Podcast 460: John Roderick
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
On this week's show, we have a candid chat with Seattle indie rock musician-turned-podcaster (Roderick on the Line, Omnibus) John Roderick. The Long Winters frontman was an early Fretboard Journal subject and guest on our podcast. This time around, we talk about John's break from music-making, the new songs he's been writing, the perils of pedal collecting and so much more. We also reminisce about the PNW indie rock community of the late '90s when John often shared a bill with Death Cab for Cutie, discuss the challenges of getting the band together when you're all in your 50s, and learn about...
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Podcast 459: Ryan Richter
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
For the last several years, Los Angeles-based musician Ryan Richter has served as a touring guitarist for Dijon, Ryan Beatty, Lizzy McAlpine and others. Years ago, he was also one of the Fretboard Journal's earliest employees. Ryan recently released his first solo project - a fascinating one-track, 20-minute long album called "As Good A Place As Any (No Hard Feelings)" - and on this week's podcast, we hear all about it. Ryan tells us about how this multifaceted composition came to be (with a little help from a rolling capo ad on social media), the gear that he used on it, his touring...
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Podcast 458: Josh Scott (JHS Pedals)
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
This week, JHS founder Josh Scott joins Jason to talk about guitar media, following your passion, marketing, work/life balance and so much more. We talk about how JHS was founded, (and the work that goes into it), guitar media, printed matter in 2024, events, social media, the enduring power of Facebook (and paper books!), marketing advice, and more. We also talk about JHS's participation in the . (Rumor has it, we'll be teaming up with JHS and Mid South for a fun bike ride at the 2024 Chicago Fretboard Summit 2024. Inquire within.) Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal print edition and reserve...
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Podcast 457: John Smith
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
Singer-songwriter John Smith joins us this week to talk about his moving new Joe Henry-produced album, 'The Living Kind.' We hear about the British folk scene and John's time with John Renbourn and others; his guitar collection (including a rather unusual custom Fylde, his Mule guitars and others); the making of the new album; his thoughts on streaming; his love for pedals and the Quad Cortex and so much more. John Smith Walks Us Through DADGAD: John Smith on That Pedal Show: PS: Joe Henry will be appearing at our 2024 Fretboard Summit alongside Blake Mills, Valerie June,...
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Podcast 456: Scott Ballew
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
Scott Ballew is an Austin, Texas-based filmmaker and musician. For years, he’s directed unforgettable videos and documentaries for Yeti and others. In 2020, he decided to take up songwriting and recorded his first album just a year later. This week, Ballew releases his third album, Rio Bravo. It’s an exceptional work that somehow combines Ballew’s affinity for Townes Van Zandt and other Austin legends with his love for reverb-drenched Ennio Morricone soundtracks. We love it. During our chat, Scott tells us about his unlikely journey from football star to director to songwriter and...
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Podcast 455: John Leventhal
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
Six-time Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer John Leventhal joins us this week to talk about 'Rumble Strip,' his long-awaited debut solo album! John tells us why, after five decades in the music business, he decided to make a solo album. We chat about his writing process, the home studio he and partner Rosanne Cash have in NYC, the gear that he used on the album, his favorite microphones, and his go-to acoustic tuning (CGDGBE). Also discussed are the influence of Ry Cooder on his playing, the magic found in old Gibson flattops (and '60s Guilds), and why John tries to...
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Podcast 454: Craig Korth
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
Craig Korth is a bluegrass musician, instrument collector, and luthier based in British Columbia. Over the years, Craig performed at countless festivals, ran a music camp, and amassed a world-class collection of vintage instruments. As he recounted at the end of his appearance on episode 271 of the Fretboard Journal Podcast, he's also struggled with focal dystonia, a neurological condition that can wreak havoc on high-level musicians. For this week's episode, Craig candidly shares some of the steps he's taken to heal his focal dystonia and play at a high level again. From...
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Podcast 453: Julian Lage
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
This week, guitarist Julian Lage returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk to us all about his new, Joe Henry-produced album, 'Speak to Me' (Blue Note). We talk about working with Henry, the 'Speak to Me' band (including Levon Henry), Lage’s writing process, his favorite practice hacks, the gear he used, and so much more. We pack a lot into 36 minutes. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal print edition: Register for our 2024 Fretboard Summit in Chicago (Aug 23-25): This week's show is sponsored by: StewMac: (Affiliate link) Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar: Izotope: (Use the code...
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Podcast 452: Rasmus Zandvliet & Jeremy the Guitar Hunter
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
This week, we share two great interviews: First, we talk to Rasmus Zandvliet, a young (17-year-old!) aspiring luthier from the Netherlands teaching himself how to build acoustic guitars from scratch using YouTube videos for inspiration and a modest array of tools (and a curling iron to bend sides!). Rasmus is already on to his third guitar and garnered a rave review from Jeremy Sheppard, aka Jeremy the Guitar Hunter (who owns an Alpine spruce/mahogany 000-18 built by Rasmus). In the second half of this episode, we talk to Jeremy himself about his start as a YouTube content creator, his love...
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Podcast 451: Matt the Electrician
The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
Austin's Matt the Electrician joins us this week to talk about his new album, 'The Ocean Knocked Me Down.' He also gives us a mini master class on being a productive songwriter. We also talk about John Allison Guitars, the Austin music scene today, the weekly songwriting group helmed by Bob Schneider and so much more. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and get our new 53rd issue featuring Ben Harper, Joanna Sternberg, Robbie Basho, and Kate Wolf's guitar: Registration is now open to attend our 2024 Fretboard Summit: If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on...
info_outlineMatt Sweeney downplays his success as a guitarist and producer to the fact that he simply says "yes" to a lot of projects. Whatever the case; it's working. After playing in Chavez, he performed as Superwolves with Will Oldham and served as a guitarist-for-hire on numerous acclaimed albums, including Cat Power's 'Covers' record and the Rick Rubin-produced Johnny Cash 'American Recordings V' and 'VI.'
Matt is also one of the greatest guitar interviewers around. His Guitar Moves series, originally produced for Vice's Noisey channel in 2013, set a high bar for how to interview musicians. Like the late Anthony Bourdain, Matt is total rock & roll, but also approachable, funny and curious. Most importantly, he gets his subjects - including Keith Richards, Blake Mills, and Billy Gibbons - talking.
After a long hiatus, Matt has decided to take ownership of Guitar Moves, share old installments, and record new episodes. On this week's episode, we talk about how it's all about fingerpicking (thanks to his friend Sam Dylan of Supreme Dicks), his plans for Guitar Moves going forward, the old Richard Thompson instruction video (YouTube link) that served as the show's inspiration (and that Richard himself hated), and so much more.
Be on the lookout for a feature on Matt in early 2024 in the pages of the Fretboard Journal.
Watch Guitar Moves: https://www.youtube.com/@guitar-moves
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and get our new 53rd issue with Ben Harper, Joanna Sternberg and much more: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
Registration is now open to attend our 2024 Fretboard Summit: https://fretboardsummit.org/
If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page.
Thank you to our sponsors: Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off of your Izotope order.