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Topic: Alternativemusic steel guitar artists |
Giorgio Robino
From:
Genova, Italy
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 10:14 am |
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Hi all,
I'm an ambient-electronic-deeplistenings musician: please listen my music here: http://solyaris.altervista.org
I recently discovered some amazing pedal-steel guitar great artists; they are
1. Susan Alcorn
2. Chas Smith
Do someone may suggest me some others artists like Susan and Chas ?
I mean musicians that explore lap-steel guitar and pedal-steel guitar in ambient /electronic musics / atonal / avant-garde styles ?
Btw, enjoy photos of my preferred lap steelers here: http://solyaris.altervista.org/friends.htm
Many thanks for your feedbacks
regards
giorgio (Solyaris) |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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John Lockney
From:
New Market, Maryland, USA
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John Steele
From:
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 12:32 pm
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Dave Easley's playing, with Brian Blade,
might also grab you.
-John |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 12:44 pm
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Giorgio,
Here is a link to a piece I did with a video artist. The steel part is recorded live and the only effect I used was an Ibaneze tube screamer. Its based on naturally occuring difference tones.
www.soniccircuits.com/listen/
Mostly I play pretty straight these days because I don't have another job and people don't normally pay me to make new sounds for them. I will start doing some of my own concerts in a month or so though. A composer named John Zorn talked me into doing my own music for a concert coming up in NYC.
If there is nobody to reel me in my playing gets pretty out there. At one session an English metal band brought me in to sweeten a ballad. We knocked that out pretty fast
so in the time left over they thought they would screw with the redneck American steel player. They put on some thrash thing and a condecendingly told me to see if I could come up with something scary. I pulled some rusty pieces of sheet metal out of my case, cranked the nearest mashall and started sawing the strings off my C neck. It sounded like 50 cats screamimg and clawing a blackboard really really loud ! They ran out of the control room holding there ears and stopped me. I said "whats up, you wanted something scary,right ?" and they said "yes, but you are actually frightening us !"
Sorry for the long post but I thought some guys would get a kick out of that story.
------------------
Bob
intonation help
[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 24 April 2005 at 01:45 PM.] |
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Jim Phelps
From:
Mexico City, Mexico
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 12:51 pm
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Well Bob, you gave them what they asked for! 
No doubt they thought all the steel could do is play pretty, whiny sounds.... so many people make that mistake. Guess you showed them!
Reminds me of the Tommy Tedesco story of when he was doing a session with Mike Nesmith. They told him to do something really far-out, freeform, crazy at the end. He cranked his amp and threw his electric guitar straight up into the air, it came down on the studio floor and you can just imagine the sounds. The other musicians looked at him in horror and whispered things like "Tedesco's crazy!".
Later, Nesmith said in an interview about the song, "One guy, Tommy Tedesco, knew what we were after...." !
Keep the rusty sheet metal handy.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 24 April 2005 at 01:57 PM.] |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 1:01 pm
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| You might want to check out Bruce Kaphan. He has a cool CD "Slider - Ambient Excursions for Pedal Steel Guitar". He's from the San Fransisco Bay area. |
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Giorgio Robino
From:
Genova, Italy
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 1:08 pm
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Thank you Bob for you answer,
ciause my poor english I dodn't understand completely your story,
anyway thank you for the listenings piece; interesting!
About you CD sold here: http://pedalsteelmusic.com/music/bobhoffnar.html#cd2
A good idea would be to put some MP3 to invite people to buy; maybe you can suggest Bob to insert MP3 if you agreethat is a good idea to improve sell.
> I will start doing some of my own concerts >in a month or so though. A composer named >John Zorn talked me into doing my own music >for a concert coming up in NYC.
I believe that is a very good "advertisement" for your music/person, cause the "named" John Zorn is a musician very famous also in Europe for his free-jazz music!
All the best & thank you
giorgio |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 1:22 pm
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If John Zorn said do it.,. do it for sure.
Giorgio intersting stuff.
I like it! |
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David Yannuzzi
From:
Pomona , New York, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2005 1:54 pm
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I just got both Bob Hofners Cd's recently . They are both great and I am listening to them alot. They are very original and put the steel in different musical context than ussual. The musicianship and the steel playing is badass.It is very inspiring.
I would say get both.The newer one is more avante-garde and sonically probably more what you are looking for. Can't wait to hear what he does with John Zorn -Dave[This message was edited by David Yannuzzi on 24 April 2005 at 02:55 PM.] |
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Giorgio Robino
From:
Genova, Italy
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 12:49 am
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David, where can I listen some MP3 of Bob Hofners ?
I thank you many people wrote me ...
Honestly, what I'm looking for exactly is "slow-motion" (pedal or lap) steel guitar (solo) music (something related to deep listening "genre"! )
I do not like personally for example John Zorn music (because is skizophrenically "fast-motion" is too mutch related to my every day life in crazyness cityes!) and I do not like *new age* music (because superficial and often cunning)
I like the deep exploration of sounds (and soul ) out of "simple" genres.
Steel guitar speaking ... what I mean is music where the inner beatiful harmonic features and nuances of multi-strings *chords* come out amplified in any shades!
At the moment the only artist I listened that do that in nowadays music contexts is the superb Susan Alcorn ( http://www.susanalcorn.com ) and Chas Smith!
Please give me more artists! :)
sincerely
giorgio |
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Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 4:21 am
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"Steel guitar speaking ... what I mean is music where the inner beatiful harmonic features and nuances of multi-strings *chords* come out amplified in any shades!"
Giorgio, I couldn't have said it better than you have--and I am an English teacher!
Ciao,
Chris
------------------
now living in the Ocean State ....
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Wayne Carver
From:
Martinez, Georgia, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 5:05 am
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| Although not ambient you might like Giant Sand, Calexico, or Shivaree. They have some interesting steel on a few songs. |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 6:14 am
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Georgio,
I'm starting a web site and I will have some short samples on it. It will be ready in a week or so. You do have another thread where you ask how musicians are going to be paid for there music on the net. Actually buying a CD might be a good way to start. Plus part of the money goes to supporting the forum !
Plus you need to check out BJ Cole.
www.bjcole.co.uk
Is CD "Heart of the Moment" might be something you would be into.
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| Steel guitar speaking ... what I mean is music where the inner beatiful harmonic features and nuances of multi-strings *chords* come out amplified in any shades! |
When you get down to it nothing expresses those most beautiful features of the pedalsteel better than The Emmons Black album. The music is in straight song form but no one gets more subtle tonal shadings and deep expression out of the pedal steel than Buddy Emmons.
------------------
Bob
intonation help
[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 25 April 2005 at 07:54 AM.] |
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David Yannuzzi
From:
Pomona , New York, USA
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Posted 25 Apr 2005 11:10 am
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| Try finding one of Daniel Lanois solo albums. Aside from being a badass producer/engineer he is a pedal steel player. I think he has done some things with Brian Eno.Maybe there is some steel on it. I read that steel was his first instrument. He also produced albums by Drummer Brian Blade that have great steel playing by David Easly.These ablums sound very cool .Very open and live sounding. They lean more toward modern Jazz.-Dave |
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Giorgio Robino
From:
Genova, Italy
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 2:04 am
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thank you Bob
sometime incredible meetings between people happens!!
http://www.bjcole.co.uk/Photos_lukebj.html
I just see that BJ cole performed with Luke Vibert ??!!
It's very strange! Maybe no many people i guess know here who is Luke Vibert ...
in fact I think it's an incredible crazy composer in the drum's'n'bass dance music area ??!!!! ... he become very very famous in "electronica" - trip-hop area with the beatiful "Drum'n'bass for papa" album.
He is a kind of genial composer ... immo
and one of the few young-generation musician that we can hope in the future ...
I mean: he play for "dance music" audience but he is a great composer.
So, I don't know BJ Cole, sorry for my ignorance, but because Luke Vibert is an extraordinary person, I presume BJ Cole is too an extraordinary person!
Btw, i'll investigate Buddy Emmons!
about music is certain that buying CDs is the way!  I only have to save money for the correct CDs becuase my budget is modest
This is becuase MP3 are a must for check out the and decide to purchasing (in my opinion)!
best regards
giorgio |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 4:35 am
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| Yes, BJ Cole, "In the Heart of the Moment". You want that CD. |
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Giorgio Robino
From:
Genova, Italy
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 5:58 am
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This is what I like; the chord progressions come on slowly; very dreamy.
I am inspired to go ahead and order my Artisan.
Great work. |
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Bill Brummett
From:
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 8:49 am
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For something else that's a bit different, you might want to check out Joe Wright's CD entitled "Powerslide". He gets some incredible rock on here that seems almost impossible to get out of a steel.
It's available at his website
http://www.pedalsteel.com/ |
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Giorgio Robino
From:
Genova, Italy
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 8:56 am
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thanks Dave,
I saw in a photo that Daniel Lanois plays a pedal steel without plectrums (only with fingertips); it's this possible in your opinion ? :)
Do you suggest a specific Daniel's solo album ?
many thanks
giorgio |
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Mark Lind-Hanson
From:
Menlo Park, California, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 11:47 am
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It's very much possible, the question is,
is it COMFORTABLE for you?
I have tried this at times and found it no more uncomfortable than playing a 6 string electric- HOWEVER I noticed that "the grips are easier for the mind to remember" when you're wearing picks. I would think that the sharp picking edge allows you a little more
precision in placing the fingers, while playing without picks, the meat of the hand
gives the strings that much more area to rub up on. But it can be done.
Question is- "is it Proper, and Should it?" -haha- |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 12:00 pm
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| ... and do you like the difference in tone? |
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Kevin Macneil Brown
From:
Montpelier, VT, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 12:28 pm
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There are indeed some nice deep and evocative pedal steel pieces on Lanois's recent disc SHINE. Some steel also on his collaboration with Eno on APOLLO: ATMOSPHERES AND SOUND TRACKS.
This interview piece with Susan Alcorn, Bruce Kaphan, and Chas Smith that I did last summer might be of interest. Three wonderful musicians:
http://www.dustedmagazine.com/features/293
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Kevin Macneil Brown
From:
Montpelier, VT, USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2005 12:35 pm
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I just remembered...David Toop.
Perhaps a little more squiggly and spiky, but another one using steel "outside of the box."
Plus, his fascinating book OCEAN OF SOUND has a section about Speedy West.
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