Meet Your Instructors

Over the past two decades, Guthrie Trapp has become a world-renowned rising star of the guitar, with an amazing life story and musical journey that continues to evolve in surprising new directions, with no end in sight. From humble beginnings in Music City, Trapp has gradually created his own guitar-centric universe, with a mind-boggling career path full of surprises, chance encounters and major collaborations.

John Jorgenson is perhaps best known for his guitar work with bands such as the Desert Rose Band and The Hellecasters

John Jorgenson born July 6, 1956 in Madison, Wisconsin, is perhaps best known for his guitar work with bands such as the Desert Rose Band and The Hellecasters. Jorgenson is also proficient in the mandolin, mandocello, Dobro, pedal steel, piano, upright bass, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone.

Redd Volkaert originally from Canada, is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players in the modern era and is "among the country’s top Telecaster guitar slingers” particularly in the genres of Western Swing and Honky Tonk. Redd has was brought up playing with the notable; Garth Hudson, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, George Jones to name a few.

Larry Campbell is a multi-instrumentalist who has been a studio musician, recording music with other artists on their albums, and a respected sideman, performing as a backup musician in clubs and concert venues, since the seventies. He moves freely between rock, blues, country, folk and Celtic, playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin, pedal steel, cittern, dobro and banjo. In 2005, he released his first solo acoustic guitar album called Rooftops.

One of the most in demand blues / rock guitarists in the world is a mysterious character who goes by the name of G.E. Smith. Millions of TV viewers know his face-and the shock of unruly blond ponytail that was always falling across it-from his tenure stint of fronting the Saturday Night Live Band.

Johnny Hiland has been named in “Best of” lists in the guitar world including being named one of the “Top 5 Best Chicken Pickers” by Gibson.com, one of the “50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time” by Guitar World Magazine and, most recently, named one of the “Top 3 Country Guitarists” in the 2017 Vintage Guitar Magazine Readers Poll.

Johnny has played on records for artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Toby Keith, Hank III, Trick Pony, Randy Travis, and many others. He has performed on stage with artists such as Steve Vai, G3, Les Paul, Joe Bonamassa, George Clinton and P-Funk, Hank Williams III, and many others.

Jim Weider (guitar, mandolin & vocals) is a former member of The Band. From 1985 to 2000, Weider replaced Robbie Robertson as their lead guitarist, writing songs and performing on their three studio albums, Jericho, High on the Hog, and Jubilation. He toured internationally with original Band members Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko for fifteen years and was featured with them on numerous albums, films, videos, and in television appearances.

Jon Herington is a longtime New York city based guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, and bandleader. He is the leader of the Jon Herington Band and has been the guitarist of choice with the iconic band Steely Dan for both recording and touring since 1999. With the launch of (quiet) encore, Jon now has eight solo releases in his discography.

It is not a stretch to say that Milwaukee native Greg Koch is one of the most famous unknown guitar players in the world. His fierce creative spirit and crazed sense of fun fused with a tremendous degree of versatility has made him an island of six-stringed mirth in a sea of guitar warlords. Fifteen critically acclaimed CD’s featuring his unique and incendiary brand of playing and composing, international tours as band leader, fourteen best-selling guitar instructional materials for the Hal Leonard Publishing empire, articles and columns in some the biggest guitar magazines, a lengthy past tenure as an ambassador for Fender Guitars and a similar position in that capacity for Fishman Transducers has generated a respectable following for Greg throughout the world. Ultimately, Greg's 4000 plus videos exceeding 50 million views for Wildwood Guitars of Louisville Colorado showcasing Greg’s wild guitar test drives and random humorous commentary have made him a household name for guitar players throughout the galaxy.

Billboard Magazine calls Jim Campilongo "an American treasure", an accolade which this guitarist's artistry and influential career has richly earned him. TIMEOUTNYC describes Campilongo perfectly- ”New York has no shortage of guitar heroes but few cover as many bases as Jim Campilongo  reveals a range that extends from seductive country-swing to atmospheric jazz and well beyond.” and the NEW YORKER says "There it was again: the stinging treble, the spooky overtones, the strings snapping and booming under his hands the sound of a Tele being played as skillfully and exuberantly as it can be played it sounded like nothing and nobody else sounded like Jim Campilongo."

The depths of the Texas blues tradition with the wit of a poet. She hits the stage with an unmatched presence, a true legend in her time.

She’d grown up the child of a singer in a band and began playing her mother’s vintage Martin guitar when other girls were dressing dolls. She’d gone from being the teenage toast of her hometown Houston to sleeping in her van in Austin amid heaps of critical acclaim for excellent recordings.

Cindy Cashdollar grew up in Woodstock, New York. The whole musical community watched as Cindy’s talent swiftly grew on the Dobro and then lap steel as she played with everyone in town during the late 1970s and ‘80s, The demand for her musical touch led her to touring and performing regionally with local Woodstock luminaries Levon Helm, Rick Danko, bluegrass singer John Herald, blues legend Paul Butterfield, and folk heroes Happy & Artie Traum.

Marvin Sewell was born and raised in Chicago. He learned how to play the guitar by hanging out with many Chicago basement bands. At that time, Marvin was exposed to a variety of styles of music such as: Blues, Gospel, and Soul. Rock, and Fusion. At the same time, he played in a Catholic church in a guitar band playing acoustic guitar. A few years later he became interested in Jazz. In high school, he started playing with the Malcolm X Community College Big Band. From there he started playing with many famous local Chicago musicians such as Von Freeman, Ramsey Lewis, Billy Branch, Jody Christian, Big Time Sarah, and Barbara La Shore, He attended Roosevelt University in Chicago where he studied Composition.

Washington D.C. born, Joel Harrison grew up on the Mason Dixon line absorbing music from the south, north, east, and west. One of his primary influences was hometown icon Danny Gatton who Harrison, as he puts it, “followed around like a stray dog.” Gatton modelled Harrison’s lifelong journey towards finding unity between jazz, country, rock n’ roll, blues, and much else on the guitar. Now Brooklyn-based and always evolving, Joel is an award-winning composer, an author, producer, and an educator. He is the founder of the Alternative Guitar Summit, a yearly gathering of some of the greatest improvisers on earth. Harrison was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010, and he’s made 25 CDs as a band leader.

The New York Times succinctly described him as “protean…brilliant.”