Steve Baker is the co-owner of Chicago Fret Works. After starting his career as an English teacher, he began working on guitars in 2000, learning his craft at Bryan Galloup's School of Luthiery in Michigan. In 2008, after working together at another Chicago guitar shop, he and Dan Wolf partnered up to go out on their own with Chicago Fret Works. Now eighteen years in, they've worked on instruments by many famous musicians - including lots from Wilco - as well as everyday guitars used by students at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Steve shares a bunch of those stories with us and we talk a lot about the Chicago music community.

Time stamps:

02:00 — How or when did you get into music?

07:48 — Who's your favorite Beatle?

09:06 — What's the most recent thing that's cracked open for you musically?

15:32 — When did you start? How did you learn? What's your journey through the guitar world?

17:47 —how do you start dipping your toes into the guitar repair world?

21:55 — Did it click right away, being in bands?

24:49 — So how did you decide, where's this going?

27:46 — How does that come about? (re: going full time at the shop)

29:30 — Was he like, "you're dead to me" or "fuck yeah, go for it"? (re: telling the boss)

34:18 — Do you have plans for the 20th anniversary celebration?

37:48 — When did you feel, have you felt like, "yeah, we've made it"?

40:14 — How did that relationship with Wilco develop?

45:47 — Do those guys fall in love with something and say, "you've got to keep this thing going"?

48:12 — How did you get that opportunity? (re: tuning guitars for shows)

50:52 — So what's your greatest [story]?

58:54 — Is it hard to find people? Is it a good career working as a guitar tech? Is it hard to get people who know what they're doing nowadays?

69:18 — Are you a deep dish or thin crust pizza fan?

71:10 — What is your favorite venue to see a show at?

72:37 — What do you think makes Chicago a unique music scene?

75:30 — What's your go-to cheap drink?

79:02 — What's happening [at Chicago Fretworks for the next couple months]?

79:12 — What's the easiest way if I have a guitar that needs to be fixed? What's the best way? Do I just come in with it? Do I call you ahead? Do I send you an email?

79:50 — What are your hours?

Rob Miller co-founded Bloodshot Records in 1993 and ran the label until it was sold in 2021. He recently published a great new book, The Hours Are Long But the Pay is Low - A Curious Life in Independent Music. Rob joined us to talk about his history with Bloodshot and to share his thoughts on the book. We spent a lot of time talking about our mutual love for Chicago.

You can find out more about Rob and his book at his website: www.robmillerwriting.com

Rob also has a couple of events coming up in April:

Milwaukee event 4/15 - www.eventbrite.com/e/rob-miller-author-of-the-hours-are-long-but-the-pay-is-low-tickets-1982587294969?aff=oddtdtcreator

Chicago event 4/16 - www.oldtownschool.org/classes/detail/?courseid=8056

Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy (and their musical friends) have definitely tapped into something with this "play R.E.M." thing. Mike & Jason originally started this exercise by playing album sets of some of their favorite artists like Neil Young, The Modern Lovers, The Smiths and more. But when they picked out Murmur by R.E.M. in 2023, the whole concept took off in a big way. After playing Fables of the Reconstruction last year, they are heading out on a big tour playing Lifes Rich Pageant. Both shows at the Metro in Chicago are sold out, but there are plenty of other dates available, including a September show at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. Definitely worth checking them out!

Time stamps

3: How did the musical project come together?

5:21: Are you a big R.E.M. fan?

10: You got R.E.M. together!

11:30: What part did Chicago play in getting this project going?

15:30: What was the reception like as your project started taking off more and more?

19: How did you enjoy Sky Blue Sky?

21:08: There are parallels between acting and singing in a band, but in most cases, you aren't getting an immediate audience response, how do you feel about that difference?

25: Have you had any insights into the difference between the four R.E.M. albums you've covered?

30: Any stories from having spent time with the band?

38: What else do you have going on aside from the upcoming show?