The B's Keep Coming

In Episode 9 of Tone Chasers & String Benders, Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund discover something they probably should have figured out by now: the B’s are going to be around for a while. Five more names come off the list, and this may be one of the strangest combinations yet. We go from the swampy grooves of Little Feat to the psychedelic birth of Pink Floyd, take a hard left into Cuban classical guitar, climb aboard a freight train with a Dobro, and finally arrive at a guitarist so obscure the guys begin questioning the list itself. In other words, business as usual. Featured guitarists in this episode: Paul Barrere – Longtime Little Feat guitarist whose Stratocaster, slide work and greasy Southern-meets-Louisiana tone helped define one of rock’s great cult bands. Chaz admits Little Feat largely passed him by the first time around—but Barrere’s playing makes a convincing case for catching up. Syd Barrett – Founding force behind Pink Floyd, psychedelic visionary, Telecaster and Danelectro player...but one of history’s great guitarists? Arnold Layne, See Emily Play and The Scarecrow launch a debate over whether Barrett belongs here for his guitar playing—or because without Syd, there may never have been Pink Floyd. Manuel Barrueco – From psychedelic Cambridge to Santiago, Cuba, and suddenly everybody gets quiet. Barrueco’s nylon-string classical playing sparks a conversation about feel—and whether playing slowly, with every note exposed, can actually be harder than playing fast. Guitar as conversation. Guitar as narrative. Nothing to hide behind. Bashful Brother Oswald – Born Beecher “Pete” Kirby, the Dobro pioneer associated with Roy Acuff and the Smoky Mountain Boys transports the show to another time: freight trains, Tennessee countryside, front porches and, naturally, a big bloodhound sitting nearby. Different instrument. Different era. Same chase for tone. Cal Batchelor – An English guitarist associated with Quiver and Sutherland Brothers and Quiver, Batchelor sends the guys down another rabbit hole—through Tim Renwick, Quicksilver Messenger Service and John Cipollina—before raising the inevitable question: does every guitarist on a list of 1,000 great guitarists really belong there? Featured recordings include: Skin It Back / Feats Don’t Fail Me Now – Little Feat with Paul Barrere Arnold Layne / See Emily Play / The Scarecrow – Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett The Radiant Guitar – Manuel Barrueco Dobro selections – Bashful Brother Oswald Sutherland Brothers and Quiver selections – Cal Batchelor And in between? Syd Barrett versus David Gilmour. Joan Baez wanders back into the conversation. Classical guitar becomes a meditation on speed versus feel. Brother Oswald gains a couple of followers in real time. Quiver somehow leads to John Cipollina’s legendary amplifier rig. And eventually the guys look at this particular batch of B’s and wonder whether the middle of the list might contain just a little bit of... BS. This isn’t a ranking. It isn’t a lecture. And increasingly, it may not even be a good idea. But it’s one hell of a way to discover guitar players. Five more guitarists down... Nine hundred and fifty-five to go... Hosted by Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund. Only on the Boneless Podcasting Network.