“I’ve never quit. It gets better every year. I’m the most unjaded musician you’ll ever meet…” -Steve Poltz 

You’re going to love this hilarious and insightful chat with a true zen master of the music business, singer-songwriter Steve Poltz.

This is one of the wildest Fretboard Journal conversations we’ve ever had to date. Sit back and hear about Steve’s excellent new album, Stardust & Satellites, produced by Oliver Wood and Jano Rix of the Wood Brothers.

We also hear about Steve’s childhood encounter with Elvis, some truly wild gigs with the Rugburns, why you should never take that gig opening for Styx, why record sales don’t matter, the perils of cocaine (and elephants), and why Bob Taylor didn’t want Steve to take “Smokey Joe” (his now-cherished Taylor guitar). Poltz famously co-wrote “You Were Meant for Me” with Jewel, but he continues to co-write with some of our favorite artists, including Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Anthony da Costa, and Sierra Hull. We hear about all that… and more.

This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars; Izotope (use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off your Izotope purchase); BED|STÜ shoes (save 20% off with the code FRETXBS for a limited time); and www.acoustic.coffee (use the code FJCoffee2021 and get a free bag when you order two or more).

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Don’t forget, beyond the magazine, the FJ now has an entire network of podcasts, about everything from lutherie to tube amps: Luthier on Luthier; The Truth About Vintage Amps; The Truth About Recording & Mixing; Acoustic Voices; and Sweep the Floor.

Above photo: Michael Weintrob