Danny Barnes returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the making of his 2020 Grammy-nominated album, Man on Fire (ATO). The album is full of surprising twists, right down to the lineup: Bill Frisell, Dave Matthews and John Paul Jones all make appearances. We talk to Barnes about the making of the Man on Fire, how he met Jones, and learn a bit about his creative process (beyond banjo playing and songwriting, Barnes is a talented visual artist and cartoonist). It's a great chat with one of our favorite boundary-pushing musicians.
Links:
Danny's Music page: https://dannybarnes.com/
Danny's Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/isotope709?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=911282867
Danny's interview with Bill Frisell for the FJ's fourth issue: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/columns/listen-danny-barnes-new-awful-strange/
This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars, Mono Cases and Folkway Music.
Get a gift subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine and support independent publishing.
Jordan Tice and Kenneth Pattengale of the Milk Carton Kids join us on this week’s Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about the making of Tice’s 2020 album, Motivational Speakeasy. The Pattengale-produced solo album is noteworthy not just for Tice’s always-exceptional playing and vocals, but also for its stripped-down beauty. It’s one of our favorite albums of 2020.
During the call, we hear about the songs on the album, Pattengale’s recording process and Tice’s latest guitar acquisition (yes, he's doubled his guitar collection). Pattengale - at the time hunkered down in a cabin in Eastern Canada - also hilariously describes the pandemic project he picked up in 2020, plus a lot more. It's a fun chat about the making of a great acoustic album.
Note: We've included a track from Motivational Speakeasy on our new Thirty for 2020 Spotify playlist, filled with some of our favorite songs from the year.
Recorded November 11, 2020.
This episode is sponsored by Mono Cases and Folkway Music.
Get a gift subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine and support independent publishing (and the occasionally hilarious podcast).
We make a rare exception on this week's Fretboard Journal Podcast and talk to a drummer! Percussionist / singer-songwriter Joachim Cooder joins us to talk about his new album, Over that Road I'm Bound: The Songs of Uncle Dave Macon. It's a captivating collection of Macon songs performed on a rather unlikely instrument, the electric mbira. Joachim is also joined by his dad, Ry Cooder, on the banjo; Rayna Gellert on fiddle, Juliette Commagere on vocals; and Sam Gendel on bass-guitar hybrid.
During our chat, we hear about Joachim's first exposure to the music of Uncle Dave Macon as a kid, his own daughter's infatuation with this material, the versatility of the electric mbira, his pedal board of choice and a lot more. Whether or not you're a fan of Macon's decades-old original recordings, we can't recommend this new album enough.
This episode is sponsored by Mono Cases and Folkway Music.
Links:
https://www.joachimcooder.com/
https://www.arraymbira.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baEljguE2hI
Get a gift subscription to the Fretboard Journal magazine and help support independent publishing.