The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast

Fingerstyle guitar authority John Stropes joins us this week to talk all about his new two-volume book featuring transcriptions of every track on Leo Kottke's monumental '6 & 12 String Guitar' album!  Get the book here: https://www.stropes.com/product/leo-kottke-6-and-12-string-guitar-a-companion-by-john-stropes-and-benjamin-kammin/ During our chat, we hear about Stropes love for fingerstyle, how the Old Town School of Folk Music (home of the Fretboard Summit) shaped his playing, collaborating with Kottke and Michael Hedges, and so much more.  Our 58th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it....

The Fretboard Journal's Sofia Wolfson interviews musician, producer, and recording and mixing engineer Philip Weinrobe. Over the years, Weinrobe has worked with a wide array of artists, including Big Thief, Hand Habits, Adrianne Lenker, Theo Katzman, Marc Ribot, Lake Street Dive, and countless others. It's a great chat about Weinrobe's roots as a recording engineer, his work at Figure 8 and Sugar Mountain studios, and so much more.  https://www.philipweinrobe.com Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org <p...

Guitarist/composer/improviser Shane Parish is about to release a truly astounding project, Autechre Guitar. The Athens, Georgia-based guitarist has transcribed and recorded an entire album of acoustic guitar arrangements featuring the music of electronic music duo Autechre. This is no small feat. Autechre's atmospheric compositions were made with layered synths and drum machines. Shane has somehow distilled them to their essence and arranged them for solo guitar. Best of all, they sound great. On the podcast, we hear all about this Mt. Everest of a project, the Taylor 214-GE he used for the task...

On this week's podcast, UK-based author and guitar fanatic John Stubbings returns to tell us all about his new book, 'The Guitar Detective.' The follow-up to his monumental 'The Devil Is In It' publishing project, 'The Guitar Detective' is a "non-fiction novel" based around a riveting guitar mystery. We discuss the format John chose for this book, his inspiration for the story, and so much more. https://orpharionpress.com/ Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org ...

To wrap up this year, Fretboard Journal editors Jason Verlinde and Sofia Wolfson talk about some of their favorite moments from 2025. We discuss the inner workings of the magazine, our favorite articles, the 2025 Fretboard Summit, some of our favorite records and shows of the year, and so much more.  On behalf of all of us, we hope you have a very happy New Year.   Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org Our 58th issue of the Fretboard Journal is no...

Nearly every guitar player has daydreamed about running their favorite gear company. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we hear from two individuals who are currently living that dream: Nashville's Pete Mroz and Shannon Pollard. Earlier this year, these two guitar fanatics and businessmen became the new owners of Bend, Oregon's Breedlove Guitars. During our chat, we talk about the realities of running a guitar business in 2025, the surprises they weren't anticipating, what changes they are implementing at the 35-year-old company, and where they see growth in the guitar space. Whether or not...

Mandolin hero John Reischman joins us this week to talk about his new album, 'The Salish Sea.' We chat about the influence the Pacific Northwest has had on his music-making, discuss his famed Lloyd Loar-signed Gibson F-5 mandolin, and so much more.  Check out the Salish Sea here or on your favorite streaming platform: https://johnreischmanandthejaybirds.bandcamp.com/album/the-salish-sea https://www.fretboardjournal.com/ Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org Our 58th issue of...

Every year during the holiday season, we chat with Guru Singh, a third-generation yogi and spiritual teacher who also happens to live and breathe guitars. On this installment (Guru Singh's third visit), we go deep. This former Reprise artist and friend of Janis Joplin talks to us about the spirit of giving, the benefits of A.I. (even for musicians), how he stays optimistic during difficult times, and so much more. We'll be sharing the video from this interview on our YouTube channel soon. https://gurusingh.com/ https://www.fretboardjournal.com/...

Today's podcast episode is with Liam Kazar, a Chicago-born singer-songwriter and guitarist currently touring in Jeff Tweedy's band. Liam just put out a new record, Pilot Light, which he made at Flying Cloud Studios in upstate New York. Check it out and catch him on the road. https://www.instagram.com/liamkazar https://liamkazar.com Our 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://f...

On today's episode of the podcast, Sofia Wolfson talks to TJ Hiemel, owner of Troy, New York's Love of Fuzz store. TJ shares with us some of his favorite gear that has come through the shop, his role in the upstate music community, the magic behind his ever-evolving inventory, and much more. Be sure to follow the shop's Instagram to stay up to date with their inventory. https://www.instagram.com/love_of_fuzz/ https://www.loveoffuzz.com/ Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here t...

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 love for luthier-made instruments, why he left Chicago for Vermont, and so much more.  Order 'Stages' here: https://paulasbell.com/product/stages-ruminations-rants-and-reminiscences-on-a-life-in-music-book/ Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now m...

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 so fascinating to Paul, Paul's new album ('Cry Love'), and so much more.   https://paulburch.com/ Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. Our next Fretboard Su...

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.gratefulshredmusic.com/ Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026, at th...

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 of premium brands and hosting occasional in-house concerts. https://acousticmusicworks.com We talk about Raymond pivoting career-wise into the world of guitars; the guitar-building class he took before he became a salesperson...

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://www.instagram.com/paul.rigby003/ Neko Case's new album, 'Neon Grey Midnight Green, is out now. https://nekocase.com Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get i...

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 Brothers on his new album.  Give it a listen and then go check out Kite's Keep on all the streaming platforms.    https://www.bengarnett.net Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. <p...

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, the duo was inspired by both classic musicals and West Coast jazz. They even roped in Stephen Colbert for a cameo on the album. During our chat, we talk about Vilray's love for jazz, his days of b...

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 great talk. Added bonus: We're streaming her new single "Everything at Once" on our site right now: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/columns/song-premiere-courtney-hartmans-everything-at-once/ Follow Courtney here.  Our new, 57th issue of the Fretboard Journal is now ma...

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.bandcamp.com/album/slow-gold Read the poignant story Jacob's sister penned for the Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/07/i-spoke-for-my-brother-when-he-was-too-afraid-to-answer-now-he-speaks-in-melodies-and-i-have-learned-to-listen Our new, 57th issue is now mailing. You can subscribe here to get it. Our next...

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 now mailing. Subscribe here to get it. Our next Fretboard Summit takes place August 20-22, 2026 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. https://fretboardsummit.org We a...