Music

Sixty Scales and the Truth with Niels Guns

More than just a music podcast, Sixty Scales and the Truth reveals the human struggles, triumphs, and profound life lessons behind the strings of exceptional guitarists. It’s an invitation to discover the truth behind the scales, one unforgettable face-to-face conversation at a time. Whether you’re a die-hard guitar enthusiast, a casual music lover, or simply someone who appreciates craftmanship, resilience and creativity, this podcast will leave you inspired, enriched, and eager to uncover more of the wisdom and artistry that these guitar icons have to offer.

Latest Episodes:

Devin Townsend on The Moth, Financial Armageddon and Becoming a Different Person Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

"It's just a shattered human and an acoustic guitar."

Devin Townsend said he needed a break. Then The Moth, the rock opera he spent ten years writing and premiered with the Noord Nederlands Orkest in Groningen, cost him a fortune when a company involved went bankrupt. So he went back on the road: alone, with an acoustic guitar, in a van.

This conversation was recorded near the end of that tour. Devin talks openly about what the past year has done to him: the end of a 36-year relationship, losing his dog while on the road, and the fatigue of performing every night at the edge of his emotional capacity.

We also talk about the hug with Mike Keneally after the final notes of The Moth, and why Mike changed the way Devin works with other musicians. He explains why he wrote around 100 songs last year and then shelved them, and what The Moth turned out to be about only at the very end. Anneke van Giersbergen asked a question for this episode: does Devin chase a sound, or a feeling? And yes, we also discuss the perfectly timed fart.

Above all, this is a conversation about change: the end of the people pleaser, setting hard boundaries, losing his stage fright, and learning to accept that you deserve the good things you've worked for.

Sixty Scales and the Truth: Niels Guns meets the world's greatest guitarists, face to face.

Larry LaLonde (Primus) on Satriani, Zappa and the Fire Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Primus guitarist Larry LaLonde on Joe Satriani, Les Claypool, Frank Zappa, Rush and losing 60 guitars in the LA wildfires.

Recorded backstage at Dynamo Metal Fest in Eindhoven. Larry talks about taking guitar lessons from Joe Satriani as a teenager, playing in death metal band Possessed, and how he found his own voice next to one of the most dominant bass players in rock. He shares what Rush and King Crimson taught him, what it was like to play Xanadu with Alex Lifeson watching, how he's dealing with the fire that destroyed his home, and how new drummer John Hoffman is energizing Primus as they work on a new record.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:47 Joe Satriani

08:10 Playing with Les Claypool

11:56 Frank Zappa

15:44 Rush and Alex Lifeson

17:54 The fire

21:18 John Hoffman and the new Primus

27:30 King Crimson and BEAT

Misha Mansoor (Periphery) on Limitation, Meshuggah and 'A Pale White Dot' Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Misha Mansoor founded Periphery in 2005 and helped define a sound he never set out to name. Recorded backstage at Jera On Air, this conversation goes back much further than that.

He describes a childhood of being moved — Brussels at eight, Zimbabwe at twelve — and rebuilding a friend group from nothing each time. He talks about a strict religious upbringing, spending his bar mitzvah money on a drum kit, a guitar and a PlayStation, and walking away from it all. He is open about the two directionless years at the University of Toronto that ended in a breakdown, and about the conversation with his father, an economist at the World Bank, who told him he would statistically fail.

Misha tells the complete Meshuggah story: dismissing them as noise, then the single remark from a bass player that made the whole thing legible. He explains what obsession means to him, why he only has two modes, and why experimenting with gear reliably produces songs.

On 'A Pale White Dot', he is candid about the creative dead end that preceded it — a band that had refined its own formula to the point of boredom — and how starting with a title, artwork and a single theme of loneliness broke the deadlock. He also explains his long-held view that most albums, including his own, are too long.

Also discussed: Nirvana's songwriting, Dillinger Escape Plan, Max Verstappen, and the difference between talent and work.

Sixty Scales and the Truth with Niels Guns.

Bryan Beller (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani) on Making It at 42 Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Bryan Beller — bassist for The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa and Mike Keneally — on why it took him until 42 to make it.

Recorded face-to-face in Eindhoven, the morning after The Aristocrats played to their biggest European crowd yet, in week nine of a van tour across Europe.

Bryan is the fulcrum: the guy holding it together while Guthrie Govan and Marco Minnemann go crazy around him. But there was no early-prodigy story. He picked the upright bass at 12 purely to annoy his parents, switched to electric at 13, and describes himself at 15 as "nothing." At Berklee he found out what real players sounded like. At 27 he was broke, in debt and depressed, and took a job testing amplifiers at SWR — which turned into eight years and, eventually, running a $10 million division of Fender. Then his best friend died at 34, and Bryan gave his notice with no plan whatsoever.

We talk about:

- Groove over chops, and why he never tried to be Billy Sheehan or Victor Wooten

- Berklee, ego, and getting outplayed by European jazz majors

- Joe Travers, Dweezil Zappa, and meeting Frank Zappa three times

- Mike Keneally's solo catalogue and why more people should know it

- Eight years in the music industry, and the "poor man's MBA" that later ran The Aristocrats

- Quitting at 35, moving to Nashville, and why the Steve Vai gig killed his session career there

- LA vs Nashville vs New York, in one sentence each

- Scenes from the Flood: ambition, loss, and getting Joe Satriani and John Petrucci to play on it

- The new solo album — 43 minutes, six songs, Joe Travers on drums throughout

- Why every song needs its title before the music

For anyone who thinks they started too late, or who plays with people far more technical than they are — this one's for you.

Follow Sixty Scales and the Truth for more face-to-face conversations with world-class players.

#BryanBeller #TheAristocrats #GuthrieGovan #MarcoMinnemann #JoeSatriani #SteveVai #BassPlayer #GuitarPodcast #SixtyScalesAndTheTruth

Andy Timmons: "Every Gig Is the Most Important" Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

Andy Timmons — guitarist's guitarist, known for instrumental rock, jazz, bossa nova and his Chopin-influenced nocturnes — joins us backstage on his European tour, recorded one hour before he walks on stage.

In this episode, Andy Timmons explains why he treats every gig as the most important one he'll ever play, how he recovers when things go wrong mid-set, and why he believes "the gift is the hard work." He breaks down the difference between shredding and intentional note choice, introduces his concept of the "auralect" (learning music by ear rather than theory), and traces his path from a shy kid with three older brothers to the University of Miami and beyond.

We also get into his obsession with Chopin's nocturnes and Django Reinhardt, the role of jazz in shaping even his rock playing, his daily practice routine, and how an hour with coffee and a guitar became essential to his mental health and his album "Recovery."

Topics: Andy Timmons, guitar, jazz guitar, instrumental rock, guitar technique, Pat Metheny, Django Reinhardt, Chopin, songwriting, practice routine, music and mental health.

Follow the show and tap the bell so you don't miss new guitar interviews.

Alex Machacek: Why I Refuse Spotify, Decoding Holdsworth & Composing Over a 51-Minute Drum Solo Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Yes, you're listening to this on Spotify, Apple Music or one of the other big boys probably. Alex Machacek's music, however, is not here — and in this episode he explains exactly why.

The Austrian-born, LA-based fusion guitarist quit school at 16 for the Vienna conservatory, got his break when Shawn Lane started telling everyone about his debut album, and went on to play with Terry Bozzio, Marco Minnemann and Chad Wackerman. He once composed an entire album over a 51-minute improvised drum solo.

We talk about discovering Joe Pass at 14, why Allan Holdsworth sounded like "an alien landed on Earth," what big band taught him about staying in your lane, moving to LA knowing nobody, the economics of being a fusion guitarist in 2026, and his life mantra: question everything.

Recorded on tour with Chad Wackerman & The LA All Stars (Jimmy Haslip, Steve Hunt).

🎸 Find Alex's music on Bandcamp.

Drew Goddard (Karnivool) – on In Verses, cancer and the long wait Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

This episodes guest is Drew Goddard, guitarist and songwriter of the Australian band Karnivool. The conversation takes place during their tour, after the release of In Verses (2026) – the band's first album in thirteen years, following Asymmetry (2013).

Goddard talks about his life in Coolgardie, a small former gold-mining town about six and a half hours east of Perth, and about the trips that took him out to the Ngaanyatjarra Lands, where he works with young musicians. He looks back on his childhood: moving around Western Australia, the influence of the Kimberley region, his parents' records (CCR, Elton John) and his father's twelve-string folk playing. Nirvana was the moment the spark caught for him.

For the first time publicly, Goddard shares that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2021 and how it forced him to make changes, particularly around stress. The interviewer shares the same experience, and together they add a short message encouraging men to check themselves.

The conversation also covers the difficult process behind In Verses: taking over Foxhole Studios in Perth, producer Forrester Savell's role in structuring the work, Guthrie Govan's guest solo on "ReAnimation," and the emotion and relief around the release.

Kiko Loureiro: Why I Left Megadeth & What Dave Mustaine Taught Me Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

Kiko Loureiro spent almost nine years as the lead guitarist of Megadeth, co-wrote the Grammy-winning album Dystopia, and composed over 15 songs with Dave Mustaine. In this conversation, recorded backstage during his European solo tour, Kiko shares the full story of why he decided to step away — and what came next.

We talk about the reality of touring five months a year with newborn twins at home, the moment he knew it was time to leave, and why freedom over his schedule became more important than the biggest stage in metal. Kiko walks through his entire creative process as a composer: how he collects ideas, when he puts on "the judge hat," and why he tells his students that creating your own music is more fulfilling than playing fast.

He also shares the story of being rejected from school because he wrote a metal festival essay, his first guitar — a Brazilian-made Giannini SG — and what it was like having dinner with Allan Holdsworth. We explore how Brazilian music quietly influenced everything from his Angra compositions to his solo work, and what Dave Mustaine's focused approach to songwriting taught him about the difference between creative freedom and creative discipline.

Whether you play guitar or simply care about the choices that shape a creative life, this conversation delivers.

Topics: Kiko Loureiro interview, why Kiko left Megadeth, Dave Mustaine songwriting, Megadeth Dystopia, Angra guitarist, creative process, guitar composition, Allan Holdsworth, Brazilian guitar music, instrumental guitar, guitar podcast, Kiko Loureiro solo career, prog metal, Kiko Loureiro tour 2026, guitar academy, music and family

Greg Koch on Connecting the Dots, the Lack of Rock & Playing with His Son Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Greg Koch is one of the most unique voices in modern guitar — blending blues, rock, jazz, funk, and country into a style that's entirely his own. On the first day of his European tour, we sat down in a bar in Belgium to talk about what it really takes to make it as a musician.

Greg opened up about growing up with a 14-year-older brother who introduced him to Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, how his dad tried to talk him out of a music career, and why he believes you need an almost dysfunctional obsession to succeed. We got into the roots of rock and roll, why so many players focus on technique but miss the magic, and what it's like to tour the world with his son Dylan on drums. Plus: his unexpected love for Oasis, ADHD, Buddy Guy, and why there's not enough rock in the world.

Greg Koch is a guitarist, educator, and host of the podcast Chewing the Gristle. He is known for over 8,000 demo videos for Wildwood Guitars and his signature Fishman Greg Koch Gristle-Tone pickups.

Mattias IA Eklundh Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

He calls himself a cave troll and Swedish Viking metal god — and after one conversation, you understand why. In this episode, Mattias Eklund sits down for a wide-ranging talk: guitarist, composer, free thinker, and builder of his own universe.

We dive into the world of Indian classical rhythms and how they completely transformed his approach to progressive metal and eight-string guitar playing. Mattias explains why time signatures like 81/16 and 65/16 aren't as crazy as they sound — and why most prog bands are still just scratching the surface. His collaboration with percussionist BC Manjunath from Bangalore opens a window into a rhythmic language that goes far beyond Western notation.

But this conversation is about much more than music. Mattias speaks openly about his parents — a father who listened to train sounds and did LSD at Harvard, and a mother who took him to see Kiss and Iron Maiden at age ten. About how Frank Zappa put him in his place during a concert in Gothenburg when he was just eleven. About the choice to never borrow money, to build everything himself, and to live financially free as a musician in a niche genre.

He shares his perspective on fatherhood — how the birth of his son Gabriel didn't distract him, but actually sharpened his focus. About his home in the Swedish woods, where life costs 200 euros a month. About his Ulf guitar, built with Swedish wood, Swedish steel and pickups by Johan Lundgren — named after both the Old Norse word for wolf and a dear friend who passed away.

And running through it all is one thread: gratitude. For the simple things. A cookie and a cup of coffee, as his mother would have put it. An evening walk with the dogs through the forest. The studio floor under your bare feet. The creative freedom of Freak Guitar Camp, where people of all ages and backgrounds come together through music.

"Music protects me from all the nonsense," Mattias says. "Jet lag, missed flights, bills — none of it matters. As long as I have music, I smile until my head is about to crack."

A conversation about letting go, creating, and embracing life — the Eklund way.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Sixty Scales and the Truth with Niels Guns

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected