The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

Beginning in March of 2020, while most of the world was in lockdown mode due to COVID, Daniel Romano did something truly remarkable: He began releasing an album nearly every week on his Bandcamp page. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to the Canadian musician about his prolific output this year: from a track-by-track re-creation of Bob Dylan's Infidels album played as if the Plugz were Dylan's backing band, to his British folk-inspired Alias Ensemble album, and all points in-between. We hear about some of the self-imposed rules he gives himself when recording, his current gear of choice, his forthcoming (ninth) album for 2020, 'How Ill Thy World Is Ordered' (out Sept. 18, 2020 on You've Changed Records) and a lot more. Romano is one of our favorite musicians and it was great to get a peek at his creative process. Further reading: The story of the Plugz and Bob Dylan's appearance on Letterman. This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases. Support the podcast by picking up a PDF or print subscription to the Fretboard Journal.

Chase Bliss Audio makes some of the most interesting pedals created today. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to founder Joel Korte about his company's rapid rise in popularity, his workflow, some of their latest creations and their ongoing collaborations with both pedal makers and musicians. We also talk about the human element found in Chase Bliss' output, some of the noteworthy videos they've produced, Korte's unique career path and plan for the future, mushrooms, and more. Stuff mentioned: Chase Bliss https://www.chaseblissaudio.com The Story & Retirement of Chase Bliss Wooden Boxes (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7A5X10k8U8&t=7s The Chase Bliss Blooper campaign on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chaseblissaudio/blooper Paul Stamets on Joe Rogan (excerpt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVhd56KYS6s Get the second-ever Fretboard Journal Electric Guitar Annual while supplies last. https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/all/products/2019-electric-annual-pre-order

For forty years, Bruce Harvie (Orcas Island Tonewoods) has carved out a nice existence for himself in the instrument making world as a tonewood supplier. His one-man operation is based in one of the most beautiful spots in North America (Washington State's San Juan Islands), where he sells spruce, redwood and other raw materials to mandolin and bowed instrument makers around the world. He's also a prolific musician. Though he makes his living selling hand-selected wood, Harvie is quick to point out that there's great instrument-making materials all around us, for cheap. "It's amazing how many mandolins get burned," he says. "I've gotten a lot of wood out of firewood piles." On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Harvie about his early instrument building days, how he sources his tonewoods, and about some of the lesser-used woods in instrument making that deserve a chance. Follow Orcas Island Tonewoods here and listen to Bruce's new album here. This episode is sponsored by Mono Cases and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.

Musician and singer-songwriter Mac McAnally has led quite a life: As a teenager, he was a studio musician in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, able to jump from between sessions and studios as an in-demand acoustic guitarist. He soon started writing songs, got a record deal of his own and penned hit songs for Jimmy Buffett, Alabama, and other top country acts. Since 1994, he's played guitar in Buffett's Coral Reefer Band. As you'll hear on this podcast, McAnally is as humble as it gets, but he's also a ten-time CMA Musician of the Year winner. In 2007, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. McAnally just released his latest solo record, Once in a Lifetime. On this week's podcast, he recounts his early days in the Muscle Shoals scene, tells about his gear of choice (including his cherished, slot-head Martin guitar), and we talk about the making of the new album. This episode is sponsored by Mono Cases and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.

As a kid, guitarmaker Sherwood "Woody" Phifer would tinker with everything, from model airplanes to his high school track shoes. "I would look at something and I'd be redesigning it as I was looking at it," he says. Eventually, he was taking guitars apart, which led to him building his own instrument and stumbling upon Charles LoBue's Guitar Lab in 1970. Within a couple of visits to that influential NYC shop, he found his passion for lutherie and his life's calling. During this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, Phifer tells us about that fateful trip to Guitar Lab (a shop that employed soon-to-be-legendary employees Larry DiMarzio, Charles LoBue, Ralph Novak and Steve Kauffman), walks us through some of his thoroughly original creations (including his archtop guitars, his chambered-body electrics, his unique bridge system and more), and describes what it's like to be one of the only Black guitarmakers in the country. https://www.phiferguitars.com https://www.fretboardjournal.com

Earlier this month, Gibson announced a $59,000 reward for the safe return of their 1959-1960 shipping ledger, a book that, if it exists, has been missing for decades. If found, the ledger could shed light on the details of Gibson's production of guitars during a legendary period of time, including the variations found on all those famed, uber-collectible '59 and '60 'Bursts. On this bonus episode of the Fretboard Journal podcast, we talk to Cesar Gueikian (CMO) and Mat Koehler (Head of Product Development) from Gibson about where they think the ledger might be, why they're on the hunt for it, and what they think they could learn from it. We also hear about some new and forthcoming Gibson projects, including collaborations with Jerry Cantrell and Adam Jones, forthcoming Flying V and white SG Custom Shop tributes to Jimi Hendrix, a Slim Harpo ES-330 reissue and a lot more. This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

Michael Millard of Froggy Bottom Guitars reflects upon 50 years of guitarmaking with one of our most insightful podcast interviews to date. Millard is a legendary figure in the world of musical instruments, using the lessons he learned working alongside Michael Gurian in the early 1970s to create one of the most collectible acoustic guitar brands of the modern era. During this nearly hour-long chat, he talks about the unique ways Froggy Bottoms are made, describes his company's unorthodox business model, and announces his plan for retirement at the end of 2020. Millard was trained as a psychologist and his unfiltered thoughts on social injustice, the opportunities afforded him, and the danger of expectations are a breath of fresh air. This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

For years, ragtime guitarist Craig Ventresco was one of the music world's best-kept secrets: The only way to see him was to catch him in his hometown of San Francisco, playing a solo show at a small cafe or with his gypsy jazz band, Gaucho. He seldom left the city and recordings weren't a big part of his career. Like many others, when COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders hit, Craig and partner Meredith Axelrod turned to the internet to keep performing. Here's where things get interesting: With a minimalist setup, Ventresco and Axelrod started live streaming their performances on Facebook... not once a month or weekly, but every single night. As of this interview, Ventresco and Axelrod were up to 100-plus shows. And their unique take on ragtime guitar is suddenly finding new fans around the globe. On this week's podcast, we chat with Ventresco about growing up in Maine, getting turned on to 78 records, the years he spent busking around SF, his role on the 'Crumb' soundtrack, and his life online. We also talk about his Fraulini guitars, the music he's been obsessing over and much more. Links: Meredith Axelrod's Facebook page (where Craig and Meredith perform every night at 8pm PT): https://www.facebook.com/meredithaxelrod Their tip jars: Paypal.me/meredithaxelrod Venmo: @meredithaxelrod Fraulini Guitars: http://fraulini.com Fretboard Journal: https://www.fretboardjournal.com (Use the discount code PODCAST when you check out and save $5 off any order) This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases.

If you've read any guitar magazines over the last several years, you've probably seen the bylines of today's guests: Teja Gerken and Doug Young. The two Bay Area fingerstyle guitarists have written extensively about gear and technique for a variety of publications and today Teja is a partner at online music instruction portal Peghead Nation. On this week's podcast, they talk about their beautiful new instrumental album, simply titled Duets. They tell us about some of the unique guitars they used on the recording, give us tips for recording remotely via Zoom/Skype, and much more. Check out Duets here: https://tejaanddougguitar.bandcamp.com Order the Fretboard Journal's new Electric Guitar Annual here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/all/products/2019-electric-annual-pre-order This episode is sponsored by Mono Cases and Retrofret Vintage Guitars.

Jontavious Willis is only 24, but he's already earned numerous accolades - and a Grammy nomination - for his mastery of the blues. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Willis from his home in Georgia about being a largely self-taught guitarist, the one standard tuning guitar lesson he took (just five years ago!), the gear he uses today (including his Fraulini 12-string guitar), and his love for original 78 records. We hear about the influence that Keb' Mo' and Taj Mahal had on his career (Mo' produced 'Spectacular Class,' the album that earned Willis the Grammy nod) and Willis tells us how, even during COVID-19, a community of young Black blues musicians is mentoring each other through social media. Willis also explains the #RobertJohnsonChallenge, where he and fellow musicians Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Marquise Knox are interpreting Robert Johnson tunes online, every Wednesday. Inspired by the recently discovered third photo of Johnson, the challenge is required viewing if you're a blues fan. This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases. Watch Willis' most recent Robert Johnson Challenge contribution here: https://www.facebook.com/JontaviousWillis/videos/250502482919394/ Follow him here: https://www.facebook.com/JontaviousWillis/ or here: http://jontaviouswillis.com Subscribe to the reader-powered Fretboard Journal here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com