The legend talks gear, almost jamming with Prince, guitar heroes, melody, fear, swapping technique for passion, his hydra guitar, why he chose the players on his latest album, and his true superpower. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Fender Cory Wong Stratocaster - https://imp.i114863.net/LPqJyV Jackson Audio Optimist - https://imp.i114863.net/rn3Vqj Fourth Position Academy Cory Wong Guitar Course - https://imp.i114863.net/5bQRGb Visit Steve Vai: http://vai.com Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com 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 Wong Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger Presented by DistroKid

Vai on Vai: “That’s Me—Obtuse and Quirky.”

Hi, my name is Cory Wong. This is my podcast. I'm going to talk to your favorite artists as they discuss their personal tricks of the trade, never-before-heard stories, and the proper response when Sinatra wants to peep your master tapes.

Music

Music Interviews

Music Commentary

This time on Wong Notes,  guitar legend Kurt Rosenwinkel joins Cory Wong to go deep on all things jazz. The genre has always been a haven for free-thinkers and adventurers, so it’s little surprise when Rosenwinkel reveals that he’s incorporated a Fractal FM9 into his live rig—though it’s still working in tandem with a good ol’ Fender tube amp. Rosenwinkel divulges the details on his “softer, darker” attack, which combined with his approach to tone—including a fair bit of top-end roll-off—constitutes a big piece of his signature sound. Rosenwinkel’s forthcoming live record, The Next Step Band (Live at Smalls 1996), captures this sound in the place that formed it: New York City. Rosenwinkel takes Wong back to the halcyon days of the city’s kinetic 1990s “hardcore” bebop and free-jazz scene, where Mitch Borden’s legendary Smalls Jazz Club was an artistic hotbed (and crash pad) for players of all stripes. Nowadays, more and more artists are forming their connections online rather in a jazz club. But can TikTok and Instagram replace an all-night jazz joint for up-and-coming players? Tune in, and be sure to check out Kurt’s career-spanning new Ultimate Book of Compositions. Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/WongNotes Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Kurt Rosenwinkel: https://kurtrosenwinkel.com/ Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com IG: https://www.instagram.com/wongnotespod Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger Presented by DistroKid

Kurt Rosenwinkel Weighs In

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 San Francisco, which elevated the acoustic guitar ensemble to the level of high art. Di Meola shares the behind-the-scenes stories of that tour and the 2022 archival release from the next night’s concert, Saturday Night in San Francisco. He calls the ensemble’s dynamic a “real healthy competition” and explains, “I knew I was up against two guys who were relentless in their delivery of phenomenal ideas. When they finished a solo, it was like, ’Oh my god, what am I gonna come up with.” No chat with Di Meola, who famously opened up his kitchen in the post-lockdown part of the pandemic, would be complete without a survey of Southern Italian food. Why is sfogliatelle the maestro’s favorite pastry, and where does he get his? If he’s on tour and there’s nowhere to eat but an Olive Garden, what’s his order? And much, much more. Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/WongNotes Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong 
 Visit Al Di Meola: https://www.aldimeola.com/ Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG: <a...

Al Di Meola: Friday Night at Olive Garden

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, must-have creature comforts into the trailers—tune in to find out what King brings on the road. King walks us through his custom amp and cabinet setups, detailing why he prefers 10" speakers to 12", how he became friends with Orange Amplifiers founder Cliff Cooper, and the family history that led to his signature Gibson Marcus King 1962 ES-345, complete with sideways vibrola. He and Wong get down to the nitty-gritty, too. Marcus talks about pressure to conform to certain genre communities, his struggles with self-medicating, and how sometimes, music feels like the only medicine we’ve got on hand. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong 
 Visit Marcus King: https://www.marcuskingofficial.com/ Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com 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 Wong Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger Presented by DistroKid

Marcus King and the Medicine of Music

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 war stories of playing with his heroes in the bluegrass scene, and learning important lessons from the greats about respect while onstage. Strings is at the intersection of the old and the new, often stuck between the traditionalists and the new era of American folk music. He says he doesn’t belong to one or the other; his music is more of “a goulash of all the things put together.” Speaking of which, Billy and Cory connect for a brilliant mashup of Cory’s funk stylings and Billy’s bluegrass flatpicking, proving that music really can be a universal language. Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong Visit Billy Strings: http://billystrings.com Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com 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 Wong Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger Presented by DistroKid

Respect, Psychedelics, and the Future of Bluegrass With Billy Strings

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 total intention and feeling in every note, as if any single one could be your last. Dart throws it back to his first bass—a Samick—and remembers how it’s ridiculously high action was like weight training for the rest of his career. He still likes his strings suspended up higher than most, which allows his “brute force” slapping. Wong and Dart trade notes on practice regimes, and Dart offers advice for young players: Learn your scales, sure, but most importantly, “play with as many different people as you can.” Plus, Dart breaks down his differing approaches to instrumental and vocal tracks. Later on, the bandmates ponder the mental trap of the social media comparison game, and wonder at how algorithms impact which music rises to the top of the heap. What does Dart hope to remembered for? With any luck, he’ll have works as iconic as his grandfather’s, Israel Baker, whose violin playing you’ll recognize not just from collabs with Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, but some of the most famous film scores and TV show theme songs. Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/WongNotes Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong 
 Visit Joe Dart:  Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod IG: <a...

Vai on Vai: “That’s Me—Obtuse and Quirky.”

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