The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast Fretboard Journal

When the pandemic hit and live gigs were canceled, innumerable musicians began live-streaming concerts from home as a way to stay connected with fans. Among those was San Francisco-based duo Craig Ventresco and Meredith Axelrod, who perform ragtime guitar, early jazz and blues songs from the 1890s to the 1930s. Fast forward three years and Meredith and Craig are somehow still at it, streaming live performances from their home six evenings a week. In fact, they just celebrated their 1000th live-stream concert.

On this week's FJ Podcast, we follow up with this pair of musicians whom we first documented on Ep. 290 of the podcast (link), back when they only had 100 or so shows under their belt. We hear about how their show has evolved, how they pick their repertoire, and so much more. 

Follow the duo on Meredith's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/meredithaxelrod

Support the duo here: 
Paypal.me/meredithaxelrod
Venmo: meredithaxelrod
Want to meet some of the many personalities interviewed on this podcast? Come to our 2023 Fretboard Summit August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/
Subscribe to our magazine here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription

Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); Izotope (use the coupon code FRET10 to save 10% off their plug-ins); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code).

Musician, therapist and zine publisher Matt Baldwin joins us this week for an insightful chat about the creative process and so much more. Matt talks to us about his career as a guitarist and the influence that Robbie Basho and John Fahey had on his largely self-taught playing. We also talk about his 'How to Play Guitar' zine series, where he shares some of his favorite tips, quotes, and life hacks. Last but not least, we discuss the Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy that he's conducting out of his Southern California office and learn about the crucial role that music plays in these sessions with his clients. 
Some links discussed in this episode:
https://www.instagram.com/baldwin_unlimited/
https://www.ketamineprovidersnetwork.com/
https://www.music-centered.org/
https://bandcamp.com/tag/psychic-arts
Want to meet some of the many personalities interviewed on this podcast? Come to our 2023 Fretboard Summit August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/
Subscribe to our magazine here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription

Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); Izotope (use the coupon code FRET10 to save 10% off their plug-ins); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code).

Musician, writer and educator Cameron Knowler joins us this week to talk about his incredible  self-published book, Guitars Have Feelings Too, and so much more. We learn about Cameron’s singular upbringing in Arizona (including how he was "unschooled" for most of his youth) and hear about how a random encounter with Norman Blake's music as a teenager forever changed his life. We also get his thoughts on the difference between old time and bluegrass music, the perils of flatpicking contests, how to horse trade instruments with your heroes, and so much more.
Knowler is the FJ's newest contributor and in our 52nd issue, he pens a lengthy interview with Phoebe Bridgers' guitarist Harrison Whitford. We're happy to announce that Knowler will also be teaching the music of Norman Blake at the 2023 Fretboard Summit alongside Bob Minner.
Order your copy of Guitars Have Feelings Too here:
https://www.cameronknowler.com/shop-1/p/guitars-have-feelings-too
Want to meet Cameron, Bob Minner, Wayne Henderson, Josh Scott, Bill Frisell, and dozens of other guitar luminaries? Come to our 2023 Fretboard Summit August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/
Subscribe to our magazine here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription

Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); Izotope (use the coupon code FRET10 to save 10% off their plug-ins); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code).

Offset guitar authority, tech and journalist Mike Adams (@puisheen) joins us for another monthly recap of guitar news, but this episode is about a lot more than just industry updates. To start, Mike shares a deeply moving story about the loss of his father. Around the 24-minute mark, we discuss some recent guitar news, including the new offerings that debuted at NAMM like the Guild Surfliner Deluxe, the Martin StreetLegend D-18, the T-Rex Binson Echorec, and the Yamaha FG9.
We also talk about the announcement of a new CEO for Gibson; the mystery of G. Weller; Fretboard Summit updates; the Dr. Herringbone 'Tone Traveler' (full review to come) and more.
Join Mike Adams' Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/puisheen 
Jason Mays NAMM highlights: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/columns/namm-2023-highlights/
The Mystery of G. Weller Podcast: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/podcasts/podcast-406-the-mystery-of-g-weller/
The Dr. Herringbone Tone Traveler: https://www.drherringbone.com/
Want to meet Mike, Josh Scott, Bill Frisell, and dozens of other guitar luminaries?  Come to our 2023 Fretboard Summit August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/
Subscribe to our magazine here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription

Our podcast is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars; Deering Banjos; Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); Izotope (use the coupon code FRET10 to save 10% off their plug-ins); and Stringjoy Strings (get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code).

Detroit's Via Mardot makes incredible music that evokes classic exotica and Spaghetti Western soundtracks, but her journey is far from traditional. Since dropping out of high school, she's put all of her energy into composing, playing and learning new instruments and gear. She showcases her multi-track creations on Instagram - making captivating videos where she plays ALL the parts (including guitar parts, bass percussion, theremin, and musical saw) - and has garnered an astounding 100,000+ Instagram followers. She's also become a Reverend Guitars endorsee. 

On this week's FJ Podcast, we talk to Via Mardot about her growth as an artist, how she taught herself to play all of these instruments, and the perils of playing the musical saw. It's a great chat with a young artist doing something truly original. 
   
https://www.instagram.com/viamardot/
(Vintage movie Jason mentioned on the podcast: 'Multiple Sidosis'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mblxjfh5kE)

Via Mardot will be performing at The Fretboard Summit, our three-day celebration of all-things-guitar taking place August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. In addition to Via Mardot, featured performers include Wayne Henderson, Jeff Parker, Bryan Sutton, Jorma Kaukonen, Jake Eddy, and numerous others. During the Summit, we'll also be hosting our first-ever Germanium Chef, an Iron Chef-inspired pedal build-off hosted by Josh Scott and featuring Robert Keeley against Heather Brown. There will also be jam rooms, parties, live podcast tapings, and tons of surprises.
Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/ 
Our podcast is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars; Deering Banjos; Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); Izotope (use the coupon code FRET10 to save 10% off their plug-ins); and Stringjoy Strings (use the discount code FRETBOARD and save 10% off your first order). Subscribe to our keepsake print magazine here.

Robbie Fulks joins us on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his new album, 'Bluegrass Vacation.' Fulks' first full-length bluegrass album features an all-star lineup of guests including Sam Bush, Sierra Hull, Ronnie McCoury, Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, John Cowan, and Jerry Douglas.
 
We talk about the alt-country pioneer's deep bluegrass roots, stretching back to his time playing in Greg Cahill's Special Consensus, his approach to songwriting (and writing in general), and we hear about a book Fulks is currently working on. Plus a lot more. 
 
http://www.robbiefulks.com/
 
The Fretboard Summit, our three-day celebration of all-things-guitar is taking place August 24-26, 2023 at Fulks old stomping grounds...Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Featured performers include Wayne Henderson, Jeff Parker, Jorma Kaukonen and much more.
 
Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/
 
Our podcast is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars; Deering Banjos; Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); Izotope (use the coupon code FRET10 to save 10% off their plug-ins); and Stringjoy Strings (use the discount code FRETBOARD and save 10% off your first order).
 
Subscribe to our keepsake print magazine here.