You've never heard a tale like that of guitarist Rick Deitrick. A product of the '60s, Rick went from playing the accordion as a kid in Ohio to joining a rock band and performing at love-ins throughout Southern California. Once he found a $100 Yamaha acoustic at a pawn shop, his life took a new turn: He'd take his guitar (sans case) out on hikes and create acoustic instrumentals influenced by his surroundings. The byproduct of these hikes was a series of self-released albums, now reissued as a boxed set by Tompkins Square Records. Quirky backstory aside, it's gorgeous music that has stood the test of time.
This interview has it all: 1960s love-ins, a cranky John Fahey, a two-foot-tall chipmunk, a guitar sacrificed in a fit of rage, and a musician who continues to march to the beat of his own drummer.
Learn more about Rick Deitrick's 'The Unguitarist: Complete Works, 1969-2022' here:
https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/the-unguitarist-complete-works-1969-2022
Follow Jason's new Substack here for behind-the-scenes FJ content: https://substack.com/@fretboardjournal
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and start with our new, 52nd issue: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
Register for the Fretboard Summit (August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's legendary Old Town School of Folk Music): https://fretboardsummit.org
Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Deering Banjos; 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 supported by Native Instruments, iZotope, and Plugin Alliance. Check out their Summer of Sound, the best-ever savings on ALL software, with 50% off products, updates, and upgrades, plus special hardware and software bundle deals.
Banjo great Alison Brown joins us on this week’s podcast to talk about her new album, On Banjo, and so much more. We chat about how she discovered bluegrass music while growing up in Southern California, her lifelong friendship with Stuart Duncan, the challenges of running a record label in 2023 (Alison and her husband run Compass Records), teaching, increasing the number of female banjo players, and a lot more. It’s a great chat.
https://alisonbrown.bandcamp.com/album/on-banjo
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and start with our new, 52nd issue: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
Register for the Fretboard Summit (August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's legendary Old Town School of Folk Music): https://fretboardsummit.org
Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; 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 supported by Native Instruments, iZotope, and Plugin Alliance. Check out their Summer of Sound, the best-ever savings on ALL software, with 50% off products, updates, and upgrades, plus special hardware and software bundle deals.
Musician/producer Blake Mills and Chris Weisman sit down with us to talk about Jelly Road, the forthcoming album they’ve co-written (out July 14 via New Deal / Verve Records). They talk about how they met – Chris is based in Brattleboro, Vermont, while Blake is based in Los Angeles – and the writing and recording process behind the gorgeous new album. We also chat about Blake’s recent appearance backing up Joni Mitchell at her already-legendary Gorge performance earlier this week, his current favorite guitars and gear (including the fretless guitar built by Duncan Price), the dangers of slide playing, and a lot more.
Blake appeared on our Mystery of G. Weller Podcast earlier this year: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/podcasts/podcast-406-the-mystery-of-g-weller/
Listen to Mills’ new single “Skeleton Is Walking” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-pr4Egzng
Pre-order Jelly Road:
https://blakemills.lnk.to/jellyroadID
See Blake Mills and Chris Weisman on their West Coast tour, now through June 2023: https://www.blakemillsonline.com
Chris Weisman’s Bandcamp: https://chrisweisman.bandcamp.com
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and start with our new, 52nd issue: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
Register for the Fretboard Summit (August 24-26, Chicago, Duncan Price will be there!): https://fretboardsummit.org
Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; 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 supported by Native Instruments, iZotope, and Plugin Alliance. Check out their Summer of Sound, the best-ever savings on ALL software, with 50% off products, updates, and upgrades, plus special hardware and software bundle deals.
Every month, we recap the latest guitar industry news with offset guitar hero Mike Adams (@puisheen). The month of May was fairly slow on the guitar news front, but Mike and FJ Publisher Jason Verlinde soldier on and discuss some of their favorite YouTube videos of late, ponder the world of signature guitars, share Fretboard Summit updates, talk about a recent Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert, honor the Iron Sheik (RIP), and more.
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and start with our new, 52nd issue: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
Register for the Fretboard Summit (August 24-26, Chicago!): https://fretboardsummit.org
Wire Instruments: https://www.wireinstruments.com/
Watch Mike bend a vibrato arm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92dBXYf7-5k
Support Mike’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/puisheen
Jason interviews Jim D'Addario, Bob Taylor and Andy Powers about Taylor Guitars' switch to D'Addario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-dPpPuc4RE
David Lindley Tribute Concert: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/columns/farewell-mr-dave-a-hometown-bids-goodbye-to-david-lindley/
Mason Stoops on Tim Pierce’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vrZjv8ojVQ
The Truth About Vintage Amps Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-about-vintage-amps-with-skip-simmons/id1442046563
Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; 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 supported by Native Instruments, iZotope, and Plugin Alliance. Check out their Summer of Sound, the best-ever savings on ALL software, with 50% off products, updates, and upgrades, plus special hardware and software bundle deals.
On June 9, 2023, Fretboard Journal contributor and Kalamazoo Gals author John Thomas will set out on the wildest adventure of his life: Bikepacking the 2700-mile Tour Divide mountain bike route, from Banff, Canada to the US/Canada border. On this very special bonus episode of the podcast, we check in with John before he rides off. We talk about his recent piece on the Scott Chinery Blue Guitar collection for the new, 52nd issue of our magazine, discuss John’s health (he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020), talk about his hopes/fears for the ride, and so much more.
Follow John on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/john.thomas.98
Kalamazoo Gals:
https://kalamazoogals.com
John’s Prostate Cancer Recovery Channel on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@prostatecancerrecoverydiar6315/featured
John Thomas and Greg Voros (Gruhn Guitars) at the Artisan Guitar Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4KUg4PENuE
Want to meet John and many other FJ Podcast guests? Come to our 2023 Fretboard Summit August 24-26, 2023 at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music. Register here: https://fretboardsummit.org/
Subscribe to our magazine here: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription
Our podcast is sponsored by Deering Banjos; 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); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code).