Leisz has an amazing ability to generate sounds that the pedal steel isnt usually associated with. Some of you may know about Gaby Moreno. She was living in Nashville and he was in Los Angeles. Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a "bolt-on push pull"? They just had me improvise on it. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on musics A list. She decided she wanted to go play some live shows. 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. 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. 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.. 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). Then you were with Joni Mitchell on Turbulent Indigo in 1994. I loved the stuff that Sneaky Pete Kleinow played on the Flying Burrito Brothers records that he did. 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. A couple of months later, a box came to my house and it had a banjo in it. Join Odelay was interesting because he was working with the Dust Brothers. Pedal Steel Guitar: Why Its So Hard To Play, Pedal Steel Guitar WEIGHT (Lighter vs. Id sometimes listen to the band just to hear the pedal-steel player. How has your pandemic year gone? She also never really toured again after 1998. The group released their debut album, WPA, on September 15, 2009. In 1975, he toured with John Stewart (formerly of The Kingston Trio). I never really liked the Grateful Dead, and now Im in Bobs band the Wolf Brothers with Don Was. Thats another very interesting one. It was one of those things where it was just an afterthought as he was making this record. If someone asked me for my phone number, Id gladly give it to them and write it on a piece of paper. Sometimes you just kind of go, Why did they pay me the money? I hadnt met Beck before that. I didnt even have a business card. I already knew how to play guitar by then. It is always a pleasure to hear Leiszs playing. Ive come full circle with him. Those threads can have a huge impact on your musical journey. Leisz grew up in the garage band culture of mid-1960s Southern California. I actually went to the same high school as Jackson. David Murphy (left) photographed by Richie Tyndall. 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. Her original version was more what she was doing at the time. Greg Leisz's playing with k d lang is wonderful. It kicks off that album and its beautiful. I was drawn to the records that I guess now we talk about as folk-rock or country-rock and I kind of got pulled into the pedal steel through that music, through hearing it on the records that I liked. His playing on this track sits well in the mix with a tone that hooks the listener. Starting in 1986 or so, your credits list gets insane pretty quick. They got turned on to the pedal steel somehow and they knew about me. Greg's playing on Bon Iver is some of my favorite steel playing of all. I met the first great drummers, the first great bass players, the first great musicians I ever played with while I was playing in country bars, rhythm & blues bars, any type of places. Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. Playing on that record was a big deal to me. I overdubbed on the song. He was great. He was already famous before he graduated because of the Nico thing. I love that song. I didnt really see myself in the picture. They had all these songs and they basically just let me play what I heard. 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, 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, The 6 Best Ways To Use Compressors: TIPS & Tricks, 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), Almost Every Chord Youll Ever Need for E9, Easily Utilize the Nashville Number System, All Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales, Modes, Major Scales, An In-Depth Guide to Picking and Blocking, How to Efficiently and Accurately Play Notes on Steel Guitar with, Great for Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, and Console Steel Guitar, Over 100 Pages with Graphics, Illustrations, & Practice Exercises, Great for Country, Alt-Country, & Honky-Tonk Styles. [Editors note: Leisz does, in fact, play on the Pretty Woman version of the song.]. We were both sitting there with acoustic guitars and I play a little on this song. Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA, Strings & instruction for lap steel, Hawaiian & pedalsteel guitars. It wasnt from the manager or a business person. Going back here, can you talk about playing with the Smashing Pumpkins on Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness? lang, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, and the Venturesto name a few. He came out of that world in England where he heard Muddy Waters and it was all over for him. Lap Steel. It was something I really liked to do and I started doing it a lot. This was a time where I met a lot of people like Victoria Williams and Lucinda Williams, Dave Alvin, Dwight Yoakam, Rosie Flores there was a bunch of people that all kind of knew each other and were playing in the same clubs in L.A. in the late Eighties. Use the following techniques: Hold the bar in between your thumb and middle finger. Im pretty proud of that. ], [This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 26 November 2003 at 07:59 AM.]. Its got a great honky-tonk sound, and Leisz shows how at home he feels playing pedal steel in a more traditional context too. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. It was just four or five hours. He stays genuine with the instrument, while still allowing its breadth of expression to add value to each recording. I found out the day before the Super Bowl. [Laughs] He was like, Heres this carrot. Read More. And now Im going, There is something here . The ring and pinky fingers always rest on the strings behind the bar . Theres so many little things that happen when you make records. Join Ive worked a lot with him. They had the chorus. The other guy was Steves co-producer [Ray Kennedy]. I took piano lessons when I was nine, but I didnt have a good teacher and I gave it up pretty quickly. Thats what they called New Wave at the time. At least that's what David told me 25 years ago. Feb 12, 2008. I keep a Strat copy with a Nut Riser and strung with 11's tuned to Open E for gritty Lap steel Blues. Note chart for the E9 pedal steel neck. Eventually, when I finally got one, I had friends that I could play along with. It is in near mint condition and comes with a custom deluxe Cedar Creek hardshell case. I guess I feel very fortunate when I see that, but its just hard to believe theres so many. Leisz has been a top-call session musician in the L.A. area for many years, so its no wonder he got the call to do work on this production with such fantastic artists. With good reason -- the man's resum is daunting, boasting spots with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Read Full Biography Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Related Share on facebook twitter tumblr Credits I basically felt like I had to hone my own skills. 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. Where are you right now? But once I started hearing songs on the radio I liked, Id memorize them and play them on the piano. At the same time, I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and that type of songwriting. And then seven or eight years after that, she did her last album [Shine], and she called me to work on that one, too. I went in and played a couple of songs with him live in the studio with a full band. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. Why was I even there? Its kind of a disappointing thing. I love the Victoria Williams song Crazy Mary. You play on that. And then I would live off that money and play music for as long as I could. It can help with memorizing note names/positions, locating pockets, learningkey signatures, and more. That happens a lot of the time. Its kind of funny. I guess because of that, Ive been fairly active. He didnt introduce anyone. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. It gets crazy. Prior to that record, I knew who she was. They were all playing together and I was in the band with them. Especially the solo on "Pony". But I was playing in garage bands and he was doing folk music. Mint items are in essentially new original condition but have been opened or played. I never even listened to the Dead. I ended up working on a few other albums with him. Diagrams that display the minor pentatonic scale notes on the E9 fretboard. For blues, rock, jazz, and many other styles, using the Mixolydian scale in the form of harmonized sixths can be a great avenue for musical expression. I especially love what came out of that. I know Greg plays other guitars live, but I gotta believe that unmistakable Leisz sound comes from the bolt-on. Related Stories She didnt want a lot of guitar parts. K D Lang's "Ingenue" album has superb playing by Greg Leize. He has played on so many noteworthy productions, with so many great artists, that to say he has been influential in modern music is probably an understatement. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time And my wife and I spend a lot of time together during the pandemic since were both musicians. Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. I thought, Well, my names in there. This page contains affiliate links. It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. The C6 tuning for 6 strings is (beginning with string 1): E C A G E C. Lap steel players have been spelling their tunings from high to low for many years. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. What I remember is that was right around the time she was diagnosed with MS. Maybe it was after. It complements it so well. My first musical experiences were hearing her sing around the house. Pick up any Matthew Sweet album.. It was a natural fit with a lot of people. Leisz's playing has appeared throughout the years on recordings by Aaron Neville, Alison Krauss, Amos Lee, Beck, Bill Frisell, Black Crowes, Bon Iver, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Springsteen, Cass McCombs, Chuck Prophet, Daft Punk, Dave Alvin, Eagles, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Glenn Frey, Grant Lee Buffalo, Haim, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker, John Fogerty, John Mayer, John Stewart, Joni Mitchell, k.d. Thats another crazy story. Leisz's ability to add whatever a track needs always feels natural and timeless at the same time. Hed been with her for a pretty long time. In the earlier stages of his career, Leisz played and toured often with k.d. Leisz has such a great melodic sense, and this song has it on full display. Every instrument and musical note seems to fall right in place, with great sounding timbres, and Leiszs pedal steel is no different. On the other hand, she was always very interested in hearing what I could come up with. I think hed become aware of my playing on a couple of other records, especially this K.D. She did a tour with an orchestra [in 2000], but it was last time she went out and played guitar with a band. Yeah. Hed heard me play pedal steel, but he didnt know I had blues knowledge that went deep. I just went in and overdubbed on one song. Apparently, she had already worked on the song. And after the Steve Earle sessions, he signed off, but she didnt think it was finished. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 - Regal RD45 - fender hotrod deluxe. The first note of the solo slides up to the 12th fret. One of Bill Frisells favorite musicians to work with, Greg has such a characteristic style of playing and it always shines with Frisell. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. Ron Aniello is somebody I have worked with before, so he hired me to come and play on some stuff. I am a huge fan of Greg's playing, and had the pleasure of meeting him after the show. Thats another one of those random things. Add To Cart. At sparse moments in the song, his pedal steel playing adds so much emotion to the music. My friend Brian Blade played drums on it. To make a long story short, I knew her engineer and he asked me to come play on the record. . We already have a guitar player. I could see it as a smart thing to do. Its actually playing really specific and dedicated, punctuated lines, which is what they were looking for. Anyway, it was great for me. We want to hear it. LIM_FLAG - Soundboards allowed in ***streaming format only*** four months following a given performance Audience-made Bob Weir concert recordings (exclusive of Grateful Dead, RatDog, The Other Ones, The Dead, and Furthur recordings), can be made available as downloads while available. Shes fantastic. With his ability to add texture to the music, and unconventional sonic expressions to the music, his playing feels like putting the final piece into a puzzle. This track has such a sweet groove to it, and Leisz adds just the right ambience to float with it. He was mixing it remotely from here. Lindley's style led me to Greg Leisz, my greatest inspiration. It was just Eric sending me a text. I didnt have one and said Id like to play it. This is a great album all around, with world class musicianship. Help That was fascinating since I spent more time with her and got to see more process. Well, thats a good question. I grew up in a family where I didnt have older brothers or sisters. I went back to Chicago and worked on that with James. Although this track has Leisz on lap steel, I couldnt help but include it! Its huge. Hes added so much great pedal steel playing to Frisells albums over the years, that listening to Frisells work is perhaps one of the best ways to learn what the pedal steel is capable of in Leiszs hands. I was like, Thats an unusual thing, to play on two different Albums of the Year two years in a row. Not only that, the year that Daft Punk won, I played at the Grammys. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel. Her budget had been stretched by the time, so she wanted to work fast. And the Japanese version has a bonus track thats almost a pedal-steel instrumental. I played on something where she hadnt finished the lyrics yet. His idea was to have her do this thing with Civil Wars where they sang together. But when we got to the song My Woman Got a Black Cat Bone, he featured me in the song the whole way. Leisz is no stranger to rock n roll, and always has the ability to add grit and bite to songs. But I think it takes a real receptive ear to hear what youre doing and make a decision to use it in the right way. Do whatever you want to do.. And then it became, Wow, I can make a little money. But I had all sorts of different day jobs the whole time. It is very versatile and there is a lot of learning material available online. I wanted to know where she wanted me to play. Greg's toured or recorded with Dave Alvin . 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. 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. It was Steve Gadd and [organist] Walt Richmond and Doyle and Eric. He just sits up there in his golf shirt and jeans and is up there like he just walked out of his house and went down to the local bar and hes onstage playing. 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. I think she had an idea of how she wanted to do it. from $995.00 $1,773.00 Sale SOLD 2022 Electro Hawaiian Model 1 Lap Steel Custom $3,900.00 Sold Out Sale 2022-2023 Asher Electro Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel Trans Cherry with Gig Bag! I really enjoyed his work on the recent Blue Ridge Rangers" album (John Fogarty). 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. It was one of those things where she had a breakout song with that Cowboys song and suddenly the record company was like, Oh, we knew it the whole time! Ive seen this a lot before. Tabs that display the major scale harmonized in thirdscombine these with harmonized sixths, and single note runs for lots of playing possibilities. As an Amazon Associate Playpedalsteel.com earns from qualifying purchases. I feel very fortunate we got through the whole year. That was the case with Joni Mitchell. Leiszs ability to add whatever a track needs always feels natural and timeless at the same time. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel. 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. This track features mostly acoustic guitar and vocals, and the pedal steel is so smooth. I can imagine that being intimidating. He felt it would be too many musicians and that it should be more stripped-down. You wouldnt think of Beck as an artist to employ pedal steel much, but when you hear the sonic space that Leisz fills within his music, its understandable why any musician would want to utilize him. Leisz single-handedly liberated pedal steel from the bondage of country.. That record was Album of the Year at the Grammys. When legendary artists head into the studio nowadays, theres a good chance theyll have Leisz play steel on the production. If you think about that era, I was in the mid-Sixties conundrum generation where you had a generation gap and a draft. To wrap here, how do you feel when you look at your credits and just see hundreds and hundreds of songs? Youre touring with Bob Weir now. He also writes songs. My wife plays bass with David Crosby. I really liked that project. 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. I did a couple of songs, and then a couple of days later, I played on another song. Free Shipping if you live in the North American US - email me directly for shipping everywhere else. He is one of my favorites. I was basically asked to play all the guitars on the album. In the studio, usually David used Valco instruments. I already knew it and I came out of the Sixties and had a folkie background and could understand that stuff. And then I went, Holy shit. I texted back to see if it was real. your profile | join | preferences | help | search. He appeared in the 2016 Cameron Crowe cable television series Roadies, accompanying Jackson Browne on three songs in the last episode of the series. lang, Robert Plant and others. Well, in those 10 years, I spent a lot of time playing in clubs, basically. I basically thought at one point that Id be a geologist or a forest ranger or something like that. On the fall leg, Van Morrison didnt do it. 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. Its called Horizon. Its probably on Spotify now. Terry . Im going to make a list and send it to people. He told me the band, that he wanted Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan to be the rhythm section and Doyle and Chris Stainton. I think I was working on another record at the time, a Jakob Dylan record. We had the pleasure of opening for her here in Fort Myers a while back. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 Being a mailman was great because you had a car and you drove around and delivered mail. I never thought of it as a career. And it was a cool thing to get to do that. Leisz enjoyed collaborating with her for nearly twenty years straight, and this musical dynamic is always worth listening to. ------------------Brad's Page of Steel A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars, Too bad I procrastinated for more than 20 years. We got a record deal because of Jack Tempchins past of writing songs for the Eagles on their early records. Yeah. As far as lately the latest Luncinda Williams has him on steel and guitar. I dont know who actually made it. Are you vaccinated? I wish I had been his best friend in high school. http://archive.guitarplayer.com/archive/artists/frisell.shtml. Definitely check out the Sara Watkins album, he's all over it. Its similar. Violin (5:18) Amos Lee: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Fuzz Guitar, Vibraphone Jaron Olevsky: Rhodes Electric Keyboard, Organ Joey Burns: Piano, Electric Guitar, Baritone Guitar, Upright Bass Greg Leisz: Pedal Steel We did a video where Jackson is getting a heart transplant. This would encompass all the work he does with T-Bone, and likely the Bon Iver and other indie records he's doing these days. Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 She set me straight and said, Im not going to tell you anything. They were all getting more into roots music. As well as Ryan Adams "Ashes & Fire", he is on a few tracks. Search Can you bring your 12-string over here to the studio? Married to Mai Leisz . Yeah. What happened in that time? As a janitor, Id work at City Hall, just cleaning bathrooms and stuff like that. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. Lets start with Roxette and their hit It Must Have Been Love. That was kind of a cool thing. And now hes one of my best friends. All Rights reserved. To me, thats really interesting to do that. lang's Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang and joined her on the resulting tour. But I spent a couple of summers working as a forest ranger in Idaho and fighting fires. Getting paid for anything is always a pain in the neck. They had gotten interested in doing stuff with live musicians. The early Eighties must have been rough then. It was amazing to be onstage with him every night. Buddy Miller's "Majestic Silver Strings". By that time, I had been in some bands and the bands had broken up. I went to his home studio and worked with his engineer. One lesson that will aid your set of lap steel guitar lessons nicely is this one from your friends at the National Guitar Academy: Slide Guitar Tuning: The Essential Guide. I didnt meet Taylor or either one of the people from the Civil Wars. Bob [This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 26 November 2003 at 07:59 AM. Youre all over the last Daft Punk album. Yeah. Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track. When I heard electric guitar on records, I wanted to play that. It is why I am playing steel today. Ron called me and said, I just want you to know I used your pedal steel in this Jeep commercial. Bill Frisell "Good Dog, Happy Man" lotsa Leisz. It didnt say who it was from. It was the same thing that drew me to the electric guitar. I sometimes just took day factory jobs in Orange County. : Wikipedia : Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Funky Kings, The All Star Band, Watkins Family Hour, Works Progress Administration : | Greg Leisz Love this solo! Fortunately, my mother was musical, even though she sang more opera. But Dylan called up Dave Alvin and asked him to be the opening act. But I love that record. I dont know how else to describe how I feel. Very nice and tasteful playing. I didnt know much about Roxette and it was just that day. Enjoy weekend savings on Fender, Gretsch, and more. I have to go back pretty far. With origins dating back to the 19thCentury, the steel guitar found its way to Hawaii by courtesy of Mexican settlers. She was bringing in a lot of guitar players and people she knew to overdub on songs that already had guitars on. A detailed look at one of the most challenging and mysterious aspects of steel guitar playing: the right hand An In-Depth Guide to Picking and Blocking How to Efficiently and Accurately Play Notes on Steel Guitar with Info, Advice, and Tips Great for Pedal Steel, Lap Steel, and Console Steel Guitar I had met Victoria before that. 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. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. Thats another crazy story. Long story short, we made one record. How was your experience in Eric Claptons touring band in 2013? Thats a little odd. We went in the studio to make another record and the band broke apart during the dramas of making the second record. I had played a very little bit on a record [2010s Clapton] three years before when Doyle Bramhall brought me into the studio to meet Eric. Also, its interesting to me that it even happened at all. And then I was like, Wow, I can actually play this stuff. Youve recorded and toured a ton together over the years. With good reason -- the man's resum is daunting, boasting spots with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow, Peter Case, Paul Westerberg, Me'Shell NdegeOcello, Victoria Williams, Joe Cocker, Dave Alvin, k.d.