California Zephyr, Getting Around

California Zephyr, Getting Around

Unless you count the untold dozens of dollars most bands pay themselves, the biggest expense by far is travel.  It is daunting enough to move a solo or duo act from home 20 miles to Point A and then 20 more miles to Point B while ensuring that everyone arrives on time...
Pedal Steel

Pedal Steel

The pedal steel guitar: what it is, how it works Sean J. Barry-2025 The pedal steel guitar is closely identified with country music as a main contributor to the “traditional” Nashville sound, but it has also been used frequently in jazz, swing, and rock music. The...
String Beans

String Beans

I’m cooking string beans tonight. I like to add a little bit of bacon bits, chopped onion and chicken broth for extra flavor but green beans are pretty easy to whip up. The green beans of today are much easier than those of my youth because they are so much less...
Brazilian Rosewood, Part 2

Brazilian Rosewood, Part 2

Brazilian rosewood seemed finally to be unavailable outside of Brazil, but a mix of legal exceptions such as lumber supposedly accumulated before the 1992 CITES Appendix I listing (“pre-CITES” wood) and wood salvaged from non-living sources (“stump wood,” purportedly...
Brazilian Rosewood, Part 1

Brazilian Rosewood, Part 1

This is a factual account of the post-1960 history of Brazilian rosewood in US guitar production.  Part 1 covers the effects of Brazilian rosewood availability changes on the CF Martin Company, the largest US importer and user of Brazilian rosewood for stringed...