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Topic: Steve Fishell—with Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell--Great! |
Dave Magram
From:
San Jose, California, USA
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Posted 2 Oct 2015 12:08 pm |
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I had the great pleasure of seeing Steve Fishell playing steel guitar with Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell last night in Saratoga, Calif. Although it was not clear from the promotional material that Emmylou would have her Hot Band backing her and Rodney on this "Travelling Kind" tour, she certainly did at this venue.
Besides Emmylou and Rodney on rhythm guitars, the excellent Hot Band consisted of steel guitar, lead guitar, keyboards, bass and drums. The band was impeccable, always tasteful and never stepping on each other’s solos or fills.
The repertoire consisted of longtime Emmylou and Rodney classics (“Leaving Louisianaâ€, “Ain’t Living Long Like Thisâ€, “Ooh, Las Vegasâ€, “Bluebird Wineâ€, “Til I Gain Control Againâ€), new material from their recent “Traveling Kind CDâ€, and reworkings of country classics (“Invitation to the Bluesâ€).
Steve is a very talented and tasteful musician, always playing just the right note at the right time to support the song. He is a master of the “Emmylou soundâ€, that swirly, country-ish sound that differentiates Emmylou from hard-core traditional country and modern rock-oriented country music. As Steve described it, “More California Ralph Mooney, and less Nashville.†However when the song calls for it, Steve can play classic tear-stained pedal steel, honking blues, and upbeat speed-picking with the best of them. I was especially struck by his contributions to the band’s fine reworking of Roger Miller’s “Invitation to the Bluesâ€â€”more bluesy and “more Mooney†than the way Ray Price recorded it.
Highly recommended!
They are playing at the (free) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco this weekend.
Here’s a link to their tour schedule:
http://www.emmylouharris.com/tour.html
-Dave |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 2 Oct 2015 1:56 pm
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When I saw this band in Portland, OR, I thought Steve Fishell played great, but was consistently stepped on during fills by the lead guitarist. The guitarist played well, but was annoyingly "hot dogish", to the detriment of the beautiful music they were playing. Perhaps that was early in the tour - glad that wasn't your experience
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Micky Byrne
From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
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Posted 2 Oct 2015 3:08 pm
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Christopher....that sounds like "most" lead players Grrrrr 
Micky "scars" Byrne U.K. |
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Fish
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Posted 27 Oct 2015 9:39 am
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Dave - thank you very much for your kind words.
To Christopher,
I have to say in defense of our lead guitarist Jedd Hughes that he is one of the most unselfish, kind, conscientious and brotherly musicians I've ever had the privilege to play music with. He is quite simply one of the most talented players I know - and a true gentleman.
Our's is a musical dialogue every night. Even though we sit on opposites sides of the stage, we have each other cranked in the monitors, so I hear Jedd perfectly every night, and never once have I ever felt as though he was "hot-dogging" or stepping in my musical territory. Quite the opposite: we always try to have a musical conversation onstage and let me tell you something, Jedd constantly inspires me to be a better player, both musically and tonally. I never feel crowded by him, only inspired and lifted up, especially if I ever slip onstage.
I'm not disputing what you heard from the audience Christopher, but from your vantage point it's possible that you were hearing more lead guitar than steel in the mix. This could lead you to think that the guitar and steel where not locked into "call and response" dialogue, as Jedd and I try to be every night. Trust me, Jedd is a very humble player, and he would never ever "hot dog" anyone.
Steve |
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Mike Gresham
From:
Paris, Kentucky
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Posted 27 Oct 2015 10:31 am I agree
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| I will agree with Steve's comments. My wife and I attended the Emmylou / Rodney show in Lexington, KY last week and I can say without reservation that the accompaniment and musical companionship between Steve and Jedd was outstanding and very tasteful. Well done! |
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