Dear Music Beloved, An interviewer recently asked me how 'Guitar America - Revolutionaries and Rockstars' has traveled since the programs premiered in April. I wrote an answer and then decided to write a bit more, which became a Substack article. It's free to read. This summer was filled with a wealth of musical adventures including concerts in Oklahoma, Colorado, Maine, and in front of 30,000 people to celebrate Salem's 400th on July 4th. September is coming quickly and features three...

"nobody’s got a monopoly on the American story—in part because there is no single tale to be told." – The Arts Fuse on Guitar America 250 In the late 1800's, my mother's family escaped from pogroms in what is now Ukraine. Soon after, my father's family emigrated from outside of Moscow, as Jewish families weren't allowed to live in Russian cities without a permit. They came to the US through Baltimore, hence the C in Caplan and not K (see Declaration below). My mother's family ended up in...

Dear Sound Enamored, Today is my birthday. I like to say I'm old enough, but then I melt when I receive notes like this lovely one following the Guitar America 250 album concert in Oregon: Thank you, Aaron, for your uplifting performance. You re-energized me in hope for this nation. I’d been not at all sure that there was anything to celebrate at this Anniversary. Your existence, grace, joyful talent are proof that there’s a great deal to celebrate. – Fan Hearing such feedback after the...