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Post new topic Played my first proper steel guitar gig...
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Author Topic:  Played my first proper steel guitar gig...
Nic Neufeld


From:
Kansas City, Missouri
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 10:35 am    
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So I played my first real steel guitar gig Saturday night. Basically me and a jazz guitarist doing rhythm, no vocals, and me carrying melodies. It was for a community market that put on a lu'au event...tons of people there milling about and we just played with our amps, no PA really required. I'm used to being the sideman on bass and guitar, so playing two hours where I'm basically carrying the melody all that time was kind of exhausting, but fun.

Set was mostly Hawaiian tunes, with some jazz standards thrown in. A half dozen of them were borrowed arrangements from my teacher (Alan Akaka), some I borrowed from Basil Henriques (his transcription of Barney Isaacs Blue Hawaii, as well as an adaptation of Basil's E13 South Sea Island Magic into C13), some were just my own arrangements. But it was quite a bit of music!

Beyond the Reef
One More Aloha
Silhouette Hula
All of Me
Sweet Leilani
East of the Sun
'Akaka Falls
Sleepwalk
South Sea Island Magic
Beautiful Kahana
Blue Hawaii
Autumn Leaves
Mauna Kea / Mauna Loa Medley
La Mer
Hawai'i Aloha
Sand
Deep Purple
Hana
I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
Harbor Lights
E Maliu Mai
Na Lei O Hawaii
Aloha 'Oe

With a couple breaks they needed for announcements, we still had to circle back round to the beginning of the set list to round out the two hours. It was fun, now I just need an interested vocalist so I don't have to be "on" the whole time!! I am cut from "side man" cloth...
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Mitch Drumm

 

From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 11:09 am    
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Good choice on "La Mer". One of my favorite songs that is very rarely done on steel guitar. The only versions I've found are by Gary Carpenter and Santo & Johnny.

E Maliu Mai? Is that Kuu Aloha E Maliu Mai, the Ray Andrade song?
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Nic Neufeld


From:
Kansas City, Missouri
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 12:10 pm    
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Mitch Drumm wrote:

E Maliu Mai? Is that Kuu Aloha E Maliu Mai, the Ray Andrade song?


Not sure...it's "e maliu mai, e ku'u ipo", translated as Listen to my call, my ku'u ipo, in the version Alfred Apaka recorded titled "Hawaiian Love Call". It's a lovely tune. Iwalani Kamahele has a recording of the Hawaiian language version with Barney Isaacs on steel.

Edit: found the Ray Andrade tune...nope, not it...this is a slower ballad. Very nahe nahe! My favorite is Alfred Apakas version, even though it doesn't even apparently have a steel guitar (!!!).
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Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me
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Molin Oleg

 

From:
Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 12:34 pm    
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Also there is La mer d'Hawaii by Okalani Hawaiian Band
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Nic Neufeld


From:
Kansas City, Missouri
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 12:41 pm    
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Yeah, mine was the Charles Trenet song, usually translated to Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Nice lyrical melody...and loosely appropriate for an island theme...
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Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me
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Bill Groner


From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 2:42 pm    
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Congrats Nic! From the songs you posted on the forum, I'm sure everyone enjoyed your playing.
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40
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Bill Creller

 

From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 28 Jan 2019 10:39 pm    
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Nice to see all the Hawaiian tunes you played !! Very Happy
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Steve Marinak


From:
Man O War Cay, Abaco, Bahamas
Post  Posted 31 Jan 2019 2:36 pm    
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Congrats! I'm looking forward to doing the same thing in the near future.

Did you play two hours straight? Or did you do two sets with a break in between? Just curious how the time worked out for 23 songs as I will be working on beefing up my repertoire.
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Steve Marinak
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Nic Neufeld


From:
Kansas City, Missouri
Post  Posted 31 Jan 2019 2:46 pm    
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Steve Marinak wrote:
Congrats! I'm looking forward to doing the same thing in the near future.

Did you play two hours straight? Or did you do two sets with a break in between? Just curious how the time worked out for 23 songs as I will be working on beefing up my repertoire.


We took one 10 minute break, when they asked us to. Another 3-4 minute break later (announcing winners of a pineapple decorating contest, hah). I'm not sure exactly how it all worked out as we finished up the set and jumped back in at the beginning just doing ones we wanted to revisit, maybe 1/4 of them...like Sleepwalk, which I kept muffling the harmonics on! I wanted revenge on those harmonics!
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Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

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