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2 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Maurice Tani |Kate Koenig |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Scott Nygaard
Jimmie Rodgers’ influence spans country, blues, and early rock ’n’ roll, earning him a place in multiple halls of fame. With a career that lasted just five years before his death from tuberculosis in 1933, Rodgers left an indelible mark on American music. “Waiting for a Train” became a hit in 1929, just as the Wall Street crash ushered in the Great Depression.
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2 months ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Adam Levy |Kate Koenig |James Rotondi
With a soundhole-less top sleekly finished in its eponymous color, the Cort Modern Black makes a visual statement right out of the case. Offset by the rich browns of the walnut binding and the contrasting fretboard colors, the guitar has an after-hours look that’s elegant but informal—think turtleneck and sports jacket for a literary afterparty. Even the bronze finish of the strings fits the color scheme like a well-chosen accessory.
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Jan 8, 2025 | 
acousticguitar.com | David Hamburger |Craig Havighurst |Kate Koenig |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
“Empty Trainload of Sky,” which kicks off Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ latest album, Woodland, feels like an instant classic, with a sturdy melody over a loping folk-rock groove reminiscent of Neil Young—a connection the songwriters perhaps acknowledge by dropping the line “Hey hey my my” at the end of the bridge. As described in the interview here, Welch actually did experience a surreal vision of boxcars filled with sky, and built the song from that image.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | Mamie Minch |Greg Olwell |Kate Koenig |Martin Keith
I have a guitar with a particularly light-colored rosewood fretboard. I love the way it looks when I apply lemon oil, but that only lasts a day or so. I have some wipe-on poly I’ve been itching to rub in to see if I can get a beautiful depth to that board. Would this damage the guitar? Alternatively, is there an oil that would shine it up and last a good deal longer? —Will SutterIn general, I advise against using anything beyond the usual fretboard oils.
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Nov 3, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | Kate Koenig |Andrew DuBrock |Greg Olwell |Adam Perlmutter
As a guitarist who only plays while seated, I’ve long made do with whatever chair is at hand—typically my trusty Herman Miller Aeron, which, while ergonomic for office work, is less than ideal for guitar playing. Recently, however, I had the chance to try the GM25 Guitar Master Stool by Nakupenda (from $349 direct), and it’s clear what I’ve been missing.
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Oct 27, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | Craig Havighurst |Kate Koenig |Mark Small |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
Last fall Pat Metheny kicked off a tour unlike any he’d done before, surveying the sounds and approaches of his diverse solo projects going back to the 1970s. I caught the tour opener in Homer, New York, and while Metheny was alone onstage, the show was anything but small.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | E.E. Bradman |Kate Koenig |Mark Kemp |David McPherson
Few would have ever guessed that a songwriter, playwright, and tenured English professor would gain renown for guitar picks made of casein and other high-performance plastics—least of all the professor himself. But as fate would have it, Scott Memmer’s cutting-edge products have indeed brought him lots of fans in the world of acoustic instruments.
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Oct 16, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | Kate Koenig |Adam Perlmutter |Jontavious Willis |Maurice Tani
“Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” was written in 1928 by Cole Porter for his Broadway musical Paris. With its mildly risqué, bordering-on-absurd lyrics, the song is a lighthearted mash-up of clever wordplay and double entendre. It’s also one of those numbers that has lent itself to additional topical verses over the years—a quick search will unearth a dozen additional verses beyond the basic set I’m using here.
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Oct 11, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | Isa Burke |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Whit Smith |Kate Koenig
There’s a humility and a groundedness to Maya de Vitry’s music. Maybe it’s the result of growing up in a musical family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, learning songs around the kitchen table and playing in Sunday morning gospel-hour jams. Her years of traveling and busking and camping out at old-time festivals surely play a role, too.
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Sep 8, 2024 | 
acousticguitar.com | Adam Perlmutter |Kate Koenig |Danny Carnahan
“It Ain’t Me, Babe,” first released on Bob Dylan’s 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan, quickly became a defining piece of the singer-songwriter’s early catalog, marking his shift from political protest songs to more introspective, personal themes. The song’s message of emotional distance and self-definition struck a chord with listeners, leading to a wide range of covers over the years.
