It was very quick. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Tell me about playing on Bruce Springsteens Wrecking Ball. Youre on Youve Got It and We Are Alive. And then he did the Jeep commercial on the Super Bowl. lang, Lucinda Williams, Matthew Sweet, Meshell Ndegeocello, Paula Cole, Peter Case, Ray Lamontagne, Robert Plant, Sam Phillips, Sara Watkins, Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles, The Jayhawks, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tracy Chapman, Whiskeytown, Wilco, and Allen Toussaint. Heavier Models), Parts & Hardware (Where to Find, Details, Info), How To Open Up the E9 Tuning (for Pedal Steel), The Chord Guide for E9 Pedal Steel Guitar, The Art of Right Hand Technique (for Steel Guitar), The Elixir of E9 Pedal Steel: Harmonized 6ths, 200 Country Riffs & Licks for E9 Pedal Steel, 7 Best Pedal Steel Albums (That You Must Hear), Backing Tracks (Where To Find, Info, Types), 7 Songs Featuring Greg Leisz On Pedal Steel, Buddy Emmons Characteristics: How They Can Improve your Playing, Recording & Mixing the Pedal Steel Guitar, Pedal Steel: 5 Best Ways to Use a Compressor Pedal, How to Record Pedal Steel (and Capture its ALLURING Sound), C6 Fretboard Diagram Flat & Sharp Notes, Universal Tuning & Copedent for Pedal Steel, Pedal Steel Copedents (Info, Types, Details). I want to go back here and talk about your life. It is always a pleasure to hear Leiszs playing. Youre touring with Bob Weir now. Thats another situation where I wasnt involved in the tracking. All in good time --, [This message was edited by Russ Young on 22 November 2002 at 09:12 PM. They got turned on to the pedal steel somehow and they knew about me. In all the gigs we did together, he never sat at my instrument or ever let on that he was such an accomplished steel player. ], Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain. On the fall leg, Van Morrison didnt do it. His heart gets taken out because its broken. I wanted to figure out how to make those sounds. your profile | join | preferences | help | search. Greg Leisz: Lap Steel Craig Schumacher: Synth Bass John Convertino: Drums, Thunder Drum Brian Lopez: Backing Vocal 3. I missed that whole era. I forget if it was directly by James Iha or the management. 148 South Cloverdale Blvd. The music started coming into my consciousness a lot more. But the backing of that commercial, the producer took guitar from Moonlight Motel. After all these different attempts to put music behind that commercial, since its Springsteen talking with music behind it, they wound up just using that pedal steel. Leisz has played on countless recording sessions over the years, and a look through his credits will astound any music fan. [This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 30 November 2003 at 06:55 AM. I never thought of it as a career. The idea that you were going to have to go to Vietnam and maybe kill people, it wasnt conducive to thinking about being a musician. And then I would live off that money and play music for as long as I could. Add To Cart. Leisz grew up in the garage band culture of mid-1960s Southern California. The last plane flight I was on, I went to New York at the beginning of last February. Wayne Shorter, Jazz Legend Who Collaborated With Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell, Dead at 89 Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, The greatest musical hands in the world, now on CD! youtu.be. Feb 12, 2008. A marvelous pedal steel player, Leisz has some of the most tasteful playing and impactful tone. When I spoke to Eric, he said to me, Do you know Hop Wilsons music? I said, Yeah, I know it really well. He was surprised. Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. Leisz is no stranger to rock n roll, and always has the ability to add grit and bite to songs. Those guys are people that I just and I watched the Daft Punk segment, which was great. Im wondering if thats something youd ever like to do.. In the earlier stages of his career, Leisz played and toured often with k.d. Youre on Paula Coles I Dont Want to Wait, which was an enormous song. I think I was probably at least 40 years old before I started thinking, Maybe I can keep doing this., I want to talk about a few random credits that caught my eye. As a janitor, Id work at City Hall, just cleaning bathrooms and stuff like that. He heard my pedal steel and thought that was something that Joni would embrace in her music. His idea was to have her do this thing with Civil Wars where they sang together. I started meeting people that came out of almost the punk era in the Eighties. I've been enjoying Greg on Bill Frisell's recent release of John Lennon songs "All We Are Saying". I got a job as a janitor and as a substitute mailman for a while. Getting Started (C6th Hawaiian Tabs)Hawaiian Steel Guitar. Tell me about your friendship with him. Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. Sometimes you just kind of go, Why did they pay me the money? produced by Lee Townsend recording and mixing engineer: Judy Clapp. Great album. Odelay was interesting because he was working with the Dust Brothers. Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. Prior to that record, I knew who she was. It was the same thing that drew me to the electric guitar. I basically was just playing music with my friends. He came back and I said, Want to hear it? He goes, Later, but Ive got another song. And then they put on this Gene Clark song Through the Morning, Through the Night. I did that and I just put it together with the engineer. Theres a picture of me. Billy was in one room working on his stuff and James was in this other room working on his song. I really had no idea it would become what it became. So the tuning from high (string 1) to low is: E, C, A, F#, E, C). Sometimes, for whatever reason, they just dont use it properly or they bury it in the mix. I got pretty good. They had the chorus. We had the pleasure of opening for her here in Fort Myers a while back. I just liked the sound of the guitar and I wanted to do it. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He originally just wanted me on Killing the Blues. I just worked with his engineer. But when we got to the song My Woman Got a Black Cat Bone, he featured me in the song the whole way. He showed me the song [River Runs Deep] and pulled out an acoustic guitar. Terry . The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Hes credited with playing 12-string too. I knew right then it was all up to me. A few weeks later, they called me back and I did another song. Definitely check out the Sara Watkins album, he's all over it. He had Flood and the other producer [Alan Moulder]. It wasnt much. In January 2008, Leisz joined the group Works Progress Administration, a band composed of Leisz, Sean Watkins (guitar), his sister Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). And it was a cool thing to get to do that. This is a gorgeous Asher Acoustic Hawaiian Teardrop Lap Steel owned and played by Greg Leisz who had been using it for recording and touring with Jackson Browne. Running on Empty was done on the A Rickenbacker. While he was mixing, he had a conversation with her and she said, Theres a song in there called Right in Time. When we recorded it, I wanted to have a 12-string guitar go through the whole song, but they talked me out of it.. : Wikipedia : Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Funky Kings, The All Star Band, Watkins Family Hour, Works Progress Administration : | Greg Leisz On the other hand, she was always very interested in hearing what I could come up with. I dont think the label was very confident. Up until that time, it seemed like there was always some kind of a studio you worked in. Youre on Becks song Sissyneck from Odelay. Another funny story is that when we were in the studio, he had a banjo. I really just worked with one of the guys. Her original version was more what she was doing at the time. Were all surgeons, the guys in the band. Having options for playing minor scales or modes in 6ths can be beneficial when playing in minor keys, over chord vamps, and over certain chords in a progression. I loved the stuff that Sneaky Pete Kleinow played on the Flying Burrito Brothers records that he did. Part of his universal appeal -- which certainly draws on the experimental nature of those influences -- comes from an open-minded approach to lap and pedal steel, an approach that casts aside Nashville references. I was going, Oh, shit. Jim Scott ended up mixing that album. Getting to all the great records hes played on would have resulted in an interview longer than Infinite Jest and the uncut edition of Stephen Kings The Stand combined. The people that you meet and have a connection with, suddenly theres another connection later on. He said, Im not sure what songs Im going to do. Its insane. By the next year, the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. It has really great songs, but it had some amazing pedal steel by Buddy Emmons. Great player all aroundlap, non-pedal, pedal, dobroetc etc Ironically, I used to play a lot of gigs with Greg in the '80s -- I was playing steel and he was playing guitar. Thats probably the longest time I havent spent on a plane since I was a teenager. Steve Earle had taken over from her ex-guitar player [Gurf Morlix], who left the band during the sessions. A couple years later, he made another record [Old Sock] and Doyle called me again. But I spent a couple of summers working as a forest ranger in Idaho and fighting fires. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Mint items are in essentially new original condition but have been opened or played. I already knew it and I came out of the Sixties and had a folkie background and could understand that stuff. Editors picks She did a tour with an orchestra [in 2000], but it was last time she went out and played guitar with a band. Youre all over the last Daft Punk album. He was already famous before he graduated because of the Nico thing. Also, its interesting to me that it even happened at all. Diagrams that display the minor pentatonic scale notes on the E9 fretboard. I had to decide whether it was good myself. Well, thats a good question. When legendary artists head into the studio nowadays, theres a good chance theyll have Leisz play steel on the production. Eric Clapton. This was her second record and she wanted to make a bunch of changes. Theyd stick it in their wallet and maybe theyd lose it, or maybe theyd write it down. We already have a guitar player. I could see it as a smart thing to do. That was fascinating since I spent more time with her and got to see more process. Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. Kiley Dean Began As Britney Spears' Backup Singer. She was taking parts off and replacing them. Later, I did play on a James Iha solo album [Let It Come Down] that Jim Scott produced. The 6 string lap steel is great for Hawaiian, blues, slide guitar licks, many country songs, dobro style riffs and can imitate a lot of what can be played on the 8, 10 and 12 string tunings. Why was I even there? Its kind of a disappointing thing. We did a spring leg and a fall leg. They had two different studios in the same complex. It was a natural fit with a lot of people. Shes fantastic. I just got contacted. #raylamontange. And she got Roy Bittan. There was a Judy Collins album called Who Knows Where the Time Goes. She decided she wanted to go play some live shows. She was just like, I dont need this anymore.. 2007 Asher hand built Teardrop commemorative Weissenborn lap steel, s/n# 308, 1 of 8 hand crafted in this series, solid African mahogany top, back and sides, custom Cedar Creek hardshell case included. But I love that record. In 1987, Leisz began working with Dave Alvin (formerly of The Blasters). It sort of became an avenue to make a living by expanding my vocabulary as a guitar player. I didnt know him then. She didnt want a lot of guitar parts. I had produced a bunch of his records too. I put it together myself from maybe a few takes. It is why I am playing steel today. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. And after the Steve Earle sessions, he signed off, but she didnt think it was finished. I was like, Im going to try and keep playing music and try to get better. I saved up my money one summer and bought my first pedal steel and started teaching myself how to do that. Tour Gretsch 's Corona, California, custom guitar building operation with company master builder Chad Henrichsen and PG 's own John Bohlinger. He's on all of them.. They were all playing together and I was in the band with them. She Ended Up Finding Herself, Hear Ann-Margret and Pete Townshends New Take on the Everly Brothers Bye Bye Love, Through the Morning, Through the Night., video where Jackson is getting a heart transplant, David Lindley, Multi-Instrumentalist Who Shaped the Sound of Soft Rock, Dead at 78, How Deem Spencer Learned to be Vulnerable on His New Album adultSW!M, Suki Waterhouse Won't Take Romance For Granted on New Single 'To Love', Travis Barker Says His Finger Ligament Surgery Was a 'Success' After Postponing Blink-182 Tour, J-Hope, Boygenius, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week, DeSantis Disney Appointee Said Tap Water Might Be Turning People Gay. Her budget had been stretched by the time, so she wanted to work fast. If someone asked me for my phone number, Id gladly give it to them and write it on a piece of paper. This is going back to her second album. http://archive.guitarplayer.com/archive/artists/frisell.shtml. 6.9K views 1 year ago On this Greg Leisz interview, how playing with artists like Dave Alvin, k.d. I heard this, and could not get that steel guitar sound out of my head. I was able to play a lot of different kinds of music. We met the day I got the studio. I never really liked the Grateful Dead, and now Im in Bobs band the Wolf Brothers with Don Was. In 2013 alone, the pedal-steel guitarist played on records by Daft Punk, Eric Clapton, Kris Kristofferson, Glen Hansard, the Beach Boys, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Bragg, John Fogerty, and way too many others to mention here. Whats more interesting to me is that much later they had me play on Western Stars. She decided she wanted to take over the production of the record herself. I know. T Bone has a lot of I dont want to say he delegates, but he trusts musicians to just do what he thinks theyre going to do. We want to hear it. A true gentlemen, non-pareil tasteful player and inspiring to talk to. My understanding is he uses a '66 bolt-on push/pull for most of his studio work. Leisz single-handedly liberated pedal steel from the bondage of country.. Thats a little odd. Thats another crazy story. It was just Eric sending me a text. Leiszs tone is crystal clear on this one, and is captivating. She came in and she was real sweet. The first note of the solo slides up to the 12th fret. Youve been really busy recently. I dont think the one I play on was in Pretty Woman. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. She was very focused, so it was great working with her. I had put in my time many years before that, learning that stuff. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 My first musical experiences were hearing her sing around the house. He was still married to her at that time. Hed even introduce me in the set. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time I sometimes just took day factory jobs in Orange County. Leisz has such a great melodic sense, and this song has it on full display. He met Jules Shear. But she was fine with it. The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap.Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional acoustic guitar, in which the performer's fingertips press the strings against frets, the pitch of a steel guitar is changed by pressing a polished steel . Oops, looks like you forgot something. But Dylan called up Dave Alvin and asked him to be the opening act. Pedal-Steel Guitarist Greg Leisz on His Years With Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Daft Punk "I don't know how to comprehend everything I've done," says the musician, who. I grew up in a family where I didnt have older brothers or sisters. Thats another crazy story. Interestingly enough, there is this thread between Victoria Williams and Joni Mitchell. Yeah. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. I was drawn, even before pedal steel, to traditional slide-guitar music. And my experience with that is, a lot of people that Ive worked with, you think theyre going to be intimidating, but theyre so good at making you feel comfortable that you wind up singing that persons praises. He tried to get a deal as a solo artist and he was told that he should get a band around him. Do whatever you want to do.. For the next eighteen years he toured with Lang and recorded with her, including her album Ingenue. There was a lot of questioning, to be totally honest. I think hed become aware of my playing on a couple of other records, especially this K.D. Note chart for the C6 pedal steel neck. Custom pedal steel t-shirts, mugs, posters, and moredesigned in Asheville, NC. [Laughs] Thats so random. Everything was recorded onto a Zoom R24 then ported to a PC for mastering using Reaper. You did all that in a single day? T Bone wasnt even there to tell me it was good. I'm learning to appreciate and love the form but it's just not my natural habitat, musically speaking. To make a long story short, I knew her engineer and he asked me to come play on the record. August 20, 2019. I basically grew up inside of that. Pearl Jam have played that song countless times. I didnt really see myself in the picture. I played a lot of different kinds of guitars on that record. When he was working on it, I got brought in. To jump forward here, can you tell me about the formation of the Funky Kings? Greg's playing on Bon Iver is some of my favorite steel playing of all. Long story short, we made one record. Lap Steel. He decided he wanted to have that instrument in that particular band for that tour. What sort of career did you see yourself pursuing? She had a strong vision. He said, OK, Im going to do a Hop Wilson song where I can feature you. That was a big deal for me since when we actually did go on tour, I just played utility. The experience was great. I especially love what came out of that. I have a credit.. "I don't know how to comprehend everything I've done," says the musician, who has also played with Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Weir, Smashing Pumpkins, and Lucinda Williams. Im not one of those people that went, This is what I want to do with my life. Its weird to call it a hobby, but I guess thats what my parents would have called it. Brian didnt think that was a great idea. Or does he switch necks often? And now hes one of my best friends. Im not going to try and edit what you do.. Specifications How Do the Pedals and Knee Levers Work on a Pedal Steel? The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time During this time, are you thinking of music as a possible career, or is it more a fun hobby? He doesnt really talk to the audience. To wrap here, how do you feel when you look at your credits and just see hundreds and hundreds of songs? If youre interested in diving deeper into playing chords and scales on E9 pedal steel, check out these guides, Learn the chords on the E9 neck in a way that makes playing simple and enjoyable. They were different sessions and I recorded with her sitting right next to me while I overdubbed. Playpedalsteel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. Bill Frisell "Good Dog, Happy Man" lotsa Leisz. If you have a certain kind of shy disposition, youre usually intimidated because you dont know what to say and you just hope the person that is intimidating wont be intimidating because of something that you say. from $995.00 $1,773.00 Sale But I love that song. Every one of the past 30 years has been that busy in the studio, and hes still found time to tour with the likes of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, K.D. It kicks off that album and its beautiful. Thats one of my favorite Lucinda Williams songs. I hadnt met Beck before that. I remember seeing David Lindley and Jackson Browne back in the 1970s and he was definitely using a Rickenbacker B6 on stage.-----Brad's Page of Steel A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars. I'm pretty new to the world of steel but I'm completely captivated by the subtle detail work Greg Leisz does on 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver.'. Pedal steel is a great accompanist instrument, but Leisz shows how much a simple sound can add so much depth to a piece of music. Tabs that display the major scale harmonized in sixthsthese pockets or positions on the fretboard are great to utilize when playing. He was great. Manage Settings This track will really take you on a ride into the sonic frontiers, and Leisz shows just how much expression the pedal steel is capable of. Tabs that display the major scale harmonized in thirdscombine these with harmonized sixths, and single note runs for lots of playing possibilities. I just went in and overdubbed on one song. But that particular song, what happened there is kind of interesting. When I look at Discogs and AllMusic, I go, I forgot about this record and that record But for me, its the breadth of the stuff that Im most proud of, not necessarily the number.. Hang down your head, Tom Dooley/Poor boy, youre bound to die. That was like, Wow. And when I started playing guitar, I knew those melodies from hearing them on the radio. She ended up having me play enough takes that she felt she could put together what she wanted. She also never really toured again after 1998. Hes the one that knew me. Larry Klein bought me onto Turbulent Indigo. Did you work with Taylor? Youre on the James Iha track Take Me Down. I think that happened when she was on tour with Neil Young. Not to be pigeonholed in just roots music, Leisz (pronounced "Lees") has also played with the likes of Beck, Matthew Sweet, Bad Religion, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Brian Wilson. I was listening to Jeff Beck and going, Shit, what is that? I was learning to play guitar while he was playing Bob Dylan songs. I dont know who actually made it. The pedal steel has an uncanny ability to add so much to any recording, especially one that features a singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar. I taught myself how to play. Getting paid for anything is always a pain in the neck. The longer scale of the Strat (as opposed to traditional Lap steels) seems suited to this type of stuff. Its huge. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Tabs can be a great way to reference musical patterns and learn new playing ideas on the pedal steel guitar. Thats what he did.