Better Fingerstyle Blues
Published: Sun, 07/06/25
Updated: Sun, 07/06/25
At some point, when I was living in New York, I made the bulletin board at Mandolin Brothers, that vaunted Staten Island temple of vintage si…
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Espresso Love
Published: Fri, 07/04/25
Updated: Fri, 07/04/25
When I thought I wanted an actual espresso machine, two of the biggest coffee nerds I know both advised against it. Mary, who co-owns Top Hat studio…
Free Workshop This Sunday, July 6
Published: Tue, 07/01/25
Updated: Thu, 07/03/25
I had to run into the supermarket a couple of days ago and they were already ginned up for the Fourth of July. Anything you can put icing on, they had…
Summer Happenings
Published: Fri, 06/27/25
Updated: Thu, 07/03/25
Today's email is brought to you by various things happening this summer. And by the letters E, A D, G, B and E... For starters: I'll be back at Rocky…
Jan's Froggy Bottom
Published: Fri, 06/20/25
Updated: Sat, 06/21/25
Back in March, I was up in Colorado to play at my friend Jan's 65th birthday party, and the ne t morning I moseyed into Jan's practice room to try out…
"Flaky Yet Custardy Layered Delicacy"
Published: Fri, 06/13/25
Updated: Fri, 06/13/25
A couple of weeks ago I found myself listening to a Roy Eldridge playlist on Spotify, in the course of which I was effectively stopped in my tracks by…
Facing Down The Ten-Take Lather
Published: Fri, 06/06/25
Updated: Tue, 06/10/25
On Wednesday, I sat down and shot three new Youtube lessons without stopping for second takes. Well, e cept for two false starts where I garbled a…
Marlowe In The Hill Country
Published: Fri, 05/30/25
Updated: Fri, 05/30/25
Ms. Fretboard and I spent a night out at the Kerrville Folk Festival last weekend. We're strictly amateur – we were there for one night (night five,…
Reasons to Dilly-Dally
Published: Fri, 05/23/25
Updated: Fri, 05/23/25
Tuesday night, I met up with my friend Chris to see Bill Kirchen at El Mercado in South Austin. El Mercado is actually where I first met Bill, under…
S.S. Who?
Published: Fri, 05/16/25
Updated: Fri, 05/16/25
While I enjoy a rad old flattop as much as the ne t guy, I'm not any kind of authority on vintage gear; I don't even know that much about the stuff I…