Tone Chasers and String Benders

In this fourth episode of Tone Chasers & String Benders, co-hosts Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund pick things up right where the signal starts to hum.This episode’s five take us across continents and styles—Brazilian elegance, New York soul grit, Greenwich Village folk circuits, British folk-blues purism, and full-throttle UK blues-rock muscle.Featured guitarists in this episode:Laurindo Almeida – Brazilian-born master who helped bring bossa nova into North American living rooms, blending classical technique with jazz phrasing. His tone? Silky, effortless, like a Sunday afternoon that never ends.Carlos Alomar – The unsung architect behind some of David Bowie’s most iconic grooves. A rhythm player with a lead player’s instinct, threading soul, funk, and rock into a signature sound that defined Station to Station and beyond.Eric Andersen – A staple of the 1960s folk revival, cutting his teeth alongside Dylan and Paxton. Coffeehouse poet, acoustic storyteller, and a reminder that sometimes the guitar is there to carry the words, not outrun them.Ian A. Anderson – Not that Ian Anderson—this one a British folk-blues scholar, bottleneck devotee, and torchbearer of traditional forms. A player rooted in the past, keeping the old ghosts alive one slide at a time.Miller Anderson – The revelation of the episode. A Scottish blues-rock powerhouse whose work with the Keef Hartley Band—and beyond—delivers gritty tone, soulful vocals, and the kind of playing that makes you lean forward and grin.Featured recordings include:The Lamp Is Low – Laurindo AlmeidaStay / Golden Years – David Bowie with Carlos AlomarViolets of Dawn – Eric AndersenDeath Folk Blues Revisited – Ian A. AndersonLeaving Trunk / House of the Rising Sun – Miller AndersonAnd somewhere in between the needle drops?You get Dr. Glund recalling hazy nights at the Fillmore… stories of Woodstock arrivals by helicopter… deep dives into tone, gear, and the unsung heroes behind legendary records… and a spontaneous, heartfelt tribute to Dave Mason—a reminder that the story of guitar is still being written, even as we lose some of its authors.And a special This isn’t just a list. It’s a living archive—messy, funny, human.Five more guitarists down… nine hundred and eighty to go.Hosted by Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund.Only on the Boneless Podcasting Network.

Episode 3 – The A’s Get LoudThis episode moves through a wide and colorful stretch of the guitar universe—touching on Argentine jazz brilliance, swampy Louisiana grooves, modern prog muscle, and deep Chicago blues fire. Each player brings a different voice, a different feel, a different reason why the guitar continues to matter.Featured guitarists in this episode:Oscar Alemán – Argentine jazz master whose fluid technique and rhythmic depth reveal a player far ahead of his time, delivering elegance and fire in equal measure.Billy Alexander – Modern guitarist and bandleader of YYNOT, blending progressive structure, melodic instinct, and pure tone-chasing passion into a sound that celebrates the instrument itself.Johnny Allen – Louisiana-born swamp pop stylist, bringing rhythm guitar, accordion textures, and Creole flavor into a sound that bridges early rock and regional tradition.Luther Allison – Blues journeyman with a searing vibrato and relentless touring spirit, carrying the torch of Chicago blues across decades and continents.Duane Allman – Slide guitar visionary and cornerstone of The Allman Brothers Band, whose feel, phrasing, and unmistakable tone continue to define what expressive guitar playing can be.Featured recordings include:Besame Mucho – Oscar Alemán Wire and Wood – YYNOT (Billy Alexander) Promised Land – Johnny Allen Bad News Is Coming – Luther Allison Whipping Post / Black Hearted Woman – Duane Allman with The Allman Brothers BandAnd in between?Stories spill out—front row memories, chance encounters, and those moments where the music connects directly to life. There are reflections on innovation, from Les Paul’s experiments with “the log” to the feel-driven magic that separates great players from unforgettable ones. There are laughs about technology, debates about tone, and the shared realization that no matter the era or genre, it always comes back to the hands on the strings.This isn’t a lecture. It’s a living conversation about the guitar—messy, funny, passionate, and real.Five more guitarists down… nine hundred and eighty-five to go.Hosted by Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund.Only on the Boneless Podcasting Network.

In this second episode of Tone Chasers & String Benders, Chaz Charles and co-host Dr. Porifera Glund crack open the next chapter in the alphabet—five more guitarists, five more rabbit holes… and at least one completely unnecessary detour that somehow becomes the whole point.Before they even get there, though, the show veers—hard left—into the origin story. Not of rock. Not of blues. Of electric mischief itself.Enter Les Paul—mad scientist, tape-loop hustler, and patron saint of “what happens if I plug this into that?” And across the ring, Leo Fender—a man who never played guitar… and still changed it forever.One chased tone with his fingers. The other built the machine that made tone possible.Together? They didn’t just invent the electric guitar, they are the OGTCs, the OG Tone Chasers that electric guitarists the world over owe a debt of gratitude to - the founders of the six string attitude we live and love.And somewhere in the middle of all that—multitracking, “The Log,” fake live tricks, and Mary Ford sounding like she’s singing from three dimensions at once—you realize: these weren’t just innovators… they were charming liars with soldering irons and schmaltz.Then… back to the list.Featured guitarists in this episode:Will Ackerman – The quiet one. Fingerstyle, Windham Hill, music that sounds like it’s being played in a room with very expensive sunlight. You don’t rock to Ackerman—you drift. Pairs well with indica...Roy Acuff – Not really a guitar hero… and that’s exactly why he matters. A king of early country, a Grand Ole Opry pillar, a reminder that sometimes the guitar isn’t the star—it’s the glue holding the whole damn thing together.Stuart Adamson – The man who looked at a guitar and thought, “What if this sounded like bagpipes?” And then… did it. Big Country’s entire identity hangs on that sound—part Scotland, part circuitry, all attitude.Bernard Addison – Swing-era rhythm assassin. The kind of player who never needed the spotlight because he was the engine. Backing giants like Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, he proves that subtlety can hit just as hard as a solo. And you can hear those strings...Jan Akkerman – Now we’re cooking. Dutch virtuoso. Focus. “Hocus Pocus.” Yodeling madness up front, absolute surgical precision underneath. Jazz, blues, prog—he doesn’t visit genres, he raids them.Featured recordings include:The Bricklayer’s Beautiful Daughter – Will Ackerman Fireball Mail – Roy Acuff In a Big Country – Big Country with Stuart Adamson Swing-era sessions – Bernard Addison Hocus Pocus / Sylvia – Focus with Jan AkkermanAnd in between?You get stories. Front row sightings. Bootleg T-shirts signed by the wrong guy. Arguments about whether something is tuned to 440 or 432 like it’s a conspiracy involving monks and oscillators. A detour into a roadie with a rolling toilet (yes, really).This isn’t a lecture. It’s a ride.Five more guitarists down… and somewhere, Les Paul is still overdubbing himself into the conversation.Nine hundred and ninety to go...Hosted by Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund.Only on the Boneless Podcasting Network.

In this reimagined premiere episode of Tone Chasers & String Benders, host Chaz Charles is joined by co-host Dr. Porifera Glund as the show resets its approach and begins again—this time with a sharper focus on commentary, context, and celebration of the guitarists themselves.After a run-in with the realities of music licensing, the format evolves. Gone are the full-track plays, replaced with curated excerpts, sharper analysis, and deeper discussion of tone, technique, and influence. The mission remains the same: to explore 1,000 legendary guitarists, five at a time, moving alphabetically from A to Z.This episode revisits the very beginning of the list—this time in the correct order—and sets the tone for what the show will become: part discovery, part debate, part masterclass in guitar history.Listen to all the guitarists featured in this episode deeper on our curated - growing - Spotify Tone Chasers & String Benders: 1000 Legendary Guitarists - Dr. Glund's Cut Tape Play List.Featured guitarists in this episode:Tosin Abbasi – Modern progressive metal innovator and founder of Animals as Leaders, redefining the instrument with extended-range eight-string guitars, complex rhythmic structures, and a hybrid approach that merges rhythm, lead, and bass into a single voice.Drew Abbott – Detroit-born guitarist best known for his work with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, delivering clean, disciplined Stratocaster-driven tones that helped define mainstream American rock radio in the late 1970s and early 1980s.Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott – Groove metal pioneer and co-founder of Pantera, whose aggressive tone, pinch harmonics, dive bombs, and precision riffing reshaped the sound of heavy guitar in the 1990s.John Abercrombie – Influential modern jazz guitarist associated with ECM Records, known for his warm tone, spacious phrasing, and understated mastery on the Gibson ES-175.Mick Abrahams – Founding guitarist of Jethro Tull and later Blodwyn Pig, bringing a raw, blues-driven Les Paul sound to the early British rock movement.Featured recordings include:Physical Education – Animals as Leaders (Tosin Abbasi)Her Strut – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (Drew Abbott)Cowboys from Hell / Cemetery Gates – Pantera (Dimebag Darrell)Lungs – John Abercrombie(Blodwyn Pig/Jethro Tull era selections) – Mick AbrahamsAlong the way, Chaz and Dr. Glund debate technique versus feel, old school versus modern, and what truly qualifies a guitarist as “legendary.”Five guitarists down, nine hundred and ninety-five to go.Hosted by Chaz Charles and Dr. Porifera Glund.Only on the Boneless Podcasting Network.