Ryan Clackner on the Death of Creative Music episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 6, 2026 · 52 MIN

Ryan Clackner on the Death of Creative Music

from Close Enough for Jazz

Guitarist Ryan Clackner joins the show to discuss why jazz guitar often fails to harness the true power of the electric instrument. From the "incestuous" habits of guitar players to the soul-crushing influence of academia, Ryan breaks down what’s wrong with the scene today—and why he had to move to the "Bermuda Triangle of Appalachia" to find his own voice.Timestamps:01:30 - The "Sound Riddle": From Holdsworth to Scofield 03:49 - The hurdle of "straight-ahead" proficiency 11:10 - How the "classical sickness" infected jazz 16:46 - From eighth-grade Metallica to jazz band 22:03 - The cultural importance of the Garwood Crossroads scene 28:31 - Why Nashville actually "hates musicians" 37:43 - Details on the upcoming Big Ears Festival duo performance BIRCH GROVE MEDIAWeb: birchgrove.ioFollow us: @birch.grove.media on Instagram.Watch the episodes: youtube.com/@BirchGroveMediaSupport the music: Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Visit our site to shop our latest physical media and vinyl releases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Mar 6, 2026

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Ryan Clackner on the Death of Creative Music

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