out to name. Recorded backstage at Jera On Air, this conversation goes back much further than that. He describes a childhood of being moved — Brussels at eight, Zimbabwe at twelve — and rebuilding a friend group from nothing each time. He talks about a strict religious upbringing, spending his bar mitzvah money on a drum kit, a guitar and a PlayStation, and walking away from it all. He is open about the two directionless years at the University of Toronto that ended in a breakdown, and about the conversation with his father, an economist at the World Bank, who told him he would statistically fail. Misha tells the complete Meshuggah story: dismissing them as noise, then the single remark from a bass player that made the whole thing legible. He explains what obsession means to him, why he only has two modes, and why experimenting with gear reliably produces songs. On 'A Pale White Dot', he is candid about the creative dead end that preceded it — a band that had refined its own formula to the point of boredom — and how starting with a title, artwork and a single theme of loneliness broke the deadlock. He also explains his long-held view that most albums, including his own, are too long. Also discussed: Nirvana's songwriting, Dillinger Escape Plan, Max Verstappen, and the difference between talent and work. Sixty Scales and the Truth with Niels Guns.

Bryan Beller — bassist for The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa and Mike Keneally — on why it took him until 42 to make it.

Andy Timmons — guitarist's guitarist, known for instrumental rock, jazz, bossa nova and his Chopin-influenced nocturnes — joins us backstage on his European tour, recorded one hour before he walks on stage. In this episode, Andy Timmons explains why he treats every gig as the most important one he'll ever play, how he recovers when things go wrong mid-set, and why he believes "the gift is the hard work." He breaks down the difference between shredding and intentional note choice, introduces his concept of the "auralect" (learning music by ear rather than theory), and traces his path from a shy kid with three older brothers to the University of Miami and beyond. We also get into his obsession with Chopin's nocturnes and Django Reinhardt, the role of jazz in shaping even his rock playing, his daily practice routine, and how an hour with coffee and a guitar became essential to his mental health and his album "Recovery." Topics: Andy Timmons, guitar, jazz guitar, instrumental rock, guitar technique, Pat Metheny, Django Reinhardt, Chopin, songwriting, practice routine, music and mental health. Follow the show and tap the bell so you don't miss new guitar interviews.