Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with guitarist, writer, archivist, teacher and scholar Cameron Knowler, who has lovingly absorbed an archive's worth of early American guitar styles, and it shows. His self-illustrated book Guitars Have Feelings Too views flat picking as a continuation of the dance music that became bluegrass, not just virtuosic instrumental music. ⁠ ⁠ Cameron is a writer for Fretboard Journal magazine, and his new record CRK, released in April of this 2025, was heralded by Acoustic Guitar magazine, who said: "The dynamic performances, which evoke words like sensitive, nuanced, restrained, and understated, hint at a disinterest in flash for its own sake." We talked about Norman Blake quite a bit, learned about his fascinating background, and as always, geek out on some music history. Enjoy! ⁠

Official Website

CRK Album

Instagram

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Credits:

Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, editing, recording and distribution