Updated August 25, 2022
Schedule subject to change.
Campus Addresses & Locations:
Old Town School of Folk Music - West, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
(Maurer Hall, Mabie Gallery, Workshop Rooms, Art Gallery, Music Store, Cafe & Bar)
Old Town School of Folk Music - East, 4545 N. Lincoln Ave.
(Szold Hall, Luthier Showcase Exhibit Halls, East Lobby, Workshop Rooms, Cafe & Bar)
Exclusive For 3-Day All-Access Passes Only
Check-in & Swag Bag Pickup
2:00 - 6:00pm - Old Town School Lobby - West
Luthier Showcase
East, 3rd Floor
3:00pm - 5:00pm Preview Showcase Exhibit Halls Open
Workshops, Lectures, Oral Histories & More
Szold Hall - East
4:00pm - 5:30PM It Happened Here: Gems from Chicago’s Early Guitarmaking with Mark Demaray
Mabie Gallery - West
5:00pm - 6:00pm Keynote & Welcome Reception with Jason Verlinde
Featuring Complimentary Craft Beer from Dovetail Brewery, Wine, & Small Bites
Concert Performances
Maurer Hall - West
8:00PM Julian Lage Sponsored by Collings Guitars
Jordan Tice Sponsored by Yamaha Guitars
Seating is General Admission. VIP priority seating begins at 7:15, all other guests 7:30.
Cafe & Bars open 11:00am - 5:00pm & during concerts featuring Chicago’s finest craft beers, wine, spirits, soft drinks, water, and light snacks.
Old Town School Music Store open 11:00am - 5:00pm
Art Exhibitions: Jon Langford and Lauren Deutsch - all day, West Building Mabie Gallery & Second Floor
Complimentary coffee available daily throughout campus, provided by Acoustic Coffee
Gear Check - West Building, Room 101 - available daily until the conclusion of the day’s concerts.
Check-in
begins at 10:00am - Old Town School Lobby - West
Luthier Showcase
East, 3rd Floor
10:00am - 12:30pm Luthier Showcase Exhibit Halls Open
1:30pm - 5:00pm Luthier Showcase Exhibit Halls Open
Workshops, Lectures, Oral Histories & More
10:00 AM
Maurer Hall - West
Santa Cruz Guitar Co. Founder Richard Hoover
Szold Hall - East
Workshop: Sierra Hull – “Right Hand Technique & Tone”
11:00 AM
Szold Hall - East
Hands-On: Innovative archtop guitars from lutherie legend Woody Phifer
Mabie Gallery - West
Workshop: James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg
James and Nathan will discuss their experience as composers and arrangers of new and used material in guitar-duo formation, unpacking their divergent approaches and influences, and demonstrating some of their work.
1:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
“Who the Fuck Says” with archtop guitar and bass builder Maegen Wells
Szold Hall - East
Fretology: The Guitar Innovation Lab with John Thomas, a discussion of how technology is helping us understand the magic in vintage acoustic guitars.
2:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
“How Chicago Changed Electric Guitar Forever” with Josh Scott (JHS Pedals): A peek at the early fuzzes that sprang from the Windy City.
Szold Hall - East
Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Vintage Gibson (flattops) But Were Scared to Ask with Mark Stutman (Folkway Music). Ever wondered about those old L-00s or J-45s? Ask one of the world’s foremost Gibson experts your questions about their builds, collectibility and pitfalls.
Room 102 - West
Mandolin Workshop with Colby Maddox: Explore how mandolin playing expands the vocabulary of phrasing and rhythm ideas for all arch-top curious flatpickers
3:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
Hidden gems: Reverb experts share their secrets to help you get the best deal on the guitar that's right for you with Reverb’s guitar expert Jim Tuerk and Director of Analytics, Cyrill Nigg.
Szold Hall - East
Luthier on Luthier live podcast taping featuring Michael Gurian. Gurian was the founder of Gurian Guitars in the ‘60s, one of the world’s first boutique guitar brands, before becoming a major supplier of parts and binding materials for brands like Taylor, Gibson, and Martin.
Room 102 - West
Workshop: Join Old Town School instructor, Chris Walz, for an in depth look at the guitar style of Chicago blues legend Big Bill Broonzy. As an extra special treat, Chris will be playing Big Bill’s 1946 Martin guitar.
4:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
Workshop: Harmonize with the Milk Carton Kids. Sit in and let the acclaimed duo of Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan (the Milk Carton Kids) teach you how to harmonize like a MCK in under an hour.
Szold Hall - East
Paths to the Future: Reimagining the Electric Guitar Signal Chain with Bob Palmieri (Duneland Labs). Learn about the future of pickups and amplification with Bob Palmieri, one of the guitar world’s true mavericks. Bill Frisell, Ken Parker and others swear by his pickup designs… find out why.
Room 102 - West
Workshop: Join banjo player Max Allard for a look at his individual take on composing for banjo in and out of the bluegrass paradigm.
5:00 PM
Mabie Gallery - West
Electric Guitar Happy Hour with builders Creston Lea, Duncan Price, JHS, Chris Young (Union) and others. Have a cold beverage and plug-in with some truly brilliant minds in the world of electric guitars. We’ll have the amps warmed up and ready to go.
Concert Performances
Maurer Hall - West
8:00pm Milk Carton Kids
Szold Hall - East
8:00pm Joe Filisko & Eric Noden • Joel Paterson
Cafe & Bars open 11:00am - 5:00pm & during concerts featuring Chicago’s finest craft beers, wine, spirits, soft drinks, water, and light snacks.
Old Town School Music Store open 11:00am - 5:00pm
Art Exhibitions: Jon Langford and Lauren Deutsch - all day, West Building Mabie Gallery & Second Floor
Complimentary coffee available daily throughout campus, provided by Acoustic Coffee
Gear Check - West Building, Room 101 - available daily until the conclusion of the day’s concerts.
Check-in
begins at 10:00am - Old Town School Lobby - West
Luthier Showcase
East, 3rd Floor
10:00am - 12:30pm Luthier Showcase Exhibit Halls Open
1:30pm - 5:00pm Luthier Showcase Exhibit Halls Open
Workshops, Lectures, Oral Histories & More
10:00 AM
Maurer Hall - West
Game Show: The Nickel Wound Chef: Watch two expert builders (Creston Lea and upstart Duncan Price) “bake” a partscaster in an hour, Iron Chef-style. An all-star panel of judges will deem one the Nickel Wound Chef.
Szold Hall - East
Workshop: Old Town School instructor, Patrik Ahlberg, will break down his unique approach to arranging and flatpicking Swedish fiddle music on the guitar.
1:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
Secrets Your Luthier Wants You to Know with TJ Thompson & friends.
TJ Thompson is one of the world’s great Martin guitar restoration experts who also happens to be one of the most memorable Fretboard Journal magazine subjects to date. Join him and some of his friends for a memorable and unfiltered reflection on what it means to be a luthier.
Szold Hall - East
The Truth About Recording & Mixing live podcast taping with Joel Paterson. Chicago’s own Joel Paterson joins TARAM host Johnny Sangster for a talk about vintage recording gear, techniques and more.
Mabie Gallery - West
Workshop: Courtney Hartman
Want to improve your playing or songwriting? Acclaimed acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter Courtney Hartman is here to help.
2:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
Workshop: Content Creation and Your Music with RØDE Microphones.
Røde’s team of experts will help you refine your home recording setup.
Mabie Gallery - West
Workshop: IBMA Instrumentalist of the Year nominee, Jake Eddy, on flatpicking.
3:00 PM
Maurer Hall - West
Live Fretboard Journal Podcast Taping: Molly Tuttle
Molly Tuttle is one of the biggest stars in acoustic music right now. She also boasts some of the most unique guitar technique. Fretboard Journal publisher Jason Verlinde sits down with her to ask her about her background and inspiration.
Szold Hall - East
Lecture: What’s an Archtop with Ken Parker and special guests. You may remember Ken Parker from the Parker Fly, but he’s devoted most of his life to one thing… archtop guitars. During this lively talk, Parker shows off his latest, forward-thinking creations.
4:00 PM
Mabie Gallery - West
Acoustic Guitar Happy Hour: Pick the brains of TJ Thompson, Richard Hoover, Michael Gurian and others.
Pick the brains of some of the acoustic guitar world’s true luminaries, including TJ Thompson, Michael Gurian, Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitar Co. and others. Feel free to bring an acoustic to show and tell, too.
Concert Performances
Maurer Hall - West
8:00pm Molly Tuttle • Courney Hartman
Szold Hall - East
8:00pm Bobby Broom’s Keyed Up Quartet • Organ Trio Madness with Fareed Haque & Tony Monaco
Cafe & Bars open 11:00am - 5:00pm & during concerts featuring Chicago’s finest craft beers, wine, spirits, soft drinks, water, and light snacks.
Old Town School Music Store open 11:00am - 5:00pm
Art Exhibitions: Jon Langford and Lauren Deutsch - all day, West Building Mabie Gallery & Second Floor
Complimentary coffee available daily throughout campus, provided by Acoustic Coffee
Gear Check - West Building, Room 101 - available daily until the conclusion of the day’s concerts.