Wong Notes

Dec 17 2024 92 ep. 60 mins 1k

Wong Notes Podcast artwork

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.

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

“Get It Right, Get It Fast”: Jerry Douglas on Bluegrass History, Technicality, and Session Secrets

Dec 17 2024 66 mins

Bluegrass music is bigger than a genre. It’s become an entire world of ideas and feelings in the popular American imagination. And musician Jerry Douglas has been a key part of its celebration and revival over the past 30 years. “It's an old form of music that came from people in the south playing on the porch and became this juggernaut of a genre,” says Douglas. “It’s a

Superstar Bassist Blu DeTiger: “Wanna Get Gigs? Be a Good Hang”

Dec 03 2024 67 mins

At 26, Blu DeTiger is the youngest musician ever to have a signature Fender bass guitar. The Fender Limited Player Plus x Blu DeTiger Jazz Bass, announced in September, pays tribute to the bassist and singer’s far-reaching impact and cultural sway. She’s played with Caroline Polachek, Bleachers, FLETCHER, Olivia Rodrigo, and more, and released her own LP in March 2024. In 2023,

Mark Tremonti: “Play Like Grandma’s in the Room”

Nov 13 2024 55 mins

There probably aren’t too many artists out there as busy as Mark Tremonti. Aside from his celebrated careers in alt-rock mainstays Creed and Alter Bridge, the guitarist, songwriter, and singer organizes guitar and songwriting clinics while on tour; has a line of signature PRS gear; and cut a 14-track charity record, Mark Tremonti Sings Sinatra. Did we mention he’s aiming t

Skunk Baxter: Hostage Negotiations in the Studio

Oct 29 2024 59 mins

“Skunk” Baxter has had an interesting career. The Washington, D.C.-born musician was one of Steely Dan’s founding members in the early 1970s, and played on some of their most iconic numbers, like Can’t Buy a Thrill’s’ “Reelin’ in the Years” and “Do It Again,” or Pretzel Logic’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” Then, he moved on to join the Doo

Jason Newsted Wants You to Put Your Damn Phone Away

Oct 15 2024 82 mins

Jason Newsted spent 15 years holding down the low end in Metallica, playing bass for the band from 1986 through 2001. That era included records like …And Justice For All and Metallica—AKA The Black Album—plus the iconic S&M live album with the San Francisco Symphony.But that was just the beginning for Newsted, an artistic polymath who has sin

Dave Navarro on Trainwrecks, Rabbit Holes, and the “Navarro Smear”

Oct 01 2024 68 mins

We know what you’re thinking: Dave Navarro is gonna talk about the onstage brawl. But Cory Wong starts this episode of Wong Notes with an important caveat. This show was recorded long before the awful breakdown and confrontation between Navarro and Jane’s Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell, so don’t expect any salacious gossip. But that just makes this episode all the

Keith Urban: “I’m Not Chasing Tone, I’m Pursuing Inspiration”

Sep 17 2024 51 mins

Keith Urban has spent decades traveling the world and topping global country-music charts, and on this episode of Wong Notes, the country-guitar hero tells host Cory Wong how he conquered the world—and what keeps him chasing new sounds on his 6-string via a new record, High, which releases on September 20.Urban came up as guitarist and singer at the same time, and he de

Kurt Rosenwinkel Weighs In

May 30 2024 56 mins

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

Al Di Meola: Friday Night at Olive Garden

Apr 23 2024 49 mins

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

Marcus King and the Medicine of Music

Apr 02 2024 49 mins

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,