June 4th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “On The Job....(Analog Version)"

Chapters
00:00 - Setting up session to play bass
03:11 - Recording the song


Notes
Uncle Larry plunkin' on his old '59 P bass in his natural habitat once again...

ya' know come to think of it, I've actually had that old bass longer than 95% of my other instruments, i remember buying that thing back in 2007, right after getting booked on a very lucrative Faith Hill tour haha.

Working at one of my alltime favorite studios all week, Reel Recording in Nolensville TN, a magical place that was conceived, built and operated by the one and only Shannon Forrest.

Mr. Forrest is an absolute genius, current drummer of Toto and formerly of Steely Dan and Mike McDonald.

The boy is an expert on 2” tape machines and cool analog gear in general, and one of the finest recording engineers in the world...the sounds he gets in his place are simply fucking unBELIEVABLE, for lack of a better word.

You may remember we cut the whole Plexi Soul record there years ago.

When you work at Shannon's place you are taken back in time, hearing the sound of real analog tape machines and using giant racks full of the OG hardware versions of all the legendary pieces of outboard gear that all these plug ins that people use nowadays are modeled after.

It's just the coolest shit ever, and not only does Shannon REALLY know how to operate all that vintage gear, the boy knows how to fix all of it too.

A true renaissance man...i would be afraid to find out what his IQ actually is.

I literally cannot find the words to describe how good that old analog tape sounds when you are standing there at that beautiful old SSL console.….it’s still the best sounding shit I have ever heard to this day. The shit that it does to drums and guitars is just magic.

I'm producing a record out there all week for a dear gal from Rochester named Kathy Wilson.
Got a smokin little combo together consisting of Shannon on drums…Jerry McPherson, John Shanks and myself on guitars and basses....and sweet Timmy Lauer on keys.
Lots of fun.

June 1st, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Standing Room Only”

Chapters
00:00 - Mellow day playing
02:57 - Hello, friends / Tickets for Aug. 16th & 17th at 3rd & Lindsley / Special guests
04:34 - Dave Cohen (keyboard/producer)
04:53 - Brought newer gear to a session
05:54 - Piezo pickup / Duesenberg Session Man
07:00 - Old Fender blonde 2x12 with Electrovoice (EV) SRO speakers
09:00 - Pic of speakers and cab


Notes
Uncle Larry talks about some new wood and some old speakers...

If you wanna come see dearest Guthrie and myself at the "In Stereo" record release party gig on August 16 and 17 check out this link friends...

https://www.3rdandlindsley.com/event/13550324/tom-bukovac-and-guthrie-trapp-in-stereo-with-very-special-guests-/

April 11th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam “Heartburn Highways”

Chapters
00:00 - Masters playing


Notes
Little Tommy and Cousin Bryan get into some fretboard shenanigans on company time.

Cinematography by Jimmie Lee Sloas.

April 6th, 2024

Homeskoolin' Volume 298, Tom Bukovac, "Something Borrowed Something Black"

Chapters
00:00 - Session take on the goldtop
01:45 - Playing some ZZ Top montage riffs into full rock n' roll into Joe Walsh on a black Gibson Les Paul Custom
08:58 - The 3 best guitars I've played but don't own (Dan Auerbach - '60 Tele Custom, Jim Bagget - '38 Martin D-18, Elliot Michael - '59 Gibson Les Paul Custom)
09:27 - '59 Gibson Les Paul Custom
10:23 - Acoustically played
10:50 - Bridge pickup
11:32 - Playing like Jimmy Page
11:58 - Out-of-phase bridge and middle pickup (shit sound)
12:24 - Neck pickup
13:10 - Trying to buy the guitar / Headstock repair, doesn't care


Notes
"well the bitter comes out better on a stolen guitar"...

The opening bit is one of Nicky G's soulful masterpieces...from the sessions we did this week.

March 15th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ “Hey Man Show Me A Cool Lick” (expanded edition)

Chapters
00:00 - Interview with Bryan Sutton in session
02:13 - Show me a good lick
02:50 - Acoustic bliss
03:18 - Lesson: Jerry Reed-ish change
04:08 - Lesson: Decending lick
05:30 - Lesson: Dmin decension to G7 with sweep
06:50 - Lesson: Bluegrass vs Rock open chords picking
07:38 - Picks
10:35 - Lesson: Rhythm (important deep dive)
13:48 - Joey Moi interview
16:05 - Danny Dugmore appearance


Notes
Starring
Bryan Sutton
Joey Moi
Danny Dugmore

March 13th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Bros Before Hoedowns”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing like there is no tomorrow
03:43 - Hello, Homeskoolers'! / Sessions and scheduling (The Triple) / Gwen Stephani
05:35 - Thank you for setup videos
05:50 - Livestream
06:40 - Lesson: Mountain jam


Notes
Uncle Larry STILL tickin’ after 11 straight hours of intense sessioneering….

Why does he do it you ask?
Because he knows that one day he is gonna look back on these times as the REAL good old days and he knows that one day he is gonna really gonna miss the shit out of all this music and all these people.

End of day one of two solid days of Gwen Stefani sessions…a little tired, but absolutely thrilled to playing with such an amazing band in an amazing studio with an amazing artist.

October 24th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ “The Genius Of Gordon Mote (Pt. 2)"

Chapters
00:00 - Gordon Mote in session
02:45 - Playing song
07:00 - Take 2
09:45 - Discussion
12:00 - 3 variations test / "Break" - in the piano strings


Notes
Here he is again folks.
https://www.youtube.com/@gordonmote7366/videos


A clip from a session we did today with Vince Gill at Vince’s studio in Nashville...

I thought you guys might learn a lot from seeing Gordon play some beautifully understated shit on an actual track in a large ensemble, instead of the usual effortless mind boggling feats of solo piano showbiz you guys are used to witnessing him do.

Dig the otherworldly touch…dig the ancient pocket.

This is once in a lifetime shit here friends.

There are literally only a few people left on this entire planet who can play LEGIT traditional old school country and western piano in it's purest form and successfully conjure the ghosts of Pigg Robbins and Floyd Cramer, and TWO of those people are on this very same session...Gordon and John Jarvis.

Believe me, we all clearly realize how spoiled we are....it's like having Jim Brown and Walter Payton in the same backfield....fun stuff kids

October 23rd, 2023

Homeskoolin' Bonus "Steel Your Heart Away"

Chapters
00:00 - Ole cowboy playing
02:30 - Hello, friends! / Long day Vince Gill session
03:32 - Real quick message about Plexi Soul
04:50 - Guthrie Trapp record
05:58 - Footage from session


Notes
Kids...we are SO CLOSE to having Plexi Soul on vinyl!! Stay tuned for forthcoming link friends....

The inside of the luxurious gatefold cover opens up to quite the scene....picture basically my entire life story shown in several grainy Polaroid photos laid out on a messy coffee table the morning after a boozy party strictly for grown ups.

And....if thats not enough to get your blood pumpin', you can thrill to the sound of the greatest living pedal steel guitar player on this planet...Paul Franklin.

Oh, and fuck off Teddy Boy you miserable twat...

August 29th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Studio Update.... “Get Me On It”

Chapters
00:00 - The man at work
02:17 - In the control room
04:40 - Gordon's genius
07:00 - Mchugh's drums


Notes
Studio update
Aug 29th 2023

Peter Frampton’s studio in Berry Hill

Session personnel:
Brandon Hood: producer and mandolin
Reed Foley: artiste
Seth Morton: lead engineer
Stix Mchugh: drums
Jacob Lowery: bass
Kris Donegan: guitar
Gordon Mote: keys
Bruce Bouton: pedal steel
Tom Bukovac: guitar
Jordan: assistant engineer

August 7th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Bryan & Brent”

Chapters
00:00 - What it takes to be a studio musician
05:00 - Gear / Telecaster
13:55 - Lesson: "Show Us A Cool Lick"
16:00 - Tanya Tucker lick
26:45 - Best pedals?


Notes
Hello class, I am fortunate enough to hang with these two legendary cats today, who were kind enough to let me ask a few poignant questions.

June 27th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Session Update, “Division Street”

Chapters
00:00 - Session and talk with Russ Pahl
02:55 - Tour of Omni
04:30 - Little keyboard playing


Notes
THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT VID IS OFFICIALLY LIVE ....go to thesessionman.com if you wanna check it out!

Uncle Larry was busy as usual today kids….he did two sessions in two different studios that were waaaay across town from each other.

This little clip is from the morning session where I led a demo session (four songs in 3 hours) for my old buddy Dan Friszell at an old studio downtown called Omnisound on Division Street.

The band was
Russ Pahl: pedal steel
Evan Hutchings: drums
Mark Hill: bass
Jenee Fleenor: fiddle
John D Willis: acoustic
David Crutcher: keys
Uncle Larry: electronic guitar

When I say i “led” the session that means I wrote the charts and got twice as much dough as the rest of the guys for doing so. By the long-standing rules of the Nashville Musicians Union AFM branch 257, every session must have an assigned “leader”, who makes twice the dough of the other cats, in return for going through the trouble of making all the charts beforehand. Also, historically, whoever is the leader of the session gets to boss people around a little more than usual on that day, People kind of treat you like it's your birthday when you are the "session leader".

This video stars the legendary Russ Pahl, who has played pedal steel and guitar on A LOT of records…he has played with Vince Gill, Dan Auerbach and Bob Plant to name a few. Russ makes some really nice guitars under the brand name of “RP Guitars” (mostly Fender Tele and Strats with a few twists and turns) and he hand winds his own custom pickups. He is the living definition and pure embodiment of the phrase "tinkerer". Contact me for his email if you would like to investigate his work further.

And…if you can name the tune that i play on the piano at the end of this video, then I KNOW that you are a cool person

June 14th, 2023

Homeskoolin' Bonus, "Deep Album Cut Wednesday"

Chapters
00:00 - Singing and strumming some Lynyrd Skynyrd / Thanks / Kids and music
03:20 - Selling Harmony Sovereign 1260
04:12 - 3rd and Lindsley remix / Guthrie update
05:17 - Trying out some guitars at Rumbleseat


Notes
Larry sings ya' a pretty obscure old tune and gives ya a little news you can use.

oh, and if you've never seen this before, you're welcome...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNkyaFnZYuE&t=0s

June 12th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Session Update, “Larry World”

Chapters
00:00 - A view from Tommy's world


Notes
June 8th 2023….
day one of a two day Kameron Marlowe session at Backstage studios in Nashville Tn.
I must say, after several sessions with Kam over the last couple months, it has become abundantly clear that the boy can sing his fucking ass off.

Dann Huff: producer
Drew Bollman: lead engineer
Joel: pro tools guy
Dave Cohen: keys
Ilya Tochinskiy: acoustic
Jimmie Lee Sloas: bass
Miles McPherson: drums
Tommy Bukovac: electric

May 18th, 2023

Homeskoolin' Volume 218, Tom Bukovac, "The Bad News Vent"

Chapters
00:00 - Intro playing
04:00 - Hello, friends! / Thanks / Taking kids to school
05:30 - Contest and the myriad of players, even weirdos
06:40 - "Can't stand looking at your mouth"
07:00 - Young gal from Jersey and a TV show
07:53 - Friend's Fender Stratocaster (Black?)
08:00 - Strung Out Repairs - Andy Jellison
10:00 - What kind of fuzz is that? / Can't tell you everything!
10:30 - Favorite comments -> Melodic pickups! :)
11:27 - Ann Wilson decision
12:33 - Producing credits, stepping on toes, and lucky to be here
14:30 - Can't tell a person, "that stove is hot!" / Got to learn firsthand experience
15:30 - Producing for people / Driving or guiding the project
16:50 - Father like son, telling people how to do their part
17:45 - Collaboration lights the fire
18:18 - Involuntary guitar face
19:25 - Bring string bending back / Bending in tune
19:50 - Being in the studio under a microscope / Exploiting weakness / Special person for session work
21:30 - Checking the phone
23:20 - Music style reflects society and how newer generation is growing up


Notes
Larry gets a little deeper here than he does on most Thursdays after a busy week of sessions.

a LOT of new viewers have recently asked "where is the tip jar?" when they felt led to contribute something after 218 free guitar lessons...despite Dominic Hudson's best efforts to deter them.

You can make PayPal donations to this address:
tombukovac@gmail.com

You can make Venmo donations to this address:
@Tom-Bukovac-1

A lot of these very same new viewers don't seem to know that Uncle Larry made a couple records that they could potentially listen to...
one is an instrumental solo record called "Plexi Soul" that is available here:
https://tombukovac.bandcamp.com/album/plexi-soul

another is an instrumental collaboration with his dear friend Dean Deleo (originally from the Stone Temple Pilots organization) that is available here:
https://tripthewitch.bandcamp.com/album/trip-the-witch

and a LOT of people don't seem to know that they can go here to purchase a myriad of Homeskoolin' related merchandise..including several different T-shirts and some beautifully constructed coffee mugs for those afflicted with thin lips...
https://dvg-inc.shoplightspeed.com/merch/tom-bukovac/

March 27th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Chart Boy”

Chapters
00:00 - Sessions and charting


Notes

Many years ago when I used to record with johnnie and Donnie van zant, they used to call me “chart boy”….cuz I was always making charts of the songs…well the name kinda stuck.

Here I am charting one for the Struts…of course the band already knows the song, but the additional keyboard player, the engineers and myself can certainly use one.

March 21st, 2023

Homeskoolin' Bonus Jam "Mad Dogs And Clevelanders"

Chapters
00:00 - Beatles - With A Little Help From My Friends (Joe Cocker / Tom Bukovac Rendition)
03:20 - All time favorite tunes / Howya going mate!
03:55 - "Mad Dog with Soul" (Joe Cocker documentary)
04:20 - The Struts (Session project)
05:00 - Watch Delta Lady from live performance of "Mad Dog with Soul"


Notes
Uncle Larry waxes rhapsodic about one of the greatest voices to ever step up to a microphone....and the great convergence of England and Tulsa.

March 17th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “And You’re With??….”

Chapters
00:00 - In the sessions fun


Notes

A quick session update from the final day of tracking for the record Guthrie and myself are making

Starring
Steve Mackey
Brandon Bell
Lester Estelle
Guthrie Trapp
Brook Sutton
Uncle Larry

Hey guys there are still a few of those 200 limited edition signed 200th episode prints left at
www.ziggysartstudio.com

Check one out if you feel that feeling…

March 10th, 2023

Homeskoolin' Vintage Long Form Session B Roll "Flower Power"

Chapters
00:00 - Sessions: The work into forming a song


Notes

Taking you waaaaaay back to the chilly cold February of 2023....Larry was holed up for a few days in a home studio out by the airport to produce a few tracks for his dear old buddy Bobby "Gateweed" Gatewood from Cleveland Ohio. Bobby and Uncle Larry have been friends since the late 80's when Bobby originally hired Uncle Larry to play bass in his cover band called Calabash.

Every few years or so Bobby slips away from his cushy life as the mayor of Put-In-Bay Ohio and cruises down to Nashtown to make a record with the Nashville cats.

We are working at the legendary Headroom Studio in Donelson here and the engineer you are seeing here in this video is my dear old pal Rick "Sweet Ricky D" Delima. Rick's sweet wife Stacy helped out on the project as well with some lyrics and backing vox...and some delicious lunches.

Tasty live drums being provided by another fellow Clevelander, sweet Shawn Fichter....one of the sweetest human beings to ever inhabit this planet.

Bobby originally brought this tune in as an uptempo boogie woogie kinda thing...but i thought the sentiment of the song and the introspective lyric "all i was trying to do was find me" might possibly be better served by a wistful longing 60's hippie vibe, with some janglin' stoner guitars...so we proceeded down that path.

Then later on, after some group lyric re-writing and the addition of David "Bird Dog" Dorn's B-3 and bunch of tasty Haight-Ashbury guitars and some folky holllowbody bass, this track turned out fantastic.

When it's finished and mixed i will play it for ya.

totally unrelated:

Here's an old song from one of Bobby's earlier records (2007) that i produced when we were all very much younger...."Did We Try?"
This track has some bad ass cats on it....Joe Vitale on drums, Will Owsley on rhythm guitar. David Santos on bass, Mark T Jordan on keys, Troy Johnson on backing vox, Larry on lead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8McGEgFAew&t=0s

If you like these videos, feel free to hit the tip jar
Paypal is tombukovac@gmail.com
Venmo is @Tom-Bukovac-1

March 8th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Larry At Work”

Chapters
00:00 - Session playing


Notes

A sweet little tune from today’s session where Uncle overdubbed electrics on 7 songs at a home studio in Nashville…good songs and sweet people…and a nice Japanese themed lunch.

The singer?
Melissa Erin

The song? “Be The Sparrow”

The engineer? Chris “Gearhead” Condon

The bass player/producer? Phil Anthony

February 7th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Double Play Session Bonus Footage

Chapters
00:00 - A look into sessions


Notes
From today’s Aaron Lewis session at the Blackbird Studio in sunny downtown Nashville TN.