Session Stories / Hosted by John Talman
Session Stories is the Session Solos long-form interview series. John Talman talks with the guitarists, singers, producers, builders, and musical directors whose work shaped the music that made him pick up an instrument.
These are complete conversations, not promotional clips: first-person accounts of recording sessions, career turns, signature sounds, and the people behind them.
Start here
Dann Huff reflects on Nashville, Steve Lukather's influence, White Heart, the Los Angeles session world, Giant, guitar rigs, and the production career that followed.
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The complete series
1:47:03
Steve Farris traces his path from Fremont, Nebraska to Los Angeles, the KISS audition that put his solo on Creatures of the Night, Mr. Mister's breakthrough, session work, guitars, rigs, and the possibility of playing live with the band again.
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47:02
Adam Holland traces Valentine's path from the 1980s club circuit and Columbia deal to Open Skyz, the Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead soundtrack, and the band's later return.
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1:12:56
Sandi Saraya tells the story of finding her voice, forming Saraya, recording the band's two albums, touring with Bad English, and stepping away from the music business.
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51:09
Part two follows Bob Bradshaw on the road with Steve Lukather and Toto, through the creation of the CAE 3+ preamp, and into current builds for Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith.
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1:07:58
Doug Aldrich looks back on Lion, a KISS audition, Dio and Whitesnake, then speaks candidly about surviving cancer and returning to the Dead Daisies.
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1:04:17
Drew Rose discusses Wildside's Los Angeles rise, Capitol Records years, life after the band, addiction and recovery, video production, and the Get on the Bus project.
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53:29
Members of Wanted discuss the influences, songwriting, live shows, and musicianship behind a young band carrying classic melodic hard rock into 2026.
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1:30:44
Bob Bradshaw explains how an electronics obsession became the switching and rack systems used by Michael Landau, Dann Huff, Steve Lukather, Eddie Van Halen, and other major players.
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56:14
Izzy Fontaine traces a path from childhood church performances and Warped Tour to work with Caroline Polachek, Seal, Taking Back Sunday, Maggie Rogers, and major film projects.
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1:33:05
Harry Cody retraces his Swedish beginnings, Kingpin, the move to Los Angeles, Shotgun Messiah's three radically different records, and the ideas behind his unmistakable playing.
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2:39:43
Butch Walker connects his childhood KISS obsession and SouthGang years to Marvelous 3, a solo career, and production work with Pink, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy, Taylor Swift, Green Day, and others.
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1:24:22
Tony Bruno discusses Saraya and Danger Danger, sessions with Michael Bolton, and the path from touring guitarist to musical director for Enrique Iglesias and Rihanna.
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1:10:55
Tim Pierce reflects on five decades of session work, including Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield, Goo Goo Dolls, Bruce Springsteen, Crowded House, and the teaching platform he built on YouTube.
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1:19:22
RJ Ronquillo discusses his path from Michigan through Miami, Los Angeles, and Nashville, with touring and session work eventually leading to a major guitar and gear audience online.
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49:40
Clif Jones shares stories from the Village Recorder, the relationships behind L.A. Vintage Gear, and a life spent finding instruments and amplifiers other shops rarely carry.
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1:59:28
Marc Diglio gives his first video interview in more than three decades, covering his road to XYZ, the Enigma deal, the band's two albums, and the playing behind its cult following.
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1:27:40
Leon Todd discusses his musical beginnings, touring career, teaching, online audience, and the detailed work that made him a trusted guide to Fractal Audio guitar tones.
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1:41:04
Michael Nielsen discusses production, composition, classic rack systems, and the detailed profiling work behind Big Hairy Guitars and its recreations of landmark session tones.
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1:06:43
Andrew Raharjo explains how he rescued, repaired, and reconstructed Dann Huff's historic studio and touring rack one component at a time.
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1:00:54
Part two continues Rich Renken's account of James Tyler Guitars, artist relationships, product development, and a career spanning Line 6, Gibson, and boutique instrument building.
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44:12
Rich Renken traces his path from the Midwest to California and the early years of James Tyler Guitars, including artist relations, sound engineering, and product development.
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48:26
John McCurry discusses Cyndi Lauper, John Waite, Michael Bolton, Alice Cooper's Poison, his friendship with Jeff Beck, and the session career that followed a life-changing dream.
Watch on YouTubePrimary-source music history
Session Solos exists to credit and preserve the musicianship behind the recordings. The interview archive extends that work by connecting the tabs to the people who played, wrote, produced, built, and directed the music.
Editorial guides summarize the complete video conversations and link to timestamped answers. They do not present raw machine captions as verified quotations.