Vermont-based guitar hero Paul Asbell joins us this week to talk about his new book, 'Stages: Ruminations, Rants, and Reminiscences on a Life in Music.' In 'Stages,' Paul recounts stories from early in his career when he worked as a sideman for legendary blues artists on the South Side of Chicago. We also hear about Paul's unique upbringing, his lo…

Musician and Fretboard Journal contributor Paul Burch joins us this week to talk about his just-published debut novel, Meridian Rising. The book, an imagined memoir by Jimmie Rodgers, is filled with insights on the Father of Country Music and some of the unbelievable collaborators he worked with. We talk about the making of the book, why Rodgers is…

Grateful Shred co-founder Dan Horne joins us for a chat about the making of the band, his love for the Dead (of course), and the tribute group's 2025 album, 'Might As Well.' We also talk about growing up in the Bay Area, Alembics and other gear, and so much more. Check out Grateful Shred on tour and see what all the fuss is about: https://www.grate…

Raymond Morin of Pittsburgh's Acoustic Music Works joins us this week for an insightful chat about running a guitar store, music and so much more. At a time when things seem pretty bleak for mom & pop guitar stores, Pittsburgh's Acoustic Music Works is a true success story. They have just relocated to a new, larger space, focusing on a select range…

Guitarist Paul Rigby joins us this week to talk about his 15-plus-year collaboration with Neko Case and so much more. We hear about growing up in Calgary (and why it's an oddly great town for guitarists); meeting Neko; writing for Broadway; songwriting help from the Black Stallion; and why his favorite electric guitar is a $123 partscaster. https:/…

Guitarist Ben Garnett joins us this week to talk about the making of his new acoustic album, Kite's Keep. Garnett's journey as a musician is one-of-a-kind. This former tuba player became infatuated with the guitar thanks to his uncle, Andy Timmons. He then discovered the Punch Brothers, immersed himself in bluegrass, and now has actual Punch Brothe…

On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we're joined by New York City-based guitarist and composer Vilray Bolles. Alongside Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive, he's one half of Rachael & Vilray, a duo with an uncanny knack for writing brand new songs that feel like they came straight from Tin Pan Alley. On their latest release, West of Broadway, t…

Singer-songwriter/guitarist Courtney Hartman joins us again on the podcast to share the story of her forthcoming album, With You. The album – her first since becoming a parent – is a beautiful collection of songs with a unique backstory. To help finish the record, she turned to fellow songwriter moms in her orbit. It's a beautiful record and a grea…

Melbourne, Australia-based guitarist Jacob Cole joins us this week to talk about his 2025 instrumental album 'Slow Gold' and so much more. We hear about his Cole's record-filled childhood, the guitar scene in Melbourne, recording in Tasmania (!), and his influences. It's an insightful chat with an artist we think you'll love. https://jacobcole1.ban…

On this week's episode of the Fretboard Journal Podcast, we introduce you to Brooklyn-based guitarist Isaac Stalling. Isaac sits down with editor Sofia Wolfson to talk about his musical roots in Oklahoma City, moving to NYC, playing in dozens of bands at once, and his solo project. https://www.instagram.com/i_stalling_/?hl=en Our new, 57th issue is…

Ryan Richter, Dylan Day, and Harrison Whitford are wildly creative guitarists who happen to play with some of the most-streamed artists of the last few years, including Ed Sheeran (Dylan), Phoebe Bridgers (Harrison), and Lizzy McAlpine (Ryan). They are all based in Los Angeles. At the 2025 Fretboard Summit, we sit down with these three musicians to…

Do guitars still sell in 2025? Is there a glut of unsold instruments? How have tariffs affected the high-end musical instrument space? At this year's Fretboard Summit, we asked a handful of guitar retailers for their unfiltered thoughts on selling instruments in 2025. Included were Rebecca Jasso (Old Town School of Folk Music retail store), Joe Car…

One last Fretboard Summit 2025 announcement: Jayne Henderson (EJ Henderson Guitars and Ukuleles) stops by the Fretboard Journal to tell us about the Asheville Guitar Project group build that she'll be unveiling at our annual guitar gathering. This group guitar build - combining the talents of Asheville-based luthiers Jayne, Kyle Landers, and Judson…

3Bender's Wade Back joins us this week to share the fascinating history of 3Bender and reveal an incredible new product he's unveiling at this year's Fretboard Summit, the Steelmaster. The Steelmaster is a string bender that can be mounted to any Jazzmaster-style guitar. It requires no drilling and works with stock or Mastery bridges. Wade's story …

"Here's what happens when you invite a mandolin company, with crazy curiosity, to a guitar show four years in a row." -Adrian Bagale Northfield's Adrian Bagale joins us this week for what has to be one of the most insightful industry chats we've had in years. We talk about what the company is unveiling at our 2025 Fretboard Summit in two weeks – a …

Dave Hill is a comedian, actor, author, musician and podcaster. He's also a guitar fanatic. In fact, at the 2025 Fretboard Summit, he'll be performing an entire stand-up set on guitar (!) and doing some crowd work on your pedal boards. On this week's podcast, we talk to Dave about his love for guitar, why teenage gear obsessions are so hard to kick…

James Kee of East Nash Grass joins us this week to talk about his band's forthcoming album 'All God's Children' and the guitar he just acquired and restored, a 1955 Martin D-18 formerly owned by Earl Scruggs! During our chat, we learn all about the D-18's restoration (which Nashville luthier Hugh Hansen just completed), East Nash Grass' forthcoming…

Summer School Electronics founder Mark Turley joins us this week to discuss the history of his pedal company, his day job as a schoolteacher, our Fretboard Summit gathering, and so much more. In what has become an annual tradition, Summer School will be debuting a new, wild pedal at our Summit. For the first time ever, Mark will also teach a pedal-…

Musician, composer, and writer Skip Heller was one of the Fretboard Journal's earliest subjects, contributors, and podcast guests. On this week's show, we catch up with Skip to talk about his new exotica album, 'Mojave After Dark.' We chat about his early pieces for the magazine - including the story on John Hartford he penned for our fourth editio…

Meet Emma Harner, an incredibly talented artist from Nebraska who, unbelievably, has only been playing guitar since the pandemic. Emma's complex playing, a mix of math rock and acoustic fingerpicking, and arresting vocals have earned her over 200,000 followers on Instagram and accolades from numerous guitar heroes. During our chat, we talk about he…

Acclaimed guitarist, educator, songwriter, and all-around-great-human Adam Levy is back on the Fretboard Journal Podcast! We talk about his new instrumental album, 'Household.' We discuss the concept behind this record, his desire to expand his band beyond the trio format; the unorthodox recording process he used to make the album; drummer Griffin …

Jason is back on the Fretboard Journal Podcast to interview mandolin great Jacob Jolliff. Over the years, Jolliff has worked with a variety of bands, including Joy Kills Sorry, Yonder Mountain String Band, and his own Jacob Jolliff Band. We talk about his time at Berklee, performing in mandolin competitions, his go-to mandolins (and microphone!) an…

To rebel against musician parents, a young Hank Heaven wanted to be a French chef. But after a serendipitous moment of discovery, they became a Django Reinhardt expert. On Episode #503 of the podcast, Sofia Wolfson interviews Hank about their solo project, touring as a sideman, gypsy jazz, being in a broadway musical, and more. https://hankheaven.c…

Today on the podcast, FJ assistant editor Sofia Wolfson interviews legendary songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist Dan Reeder. Born in Louisiana, raised in California, and now based in Nuremberg, Germany, Reeder has released several albums of self-recorded music using instruments he's built himself. On this episode, we talk about wor…

Mike Buchman is a Seattle-based guitar fanatic and the Fretboard Journal's newest hire! On this week's podcast, we talk to Mike about his recent experience learning the craft of guitarmaking with Colorado-based builder/instructor Robbie O'Brien. We also talk about Mike's songwriting, his role at the FJ and so much more. https://mikebuchmanmusic.com…