Craig Gordon

This week's guest, Craig Gordon, a lifelong musician and luthier, visited the Flamingo Lounge on September 26, 2024 for an interesting conversation on the proper methodologies of building and fixing guitars. Craig was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. His early passion for acoustic guitar led him to explore a variety of musical genres, from folk and rock to jazz, classical, and experimental. With a natural curiosity for how things work, Craig discovered Juan Roberto Guitar Works, a workshop where he built his first guitar at 16. After studying music at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, Craig moved to New York City to pursue a career as a musician and composer. He toured internationally with Oscar Schlemmer's Bauhaus Dances in Europe and Japan, and Ragabash Puppet Theater throughout the Northeast and became involved in the Anti-Folk scene in the East Village. In 1998, Craig moved to Buffalo and started a family. While temporarily working in construction, he continued to play music with local musicians. In 2012, Craig returned to luthiery by enrolling in the Roberto Venn School of Luthiery. After working as a guitar tech for Guitar Center, Craig opened his own "real" shop, attached to a marvelous high-end acoustic guitar shop in Black Rock, The Fretted Buffalo.