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Why Vilray Plays This Cheap WW2 Guitar

October 28, 2026 · 1 h 4 min

Show notes

Vilray joins Playback Sessions in New York to pull back the curtain on his unique songwriting process, his decade-long break from music, and the "subway" training ground that helped him find his voice. We dive deep into his character-study approach to songwriting and the reality of crafting music that sounds like a lost treasure from the 1940s. 🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora. https://www.learnwithsonora.com/yt/6597?d=1 👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more. https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570 ⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram https://www.learnwithsonora.com/yt/6597/looper?d=1 00:00 – Intro 0:00:56 – Live Performance: Forever Never Lasts For Very Long 0:04:04 – Ben Affleck and J-Lo Inspired This Song 0:06:33 – The Wikipedia Songwriting Game With Lake Street Dive 0:07:36 – Stopped Writing Music for 10 Years 0:09:14 – A Broken Pinky Changed His Relationship With Music 0:12:52 – Writing Originals to Fool People Into Thinking They're Standards 0:13:13 – Rachel Price Saw the Show: "Let's Make Music Together" 0:17:41 – The Guitar: Gibson ES-125 and the P90 Secret 0:29:07 – "I'm Not a Singer. She Said: Now I Know You Are." 0:37:36 – Writing Commission Songs for Weddings and Anniversaries 0:41:02 – Live Performance: Hate Is the Basis of Love 0:43:00 – Writing Like You're Writing for Nat King Cole 0:47:15 – Live Performance: Is It Jim? (His Favorite Song) 1:00:47 – Live Performance: Closing Commission Piece 🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials: -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/ -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions -YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions -Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast -Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast 🎥 Host: Spencer Handley Guest: Vilray Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser Executive Producer: Spencer Handley Camera/Sound: Moti Margolin #Vilray #RachelPrice #LakeStreetDive #RachelandVilray #JazzGuitar #VintageJazz #PlaybackSessions #Songwriting #NYCMusician #TinPanAlley #GibsonES125 #MusicPodcast #JazzStandards #NelsonRiddle #SpencerHandley #VintageGuitar #Songwriter #JazzMusician #GuitarCulture #IndieJazz #CarterVintageGuitars

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