Old Town School Music Store, Chicago, IL Videos

Always great to spend a morning with Greg and Max from @holyjokeband—new session dropping soon!

Alright, let’s talk Lockhorn! Jack spent the morning taking this Chicago-crafted Zipper semi-hollow electric guitar through its versatile pickup voicings, phase options, and other features—and we’re here to say it does, indeed, zip pretty hard. Video coming soon!

When we locked-down a morning live session with Chicago indie soul band Hollyy, we knew Tanner and Brandon were no strangers to acoustic sets—but we definitely didn’t think they’d attempt “Miss the Feeling,” a late sixties-inspired soul single swimming in lush, ornate arrangements. With just two acoustic guitars and the kind of confidence that only comes from making music with close friends, our shop crew was treated to an impossibly spare, tasteful take on a Hollyy live staple. And hey, it’s a *privilege* to share that kind of morning magic today.

What a real pleasure to spend the morning with @elijahberlow—live set coming soon!

Seamlessly weaving between memorable fingerstyle motifs, tasteful accompaniment, and refined improvisational breaks, a session filming acclaimed Canadian musician Noah Zacharin is a true class in serving the song. At just over three minutes long, “In Love Again” is a polished gem of a performance, with Zacharin’s well-loved @collingsguitars OM2H stepping in and out of the spotlight to support a soulful melody—and push it into a downright compelling live take.

Introduced in 2009, the “Big Mon” is a truly unique, handcrafted Northfield Mandolins creation: a tastefully enlarged take on their standard F5 Style mandolin, delivering immediately appreciable bass and midrange response, and an undeniable air and atmosphere to the instrument’s overall blend. Inspired by the innovators and pioneers of acoustic music in the United States, the “Big Mon” design is a bold tribute to those intent on pushing boundaries while maintaining traditions. And come to think of it, that sounds an awful lot like Old Town School’s own longtime archivist and mandolin teacher, Colby Maddox. Seasoned and restrained, this guy’s noodling simply never lets us down.

From artfully descriptive lyrics to a deceptively subdued fingerstyle delivery, Chicago songwriter Chris Rawlins has an undeniable grasp of the midwestern mood. “Don’t Forget Me” is exactly the sort of familiar-but-unplaceable meditation on leaving the plains that could just as easily accompany a CTA commute in Chicago, or a night drive home down a dirt road. And played on his 1948 Gibson LG-3, we’re reminded why songs like this have worn so well over the decades.

From the inspired, crisp response of a solid cedar top to the lush blend of meticulously matched figured grenadilla back and sides, we knew this Spanish-crafted Lyon & Healy classical acoustic guitar was something special as soon as we set it up. But in the hands of longtime Old Town School teacher Jacob Sweet, Tárrega’s standard “Lágrima” simply comes alive with exactly the articulate balance and sustain that defines a truly handbuilt instrument—and makes just a couple minutes of pure magic.

Tanner and Brandon from indie soul band @hollyy.band found us on a rough morning. Our shop humidifier had stopped overnight, and a repair person had been working since 5am—he’s just offscreen. With the vibe stacked against us, Hollyy didn’t just roll with it; they doubled-down and decided to debut a brand new song, “Gimme a Break.” What a reminder of the power of a great groove, collaborative spirit, and just two acoustic guitars to totally transform a room. The last slinky chord and heartfelt vocal hanging in the air, our repair person, still on a ladder and exhausted, says: “I get it. These guys are the real thing.”

We’re an itty bitty bit honored to share handcrafted new miniatures from our pals at @ittybittyminimart, just in time for the holidays! Stop by soon, ‘tis the season.

Just ahead of the release of Chicago-based @_maidenking_’s first LP, Who Else Were We Supposed to Become? Songwriter Jake Hawrylak and multi-instrumentalist @whoisrenocruz debut “Erosion”—an atmospheric, delicately orchestrated track performed in a beautifully economical, exposed format.

A true @martinguitar masterwork built for the 2023 @fretboardsummit at @oldtownschool, this Custom GP-41 pairs unconventional, visually striking tonewoods like Italian Alpine Spruce and Big Leaf Flame Maple with tasteful and timeless 41 Style abalone appointments—for a lush, lifetime instrument that showcases Martin at the top of their game. Now available online and in-store!

With decades of experience as a professional player, teacher, and Manager of the @oldtownschool Resource Center, Colby Maddox brings some substantial chops and historical knowledge to just about every mandolin we put in his hands—so we know this @eastmanguitars MD615 Goldburst F-Style Mandolin earns every bit of that *little smile* as his take on “Wabash Cannonball” chugs to a close.

Handbuilt in Evanston, IL with a clear reverence for parlor guitar craft, the @robertrobinsonluthier Model 10-C pairs time tested tonewoods like Sitka Spruce and Claro Walnut with one of the most sculptural cutaway profiles we’ve ever stocked—or seen. Chicago-based guitarist and @oldtownschool standby Jacob Sweet puts this unconventional parlor through its paces with an equally unexpected song choice, and finds a real moment of beauty with this luthier-built acoustic in his hands.

Whether you know him as @reverb’s resident bass expert or a relatable songwriter in the Chicago scene as @_maidenking_, you definitely come away from a Jake Hawrylak performance feeling like you’ve known him awhile. Maybe it’s his lyrics, so specific it’s hard not to think they’re somehow autobiographical. Maybe it’s his heartfelt arrangements, or the sense that whatever instrument he’s playing is becoming his favorite while you watch. We’re just glad we managed to get our 1979 @martinguitar HD-35 in Jake’s hands before the release of Maiden King’s first LP, Who Else Were We Supposed to Become? And what’s sure to be an inspired release year to follow.

There are some in-store performances we just get lost in. And for Half Gringa’s introspective “Sevenwater,” it almost seems like that’s the point. Blending past and present, verse and chorus, with cinematic lyrics and acoustic work that makes it sound easy, this shop favorite from Half Gringa’s Ancestral Home EP gives us that early 2000s, golden era indie feeling—but never settles in nostalgia.

Few songwriters capture the quiet poetry of a Chicago fall quite like native Midwesterner @chrisrawlinsmusic. Originally from Kalamazoo, MI, Rawlins’ evocative lyrics and rooted guitar work seamlessly blends snapshots of urban decay with unabashedly familiar melodies—and an ear for plaintive fingerstyle that speaks, softly, across the plains.

From bookmatched Flamed Hawaiian Koa back and sides to irreverent offset snowflake inlays, this @martinguitar Custom Shop D-28 had our attention right out of the case at @fretboardsummit 2023 here at the @oldtownschool—then we heard its impossibly lush midrange for the first time, and well...we’ll let the demo do the rest. Stay tuned for this Custom Shop Martin’s mirror image sister instrument!

@oldtownschoolmusicstore’s resident electric guitar expert Jack knows more or less what kind of clean tones to expect from the new Juliet P-90’s pro level, era-inspired specs, but when this Eastman’s @bareknucklepickupsofficial Old Guard pickups hit our @harbypedals BMF fuzz pedal at 3:11...we just weren’t ready for such off-the-rails riffage from the same guitar. From comfortable midcentury carves to timeless Vintage Red finish, @eastmanguitars may just have a classic on their hands with the Juliet P-90. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Debuting live @oldtownschoolmusicstore, musician, composer, and poet @hannahfrancesmusic shares an unbridled acoustic take on her heartfelt new single Floodplain. With Floodplain, Frances takes us through a threshold of healing and resolution with virtuosic poignancy as a storyteller, guitarist, and vocalist. With more power and forthrightness than any of her writing thus far, Frances is striding her way into her most compelling body of work— ‘40s @martinguitar 0-15 in-hand.