Guitar Case

Here's Part Two of my visit. I dropped in on my favourite guitar builder, Marc Beneteau, in the Fall of 2019 at his home in St Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Marc is one of the world's pre-eminent luthiers, and I have worked with him exclusively on the design and building of my acoustic stage and studio guitars for over 25 years. Not only is he a force to be reckoned with as a luthier, he is also a truly wonderful man, and I consider him a dear friend. I've been really fortunate to work with him all these years.In this second part of our chat, Marc talks about wood choices and artists he works with. Enjoy the show!Visit Marc's website at www.beneteauguitars.com

I visited my favourite guitar builder, Marc Beneteau, in the Fall of 2019 at his home in St Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Marc is one of the world's pre-eminent luthiers, and I have worked with him exclusively on the design and building of my acoustic stage and studio guitars for over 25 years. Not only is he a force to be reckoned with as a luthier, he is also a truly wonderful man, and I consider him a dear friend. I've been really fortunate to work with him all these years.In this first part of our chat, Marc talks about his origins as a guitar builder, and we talk about various specialty subjects, such as the construction of baritone guitars, fanfret guitars, and Marc's incredible fanfret harp guitar that has become legendary in the (admittedly tiny) harp guitar community.Visit Marc's website at www.beneteauguitars.com

In October 2021, I conducted an online interview with the great Quebecois guitarist Antoine Dufour as my monthly guest interview feature for the Don Ross Guitar Academy. Here’s an edited version of the chat we had.The Don Ross Guitar Academy is my online teaching site. Right now we have 40 beginner-level lessons and another 40 intermediate-level lessons. You can start at the very beginning if you like, plus learn about altered and open tunings, slide guitar, reading tablature, and start learning some of my more popular tunes. We’re adding new lessons regularly. The DRGA is a subscription-based site, costing only $19.95 USD per month, and you can cancel anytime.Members can join our Facebook Group, as well as take part in my weekly Studio Drop-In. Each week we talk about about another aspect of guitar playing, music theory, technique, gear, and many other subjects.The video version of this interview can be found on YouTube:https://youtu.be/y--g_zbov4MCheck out the DRGA atHttps://www.DonRossGuitarAcademy.com

The third part of my long-form interview with Rob Poland, founder of CandyRat Records, the leading guitar-based record company.

Part 4 of my long-form interview with CandyRat Records founder Rob Poland.

AT LONG LAST! Here's the second of a three-part interview with CandyRat Records founder Rob Poland. In 2019, at the Fingerstyle Collective Guitar Festival in Arkansas, I met up with the founder of CandyRat Records, Mr Rob Poland. I was CandyRat's first signing, after releasing nine CDs on conventional record labels between 1989 and the early 2000s.In the second of three parts, Rob and I talk about the launch of the label and early signings and successes with such artists as Antoine Dufour, Andy McKee, Robert Taylor and Eric Turnbull. CandyRat Records has been the home of some of the world's most innovative solo guitarists and singer/songwriters since its inception. It has seen the staggering viral success of Andy McKee, and huge contributions from a range of musicians, from Antoine Dufour, Jimmy Wahlsteen, Stefano Barone and Mike Dawes, to name a few. With over a quarter of a billion views on YouTube (and countless more on other platforms) featuring styles of music that would definitely be considered outside the mainstream, CandyRat has been a 21st century success story. Nonetheless, it hasn't been immune to the changing nature of digital music distribution. We touch on many of these points throughout the interview's three episodes.Check out the CandyRat catalogue at www.candyrat.com to find CDs, LPs, T-shirts, music downloads and sheet music by CandyRat artists.

This past Fall, at the Fingerstyle Collective Guitar Festival in Arkansas, I met up with the founder of CandyRat Records, Mr Rob Poland. I was CandyRat's first signing, after releasing nine CDs on conventional record labels from the late 80s to the early 2000s.In this first of three parts, Rob and I discuss how he decided that it was time to move into a new business, how he and I met, and how we decided to work together on my tenth CD, MUSIC FOR VACUUMING, the first CandyRat release which came out in November 2005.CandyRat Records has been the home of some of the world's most innovative solo guitarists and singer/songwriters since its inception. It has seen the staggering viral success of Andy McKee, and huge contributions from a range of musicians, from Antoine Dufour, Jimmy Wahlsteen, Stefano Barone and Mike Dawes, to name a few. With over a quarter of a billion views on YouTube (and countless more on other platforms) featuring styles of music that would definitely be considered outside the mainstream, CandyRat has been a 21st century success story. Nonetheless, it hasn't been immune to the changing nature of digital music distribution. We touch on many of these points throughout the interview's three episodes.Check out the CandyRat catalogue at www.candyrat.com to find CDs, LPs, T-shirts, music downloads and sheet music by CandyRat artists.