| Author |
Topic: Kelly Joe Phelps: two beautiful performances |
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
|
|
 |
Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 3:38 am |
|
| Some mighty sweet pickin there Andy. Thanks for postin it. |
|
|
|
Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 5:21 am
|
|
He said in a recent interview that he's more or less abandoned lap style playing because he felt it was too limiting as a songwriter.
Hopefully it's just temporarily, he's such a great player....
Steinar
------------------
"Play to express, not to impress"
www.gregertsen.com
Southern Moon Northern Lights
|
|
|
|
Bill Manning
From:
New York, USA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 6:06 am
|
|
| I really like KJP. Like his tunes and his style. But I have to say, about his version of "Irene," he takes WAY too much liberty with the melodic line. First time I caught this on youtube I didn't recognize it for what it was until the second chorus. I'm all for artistic expression but not for losing sense of the tune as originally written. |
|
|
|
Stephan Miller
From:
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 8:59 am
|
|
Bill, I agree, it's hard to hear a classic song taken down a track so foreign to a tune that most of us have probably sung. I'm a fan of Kelly Joe's, esp. his early, acoustic steel stuff, and it's interesting to consider that he was a free jazz player for years before he started turning out the music we associate him with.
--Steve |
|
|
|
David Cook
From:
Florida, USA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 11:53 am
|
|
| Hi yall, Anyone know what kind of pickup Kelly Joe is using on that first live video? It sure sounds wonderful. It looks like it might be a Sunrise but there is a new one out that looks kinda like it. |
|
|
|
Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 12:28 pm
|
|
That video on top is several years old, so I'm pretty sure it's a Sunrise (sounds pretty much like one as well). I've heard he changed to a Duncan MagMic later, but the one in the video is not a MagMic.
Steinar
------------------
"Play to express, not to impress"
www.gregertsen.com
Southern Moon Northern Lights
|
|
|
|
AJ Azure
From:
Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 1:01 pm
|
|
| Ben Harper started abandoning lap style as well. Ironically with Kelly he felt lap style gave him more interesting textures when he started. Go figure. |
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 9 Sep 2006 1:48 pm
|
|
I can understand Harper & Phelps feeling like they hit a wall with lap steel. Sometimes the limitations are freeing and sometimes you just feel painted into a corner. That's why there are pedal steels. I've gone back to my standard guitar playing but lap steel gets under your skin and I always go back.
As for Goodnight Irene, my feeling is traditional music is infinitely flexible and can take just about any interpretation and do just fine. I have no problem with Phelps interpretation. |
|
|
|
Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
|
Posted 13 Sep 2006 11:48 am
|
|
I love KJP's music. Sky Like a Broken Clock came out a few years back, and there was no lap style guitar on it at all. At first, I was disappointed, but once I got into the songs I didn't miss the steel. He's a great writer, whether he's writing for lap style or traditional fingerpicking.
The album that came out after Sky actually had someone else playing steel - nice Weissenborn stuff.
I've seen KJP in concert a couple times, and both times he favored fingerpicking over steel, but both times he played Goodnight Irene with the steel and it was fantastic, if a little drawn out. He tends to perform songs with drawn out endings, sometimes a little too much. But all-around, he's a great singer/songwriter/performer.[This message was edited by Chris Walke on 13 September 2006 at 12:49 PM.] |
|
|
|
Billy Wilson
From:
El Cerrito, California, USA
|
Posted 13 Sep 2006 12:32 pm
|
|
| Seems like Youtube is more in sync these days. Nice! |
|
|
|
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 14 Sep 2006 2:45 am
|
|
| That is about wonderful!! Can someone recommend a CD by this fellow that is all lap playing? |
|
|
|
Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
|
Posted 14 Sep 2006 4:04 am
|
|
"Roll Away the Stone" is mostly lap style playing, 99% solo performance. Mostly southern spirituals. Fantastic album.
Another great one with a good amount of lap style is "Shine-Eyed Mr Zen."
|
|
|
|
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 14 Sep 2006 4:25 am
|
|
| Just ordered both of these off Half.com before I saw your post. Radar! |
|
|
|
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
|
Posted 14 Sep 2006 4:37 am
|
|
| Roll AWay The Stone is my favorite of the KJP records I've heard. Even though he doesn't quite have KJPs amazingly fluid technique in D tuning, I find myself reaching more often for Harry Manx's CDs. It seems like he's kind of in the KJP bag but with a wider palette and without the angst, if you know what I mean. [This message was edited by Andy Volk on 14 September 2006 at 07:11 AM.] |
|
|
|
Matt Johnson
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 14 Sep 2006 5:44 am
|
|
| Shine Eyed Mister Zen has a lot of lap style. It's an amazing album! |
|
|
|
Stephan Miller
From:
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
|
Posted 14 Sep 2006 6:27 am
|
|
| Don't forget KJ's first CD, "Lead Me On", which for me has some of his best stuff on it. On "Lead Me On" and "Roll Away the Stone" his playing is all acoustic lap steel-- by his 4th CD it's all standard guitar played fingerstyle. I know he's gotta follow his own artistic path, but his abandonment of the steel is still disappointing for people like me who think he's one of the best to ever pick up a bar. |
|
|
|
