Mark Smith is managing editor of Acoustic Guitar. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, Judith, their three cats, and far too many records and guitars.

FEATURE LESSON: BOB BROZMAN
Get started on slide guitar in this exclusive lesson with bottleneck blues master and world-music impresario Bob Brozman.
With video examples. [More]

PRIVATE LESSON: PAT KIRTLEY
Thumbpickers Hall of Famer Pat Kirtley discusses good tone, cascading arpeggios, and playing bossa nova with Chet.
With audio examples. [More]

FEATURED: CARBON-FIBER GUITARS
A diverse group of manufacturers has been using innovative approaches to construction to expand the presence of carbon-fiber guitars. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: GIBSON SOUTHERN JUMBO TRUE VINTAGE
Modern interpretation of the legendary J-45’s fancier cousin combines vintage looks, fat tones, and modern playability. With video. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: IBANEZ EWN28 BUBINGA
A striking hybrid well suited to performing guitarists looking for an easy transition to nylon-strings. With video. [More]

NEW GEAR REVIEW: FISHMAN MATRIX INFINITY
The latest version of Fishman’s popular after-market pickup system adds useful new features. With video. [More]

PLAYLIST CD REVIEWS:

Carrie Newcomer: The Geography of Light

Indiana singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer’s 11th Rounder Records release eloquently confirms her standing as one of the contemporary acoustic scene’s most intelligent and compassionate voices. A typically probing and poetic Newcomer collection, the 14-track set explores the meaningful spaces between shadow and light, silence and sound, solitude and community. Along the way, Newcomer, a Quaker with strong ties to the progressive spiritual activist network, testifies time and again to the ever-present wonder waiting to be discovered amidst the everyday. The lilting melodies, which cover a broad swath of soundscapes from thinking-person’s chamber pop (“You’d Think by Now,” “Throw Me a Line”) to Appalachian-flavored modern folk (“There Is a Tree,” A Woman and a Shovel”) to understated roots rock (“Where You Been”), stay anchored in fertile, timeless ground thanks in large measure to Newcomer’s rich, resonant vocals. In a similar vein, her deft acoustic guitar work and a crack, unselfish studio band provide welcome balance to the record’s cerebral vibe. This is serious, NPR-friendly fare for grown-ups, but not without an impish sense of humor, as “Don’t Push Send,” a ragtime ode to the potential perils of impulsive e-mailing, playfully attests. (Rounder Records, www.rounder.com)
—Mike Thomas

Peter Mulvey: Notes from Elsewhere

Notes from Elsewhere takes listeners on a retrospective of Peter Mulvey’s career, spanning songs from the early ’90s to 2005. The 17 selections (some cowritten with his producer David “Goody” Goodrich) are from seven of his nine previous releases, here rendered with only guitar and vocal. Everything about Mulvey’s music shines with intelligence: the carefully crafted arrangements that draw from the bluesy/jazzy end of the roots spectrum, the lyrics poetic and complex, yet totally accessible (“ . . . as long as trees are skying . . . ”). Guitarists will be awed by Mulvey’s technical proficiency and vibrancy and the way he achieves the sound of a full band from a mix of flashy fingerstyle lead and a percussive chordal rhythmic attack. One could wish for more instrumentals like the lovely “Black Rabbit,” with its shimmering harmonics—but that would be downright greedy. (Signature Sounds, www.signaturesounds.com)
—Mike Thomas

For more CD reviews, go to www.acousticguitar.com/playlist.

EVENTS:

Winnipeg Folk Festival
The 35th annual Winnipeg Folk Festival, which will feature Charlie Louvin, Calexico, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Nanci Griffith, and more, will be held July 10–13. Fans can buy weekend passes, daily tickets, and camping passes through Ticketmaster.

AUGUST 2008: Lesson with Grateful Dead and RatDog guitarist Bob Weir; accompaniment in alternate tunings; acoustic guitar companies venture into electrics; reviews of the R. Taylor Style Two grand concert guitar and the Tascam DP-02 eight-track digital recorder; and music to “I Will” by the Beatles.

SEPTEMBER 2008: Beppe Gambetta lesson; the next generation of fingerstyle guitarists; dreadnought guitars roundup; reviews of the Huss and Dalton FS and the Godin Archtop; and music to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Into the Great Wide Open.”

OCTOBER 2008: Interview with John Hiatt; Tony McManus lesson; reviews of the Schertler Pagelli and the Roland CD-2e; and music to Dolly Parton’s country classic, “Jolene.”

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