Episode 2 – The A’s Continue

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 Akkerman

And 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.