Joyce Cooling, shown here on the cover of Music Notes ª Magazine, co-hosts the show with other headliners. Joyce's latest CD release, "Playing It Cool," is topping the charts in the adult contemporary category. Her impressive clean fingerstyle technique makes her one of the best jazz and pop players on the scene. Joyce plays one of her new original tunes on the first show. She displays her engaging ability to sing in unison with her hot single note soloing.

Jeffery Luhn is the creator and producer of GUITAR KULTUREª. He often co-hosts the show as well as providing special reports from festivals, workshops and concerts. Jeff enforces the "Prime Directive" of the show: Everyone involved with the show, even the electricians, must be musicians! Jeff plays guitar in the band "Lost Taxi" and also performs with the Berkeley Jazz Workshop. He can be reached by E-mail from this site.

Michael Manring is an extraordinary bassist and also a regular host and accompanist for many of the performance segments on the show. He is often described as one of the top fretless players in the world. His brilliant playing appears on over 125 Windham Hill recordings in addition to his own solo albums. His engaging work with the late Michael Hedges and with his own band Montreaux, have brought him high acclaim.

Peppino D'Agostino performs on the show, interviews guests and narrates the Italian Television version of GUITAR KULTURE. Peppino has seven CD releases, two instructional books, an instructional video and appears at many important festivals around the world. His unique brand of fingerstyle jazz and ethnic flavored original compositions make him one of the world's best solo guitarists.

Mimi Fox is America's "Priestess of Bop". Her performances often intimidate even the most famous fret mongers. Originally from New York, Mimi is now West Coast based and regularly sought out for studio work of all kinds, especially red hot jazz. Her own release "Turtle Logic" demonstrates how she propels a tune into the stratosphere when she teams up with other jazz veterans. She jams with Michael Manring on our second segment!

The Quintet of the Hot Club of San Francisco is a unique acoustic gypsy jazz band that keeps the blistering syncopation of the Django Reinhart era alive and well. Paul Mehling, the groups founder and lead guitarist, has released four CDs, two instructional videos and several books on the gypsy jazz style. This band swings hard on the show! Check 'em out!

Philip de Gruy plays a 17 string guitar! When you see him perform, the reason becomes obvious. Nobody does what deGruy can do. This wild innovator from New Orleans often combines tunes from different eras, keys, styles and tempos to create medleys of incomparable complexity and wit. The title of his first release "Innuendo Out The Other" tells it all. Check him out on the show and on NYC Records.

The Bartron Tyler Group is just one of the many great unsigned bands we feature on GUITAR KULTURE. BTG has three releases on their own label, Hardwood Music. Just like many indie bands, these guys are stellar players with a huge repertoire of terrific original music. They've been refining their intricate lead lines and funky fusion licks in clubs and at festivals for years. Check out our "Rising Star" feature for more hot indie performers!

Our "Music Pulse" feature takes viewers to festivals, concerts, workshops and other music events to meet the people who make the noise! Jeffery Luhn is shown here interviewing Lance McCollum creator of an unusual harp guitar, at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival in Northern California. Jeff does a five-part series with America's best guitar builders in the upcoming season. As you will see, many guitar builders are hot players too!

Ashia Chacko hosts the "Ear Candy" music review feature on GUITAR KULTURE. Ashia is a singer songwriter with one independent CD realease and another in the works. Her knowledge and passion for ethnic music guarantees a continuous flow of CD, music video and concert reviews featuring some of the most intriguing sounds from artists across the globe. She also reviews indie CDs, so contact us by E-mail for details!

Steve Erquiaga hosts the "Playing Secrets" feature on the show. His ability to describe and demonstrate so many different styles of music make him a favorite among all viewers, even the the non-musicians. His music can be heard in the soundtracks of many films including "The Firm" and "Forrest Gump," on his own recordings "Erquiology" and "Cafe Paradiso" and in concert with collegues John Scofield and Andy Narrell.

Rick Heizman is our resident Musicologist. Rick is the Indiana Jones of world music. On his segments he tells how he carries recording equipment into various "Hard-To-Get-To Places" (the title of one of his CDs) learns how to play odd instruments, hires the country's best musicians to help him produce top quality recordings and then jams for weeks on end. Rick plays intriguing pieces on several instruments from his outrageous collection.

Michael Ross is the "Tone Doctor" on GUITAR KULTURE. He literally wrote the book on guitar tone and it's published by Hal Leonard Books. Michael writes for many of the top music publications and performs with numerous bands. His no-nonsense approach to reviewing equipment and debunking "secret sounds" is refreshing. See him on 'Gearhead'.

Matt Blackett is an incurable rock-a-holic and also the host for many of our "Gearhead" features. Matt has done audio consulting for some of the biggest electronics and equipment manufacturers in the music business. When he talks, people listen. And when he plays, people watch. He is a red hot rockmaster and is always anxious to trade licks with our guests. His playing can be heard on his release "CAT".