Category: Songwriters

Shelby Lynne and Sister Allison Moorer on Their First Studio Album Together ‘Not Dark Yet’

It’s a safe bet that Not Dark Yet—the gorgeous collaboration between sisters Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer—will be the only album out this year that contains covers of both Nirvana’s “Lithium” and the Louvin Brothers’ “Every Time You Leave.” Lynne would have it no other way. “We love all different…

Melinda Newman
September 23, 2017

Indie Rocker John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats Embraces Acoustic Guitar

Ever since his earliest recordings, the Mountain Goats’ sound has been defined by Darnielle’s propulsive, furiously strummed acoustic guitar.

Pat Moran
August 24, 2017

‘Paul Simon: Words & Music’ Exhibit Opens in LA

Fresh from its run at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the new touring exhibit Paul Simon: Words & Music has opened at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles—making its only West Coast stop. On display through September 10, the exhibit chronicles Simon’s life…

Whitney Phaneuf
June 19, 2017

Country Bluesman Reverend Peyton Is a Force of Nature: Watch Him Play 18 Instruments on 1 Song

"No blues society is going to come in and save blues music. That’s not how it works. The only thing that can save it is people making good music that other people want to hear."

Kenny Berkowitz
June 12, 2017

Guitar Talk: Tom Brosseau on His ‘North Dakota Impressions’

Fresh from releasing North Dakota Impressions, the last album in an ambitious trilogy, Tom Brosseau stopped by the Acoustic Guitar studios to talk about the regional, literary, and design influences behind this project. Watch a recent AG Session with Brosseau here.

Greg Cahill
June 8, 2017

Acoustic Guitar in Hand, Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Alynda Lee Segarra Is Taking On the World

As an artist, she says she feels compelled to “speak for equality, justice, and love. And I hope whatever I say encourages lots of little girls to play guitar.”

Pat Moran
June 3, 2017

Guitar Talk: Studio Ace and Songwriter Danny Kortchmar on Bonding with His Acoustic

Kortchmar discusses what has been the biggest adjustment in switching from electric to acoustic guitar live.

Melinda Newman
May 28, 2017

GUITAR TALK: Singer-Songwriter Greg Brown on His Soft Spot for Martin D-18s & More [VIDEO]

Brown, a longtime Gibson player, had more than a few tales, including one about discovering a sweet vintage Martin D-18.

Greg Cahill
March 2, 2017

Guitar Talk: John McCutcheon on Incorporating Guitar into the Family Setting

Looking back on his impressive, 45-year career, John McCutcheon, who recently released Trolling for Dreams, discusses the role of music and guitar-playing in family life, his first guitar, and why it's important for guitarists to not compare themselves to their heroes.

Anna Pulley
February 23, 2017

Mandy Fer on Encouraging Women to Play Guitar [Video]

In this video, Fer discusses some of the challenges she faced as a female guitarist playing the bar scene, how Ani DiFranco inspired her, and the instrument designed specifically for her by AJ Guitars, named Mrs. Robinson.

Greg Cahill
January 20, 2017

Buffy Sainte-Marie smiling during a performance

The Unbreakable Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Candid Conversation with the Resilient Songwriter and Activist

Sainte-Marie opens up about how she’s persevered—as an artist and an activist—and why she’s uplifted by the fact that there’s always more work to be done.

Whitney Phaneuf
January 18, 2017

Singer-songwriter Jack Williams in the Acoustic Guitar studio

Guitar Talk: Singer, Songwriter & Guitarist Jack Williams’ Advice for Young Guitarists

Williams has a career than spans more than six decades, including associations with Mickey Newbury and Harry Nilsson

Greg Cahill
January 5, 2017

Video Exclusive: Billy Bragg & Joe Henry Offer Tips on Getting a Fat Acoustic Guitar Tone

Hot on the heels of their joint album Shine a Light: Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad folk stars Billy Bragg and Joe Henry stopped by the Acoustic Guitar magazine office to shoot an AG Sessions episode and to offer tips on getting a fat acoustic guitar tone.

Greg Cahill
November 15, 2016

Sean Garvey stands in front of a classic sedan

Guitar Talk: Singer-Songwriter Sean Garvey on Finding Inspiration [VIDEO]

The singer-songwriter discusses ways to break out of your comfort zone and the inspiration for his work, including his family's vineyard.

Greg Cahill
October 19, 2016

Cindy Lee Berryhill poses with her guitar

Cindy Lee Berryhill: Teach Your Children, And Take Your Own Guitar Playing to the Next Level

If you go back and listen to my earliest albums, Who’s Gonna Save the World and Naked Movie Star, I’m a strummer. We were folkies, but we were punks at heart.

Cindy Lee Berryhill
August 22, 2016

Billy Bragg and Joe Henry Turn a Rail Trip into a Record of Forgotten America

Billy Bragg and Joe Henry took a long train ride, from Chicago to LA, stopping at stations to record great railroad songs.

Kenny Berkowitz
August 19, 2016

Q&A: Darrell Scott Talks 20 Years in Music City, Going Off the Grid, and ‘Couchville Sessions’

“I was never grounded in writing hits,” Darrell Scott explains. “I was very much about writing songs, especially songs that moved me.

Bob Doerschuk
July 6, 2016

Q&A: Mary Chapin Carpenter Talks Songwriting, Beating Writer’s Block, and Alternate Tunings

"Looking back is not the same as looking forward,” sings Mary Chapin Carpenter over the resonant ring of her low-tuned flattop guitar.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
June 7, 2016

Read an In-Depth Q&A with Pete Seeger from the Archives

Before his death in 2014, AG interviewed Pete Seeger about his life and influence on contemporary folk music for its July 2002 cover story. Below is that interview in full: by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers Few individuals have enriched our musical lives in as many ways, and for as many years,…

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
May 3, 2016

Guy Clack sits on a chair with his guitar

Portrait of an Artist: Guy Clark on ‘Write Your Own Story, Whatever It Is’

Like most of the albums he has made over the course of a 38-year recording career, Guy Clark’s latest, My Favorite Picture of You, is a compact collection of exquisitely crafted vignettes, portraits, and narratives, each etched with just the right amount of colorful detail and tapping a deep well…

Derk Richardson
April 5, 2016

Duke Robillard Releases Acoustic Blues Album

It marks the first time he’s recorded an entire album on acoustic guitar—and it was well worth the wait.

Kenny Berkowitz
March 23, 2016

Luther Dickinson’s Folk Celebration of Family and Community

On the new Blues & Ballads: A Folksinger’s Songbook, Volumes I & II (New West), he’s taken songs from his catalog, re-recorded them as folk song

Kenny Berkowitz
February 23, 2016

Americana on the High Seas with Buddy Miller & Friends

For Buddy Miller the high seas is the perfect place to create an album of country duets.

Kenny Berkowitz
February 16, 2016

Lucinda Williams & The Ghosts of Highway 20

Lucinda Williams has just completed another ambitious album, The Ghosts of Highway 20, which rings just as deeply and powerfully as its predecessor, but it’s moodier and more experimental.

Mark Kemp
February 11, 2016

Martin Dreadnought Inspires a Classic Rock Song

Robbie Robertson liked the opening words, “pulled into” somewhere, but got stuck for the rest of the line...

Mark Kemp
January 21, 2016