7 Questions with Chef Dean Fearing Sure, he may be one of the most well known Chefs in the whole nation - but did you know that Chef Dean Fearing is also a huge Tele nut and has a long standing, 35-year band together with another Chef-musician friend? Rounding out their lineup is never difficult, as Dean says they offer “only the best of foods and best bottles of wine, ever!” We understand your thoughts on solid state amplifiers have recently changed - Can you tell us more about [...]

7 Questions with Dave Stryker How many actively gigging musicians have the bandwidth, drive, and ability to record an album a year - since 1990?? Not many, which alone puts Bud fan, Dave Stryker in rarified company. Read more about what makes him tick and what's coming down the pipeline from him. How did your involvement in the recent PBS production for Wes Montgomery’s 100th birthday come about? The producer Robert Todd Gould and conductor/arranger Brent Wallarab contacted me because of my affiliation with Indiana University (I’m the Jazz [...]

7 Questions with Jake Shimabukuro A truly unmatched phenom on the ukulele and a globally recognized recording and performing artist, Hawaii’s own Jake Shimabukuro loves to plug in (and occasionally kick on some distortion), is currently working with George Harrison’s family, and always manages to make a mess out of the kitchen. Let’s delve a little deeper… This year’s performance schedule is already looking pretty full! Will you be performing new material or primarily be supporting your most recent release, Jake & Friends?  We're always trying to come up [...]

7 Questions with Jason Vieaux From Piazolla to Metheny - with detours through Jay-Z and Mastodon - Grammy award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux records, plays, and appreciates it all. Join us to learn more about this fascinating and incredibly talented musician! Tell us about the recent work you completed with Pat Metheny, and what it was like to work with him In March or April of 2021, Pat released a record called Road to the Sun, which is unlike anything he'd ever done in his very long, storied career. We've known [...]

7 Questions with Ty Danco, of the Archtop Foundation Ty Danco is an exceptionally interesting man to research! With a background that involves Olympic level athletics, finance, entrepreneurship, cryptocurrency, and a ubiquitous online profile image of him revealing a NOFX T-shirt under a button down in Superman-esque fashion, he now gives all his time and focus to the Archtop Foundation and their recently acquired “Blue Guitars” collection. Ty, with all that you had and have going on, describe your involvement in the Archtop Foundation for us and how you [...]

7 Questions with Frank Vignola He hosts several annual players' camps, a weekly guitar night at NYC's Birdland Jazz Club, has written and published more than 20 books with Mel Bay, and has about 97 other irons in the fire. Meet the multitasking magnate, Frank Vignola! Tell us about the Big Jersey Guitar Camps The Big Jersey Guitar Camps were started in 2018. I started them because I was hired as a teacher at a lot of camps all around the country and the world, and I noticed that [...]

Bruce Forman talks GrumpsTV, humor & entertainment, and the Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival You started your video series, GrumpsTV, during the pandemic. What were your goals for the production? Well, I was just trying to keep from going sane; that’s basically it. I’ve always liked being an entertainer as well as a player, so when shit shut down and there were no gigs, I just created a little TV show at home. In my hope of hopes, I’d love for it to be a TV or Netflix special, you [...]

A Conversation With Hawaii-Based Builder Steve Grimes From the Northwest to the extreme Southwest - Maui-based builder, Steve Grimes is celebrating his 50th year in luthiery. He shares with us his thoughts on the industry at large, the upcoming Rocky Mountain Archtop Festival, and some new innovations in his own designs. Where did you begin your building career? I started in Seattle, in 1972, moving out to Port Townsend, WA in ‘74. I lived and built there for 8 years, and then moved out to Maui in 1982. Every [...]

A Conversation With Jazz Master Howard Alden We sat down with Howard to discuss what's new in his world, some of his favorite luthiers, and his upcoming appearance at the Rocky Mountain Archtop FestivalSept 9-11th, 2022 in Arvada, Co. How's gigging post lockdown? Things are slowly waking up in the music business after a two year hiatus! Things are starting to happen. I'm actually going to Spain in a couple of weeks to, for a brief tour. I went over there last March as well. And I'm going back [...]

A Conversation With Funk Legend Leo Nocentelli of The Meters We sat down with Leo Nocentelli, legendary guitarist and founder of The Meters, to get his thoughts on his influence on younger generations, funk music today, and what he loves about his Henriksen amp. How do you feel about the influence of your music, now, on multiple generations? Well, it’s hard to feel anything but gratitude, you know, because what I do and what I've done as a guitarist just came natural. It wasn't planned or anything. So it's [...]

Guitar Stories: Corey Christiansen I first played a Benedetto guitar in 1997. My teacher, Jack Petersen, had one. It was just incredible. Good neck, balanced, no dead spots on the neck, and beautiful finish. Of course, I wanted one, but a grad student putting themselves through school could never afford a guitar like that. Nonetheless I always wanted one. Through my association with various companies, especially Mel Bay Publications, I developed a relationship with Bob and Cindy Benedetto (the high royalty/king and queen of the arch-top guitar world) and [...]