Grammy-nominated bluegrass musician Frank Solivan has led a fascinating life. On this week's podcast, we talk to the frontman of Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen about a bit of everything: the band's new album, 'Hold On;' his side hobbies of lutherie, pick making, and leather tooling; his songwriting process on the mandolin; and more.
Frank is a true renaissance man. This is a great chat; we think you'll love it.
Love the show and want to support the Fretboard Journal Podcast? Pick up a digital subscription to our magazine: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer
(It's just $30 annually and it goes a long way towards supporting the show...and you get to read the Fretboard Journal!)
Our podcast is sponsored by 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); Retrofret Vintage Guitars; and Calton Cases.
Our Chicago Fretboard Summit was filled with highlights. Among them was TJ Thompson's return to the stage for another mind-blowing talk about following your heart, vintage guitar restoration, and so much more.
During this 90-minute session, the acclaimed pre-war Martin guitar expert offered a bit of everything: Sage advice for new instrument makers; insights on how to protect the value of your acoustic guitars; life hacks that we can all learn from; and even a little beer koozie philosophy lesson. Toward the end of his session, TJ had some quick tips for fellow luthiers. A few benefited from a visual reference so we posted the video excerpts on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/xc02s7rp-bM
It's an unfiltered and candid talk from one of the guitar world's best.
For his talk, Thompson invited friends and clients David Ziegele and Al Drewes onstage. You'll hear them occasionally interject and offer their own personal experiences with vintage guitars. Apologies for the lav mic noise; we did our best to reduce it. Recorded live on August 27, 2022 at Old Town's Maurer Hall.
The Fretboard Summit will return to Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music on August 24-26, 2023. We'll share ticketing information soon.
TJ's lutherie tool shop: https://proluthiertools.com
Donate to Linda Manzer's Sunflower Guitar for Ukraine: https://sunflowerguitar.com
Love the show and want to support the Fretboard Journal Podcast? Pick up a digital subscription to our magazine: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/collections/downloads/products/fretboard-journal-digital-subscription-offer
(It's just $30 annually and it goes a long way towards supporting the show...and you get to read the Fretboard Journal!)
Our podcast is sponsored by 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); Retrofret Vintage Guitars; and Calton Cases.
Special thanks to our 2022 Fretboard Summit sponsors: C.F. Martin & Co., Collings Guitars, Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Henriksen Amplifiers, Yamaha Guitars, Reverb, RØDE Microphones, Galloup School of Lutherie, Acoustic Coffee and Calton Cases!
This week, we're talking to Simon Dunson, a young artist out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina who is pushing the mandolin to new and wild places. Dunson's debut jazz album, 'Chicken Bridge,' blew us away with its great playing, writing, and electric guitar effects... it's not at all what you think when you envision a "mandolin" record. Check out the opening track, 'Sydney,' here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfUHAQivGHI
During our talk, we hear how Dunson started out as a bluegrass musician but became enamored with jazz and genre-blurring musicians like Bill Frisell and Chris Thile. We talk about his time as a student at Interlochen Center for the Arts and the New England Conservatory's Jazz Studies program; the gear that he's using today (including Dunson's pedalboard and the custom pickup that he found works best on the 8-string instrument), and a lot more. It's a fun introduction to a player you'll be hearing about for years to come.
Julian Lage has stated, "I am constantly knocked out by Simon’s mastery as an instrumentalist, improviser, and conceptual artist." We couldn't agree more.
https://simondunson.com
http://www.girouardmandolins.com
Guitarmaker and repair expert Eric Daw returns to the Fretboard Journal Podcast to talk about his recently released book, 'Solid Sound: 23 Schematics for Wiring Vintage and Modern Single-Coil, Solid-Body Guitars.' The book features Daw's favorite pickup wiring layouts for Fender-style guitars, including a few that he's closely guarded over the years, along with helpful charts and advice that will have you seeing your guitar in a whole new light.
During our chat, he explains how transformative some of these wiring changes can be to a guitar (even without swapping pickups) and how even a single-pickup Esquire could benefit from a non-stock wiring setup. We also discuss Daw's current guitar output, his repair work, and the call-in guitar repair podcast he hosts, the Fret Files.
Order Solid Sound here: https://www.solidsoundbook.com
The Fret Files Podcast: https://www.fretfiles.com