Charleston, South Carolina's Daniel Patrick joins us this week for a lively talk about mandolins, being a gigging musician, and talking to your heroes. Daniel is the host of the popular Mandolins & Beer Podcast. He just released a great new album called 'Around the Clock' where he does covers with an all-star array of fellow mandolin players (Sam B…

On this week's podcast, we're sharing our Q&A session with Martin CEO Thomas Ripsam live from the 2024 Fretboard Summit. During our chat, Thomas and FJ publisher Jason Verlinde discuss Martin's plans for the future, the changing demographics of guitar consumers, intellectual property, sales channels, and much more. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journa…

To be honest I didn’t think I’d ever get Brian the Bootmaker on this show—he doesn’t do many interviews at all, and for whatever reason I was, quite frankly, kind of afraid to ask him. Which in hindsight is insane because he’s about as sweet and genuine and fantastic to talk to as people come. Working out of the central Los Angeles workshop he firs…

What makes a great luthier tick? On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, we attempt to find out. Recorded live at the 2024 Fretboard Summit, guitar repair gurus Evan Gluck, Tyler Geske, Trevor Healy, Mark Stutman, TJ Thompson, and Joe Glaser talk candidly about the personality traits that drove them to working on guitars. We hear about their atte…

On this week’s podcast, we talk to Alister Atkin, founder of Atkin Guitars. Alister and his growing team are building vintage-inspired flattop acoustics in Canterbury, England. During our chat, we talk about the company’s history, its ongoing growth, the aged finish that Atkin instruments are known for, how they've penetrated the US market, and eve…

Jayne Henderson and Sarah Weinberg join us to talk about Women in Lutherie, an online community and mentorship program connecting female instrument makers from around the world. Jayne is based in Asheville, North Carolina and is a second-generation guitarmaker. (Her father, Wayne Henderson, is a legendary builder of acoustic guitars and mandolins.)…

When you grow up in a shoe repair shop directly next door to your actual house, it's hard to not catch the cobbling bug. But oh did Molly Monahan try to resist. After learning how to repair motorcycles and doing some farming for a bit, Molly one day told her mother "we're opening the shop back up!" and immediately put mom back to work making leathe…

This episode's chat is with Jess Wootten of…Wootten! The Ballarat, Australia boots and shoes and leathergoods maker that is doing some very interesting work. We covered how Jess somewhat tripped into a family tradition of bootmaking, ran down what Wootten's making in Ballarat and how, some common misconceptions about the Blake/Rapid (aka McKay welt…

This week, we’re sharing one of the highlights from our 2024 Fretboard Summit: Joe Henry in conversation with Blake Mills. During their chat, these two acclaimed producers and singer-songwriters discuss working with legacy artists (Blake has famously worked with Joni Mitchell; while Joe has worked with everyone from Joan Baez to Solomon Burke), the…

Detroit-based guitarist Nick Shillace joins us this week to talk about discovering the music of John Fahey, running a successful music school, and his excellent new album, A Rich Boy’s Measured Blues. Nick is one of dozens of musicians and luthiers attending our 2024 Fretboard Summit, taking place August 23-25, 2024 at Chicago’s Old Town School of …

“The only way I learned was making many mistakes and losing a shit ton of money in the process” is how Kevin Wilson neatly sums up the never-simple process of getting Caswell Boot Company off the ground. In the past five years since saying "I'm going to start a boot company!", Kevin's stared down a failed Kickstarter attempt, his original US-based …

Two of Nashville’s finest guitarists – Tom Bukovac and Guthrie Trapp – join us this week to talk about their new album, IN STEREO. We chat about what brought them to Nashville way back when, the making of the album, the gear they used on it, tube amps, and so much more. Order IN STEREO: https://bakedalaskarecords.com Our 2024 Fretboard Summit takes…

Ben and Ticho once again dip into the Shoebag to answer listener questions—and tap in some special experts along the way—including: how to size boots to match orthotic inserts? What are some of the best brands for Women’s GYW shoes? Our thoughts on revolutionary new sole materials? Initial footwear “hard pass” that you eventually learned to love? H…

She was born in Canada and grew up in New Zealand, but few people could possibly seem more at home making bespoke cowboy boots in Guthrie, Oklahoma than Flora Knight. Learning the craft from two of the historic western city's best teachers imaginable—bootmaking legends Lisa Sorrell and Ray Dorwart—certainly didn't hurt things. Neither did her other…

Toronto's William "Grit" Laskin has been building acoustic instruments since 1971. Best known as one of the world's foremost inlay artists, Grit painstakingly crafts wildly ornate fingerboard and headstock creations that serve as one-of-a-kind tributes to his clients and their passions. When he's not building, Grit has also run a record label, perf…

In our 54th issue, Eric Pooley shares the story of Maya de Vitry going solo after her lengthy stint as one third of the Americana band The Stray Birds. It’s a poignant interview about starting from scratch, being vulnerable and taking chances. On this week’s podcast, we hear even more about Maya’s journey with her collaborator Anthony da Costa. May…

Phil Kalas of the Full Grain Podcast takes over the Shoecast this week to interview Ben about his recent trip to boots-and-shoes mecca Tokyo—expect a deep-dive into city's astounding footwear scene, why and how it exists, plus a preview of five upcoming feature videos that'll be coming out before too long. Come to Stitchdown's Boot Camp, the world'…

In long-overdue returns to the Shoecast, White’s Boots President Eric Kinney and Division Road’s Jason Pecarich sat down to pull back the curtain on what it’s really like to develop new footwear products, getting into every twist and turn on past collaborative makeups as well as some forthcoming never-before-seen construction + style combos. We als…

Today we share an hour-long interview with one of the true greats of guitar-making, John Monteleone. Collectors and musicians around the world have sought out John's archtop creations, resulting in six-figure price tags, a quartet of guitars at the Met (the Four Seasons), and even a song penned by Mark Knopfler (simply titled, "Monteleone"). He's a…

Amara Hark-Weber surely must be one of the most delightful people in this world—which anyone could likely tell just from looking at the remarkably unique and creative boots and shoes the Twin Cities, Minnesota-based custom maker creates. This episode, Amara fought through a cold to discuss why she makes EVERY pair different from the previous, the i…

Meet Scott Tsai, founder of Philadelphia's Queens Vintage Guitars. Queens Vintage Guitars may just be the newest brick & mortar vintage guitar store in the country. On today's podcast, owner Scott Tsai tells us about its inception, its community focus, and so much more. https://queensvintageguitars.com Scott's story is fascinating: His love for gui…

We just premiered Mikkel Ploug's beautiful arrangement of Bach's Art of the Fugue for guitar on our YouTube channel. Today, we hear all about it. Ploug talks to us about how he turned to a Gibson ES-330 and an Estey-era Magnatone M-14 for this recording, his arrangement process on the Bach piece, and so much more. We talk gear, European jazz, and t…

The Decemberists' Colin Meloy joins us this week to talk about the band's new, long-awaited album, 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.' Longtime readers of the magazine will remember Colin gracing the cover of our 45th issue. This time around, we chat about why there was a six-year break Decemberists albums, the tedious side of touring, the joys …

Bluegrass banjo legend Tony Trischka joins us this week to discuss the making of his new album, 'Earl Jam.' He also gives us a mini-masterclass into the world of Earl Scruggs. The story behind 'Earl Jam' is truly remarkable: Upon receiving a USB drive full of never-before-released Earl Scruggs home recordings from the '80s and '90s, Trischka decide…

Meet Sofia Wolfson, a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter, writer, and Fretboard Journal contributor who just released an incredible album called 'Imposing on a Hometown.' This project features a bunch of former Fretboard Journal subjects and contributors, including Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, Mason Stoops, and Harrison Whitford. Mostly though, it's a c…

Guitarist Ethan Sherman returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his new acoustic album, 'Passages.' This contemporary bluegrass-inspired record features Ethan alongside Wes Corbett (banjo), Rob Ickes (Dobro), Thomas Cassell (mandolin), Avery Merritt (fiddle) and Ethan Jodziewicz (bass). During our chat, Ethan explains why banjo recor…

When guitarist Dr. Molly Miller isn't teaching music at USC, she's touring the world with Jason Mraz or recording with her own Molly Miller Trio. Or, as we learn today, she might be over at the tennis courts. On this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast, Miller walks us through a week in her life, talks about the gear she uses, and hints at hosting a t…

For the closeout episode of Shoecast season 11, Ben sits down with Will Roman, founder of Chisos Boots, a young and growing brand out of Austin, Texas that offers one of the best values in a legitimately well made, well designed cowboy boot. They cover how Chisos in some ways started with a lemonade stand, how Will ended up in León Mexico and fell …

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 co…

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 An…