Fortunately, my mother was musical, even though she sang more opera. Great album. This track has such a sweet groove to it, and Leisz adds just the right ambience to float with it. That record was Album of the Year at the Grammys. He was doing a record with her. This page contains affiliate links. Its got a great honky-tonk sound, and Leisz shows how at home he feels playing pedal steel in a more traditional context too. Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. I overdubbed on the song. When legendary artists head into the studio nowadays, theres a good chance theyll have Leisz play steel on the production. 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. In 1989, he played on k.d. That was the first time I worked with him. He doesnt really talk to the audience. With origins dating back to the 19thCentury, the steel guitar found its way to Hawaii by courtesy of Mexican settlers. He was mixing it remotely from here. It was just that Billy Corgan was allowing James to do one song on a double album. 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. He's on all of them.. Brian didnt think that was a great idea. It wasnt the first band that wasnt successful that I was in, but it was the band that had the most attention focused on it, quite a bit in a very short time. 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. I ended up working on a few other albums with him. "Legends of the Incredible Lap Steel". Some of you may know about Gaby Moreno. Lovely conversation with this music legend. Add To Cart. For any of you that don't have the book from fellow Forumite Andy Volk entitled, http://www.myspace.com/video/lol/robert-plant-alison-krauss-killing-the-blues-with-lyrics/24448189, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvTTRKvfEU, http://www.laweekly.com/2004-04-08/news/south-of-here/. Similar to playing with a slide or playing pedal steel, the lap steel uses a bar that slides across the strings. Tony Berg is a producer Ive worked with quite a bit. And when she was young, she actually sang in a Broadway musical and light opera in the mid-Forties, during the war. During this time, are you thinking of music as a possible career, or is it more a fun hobby? These five tunings for 6 string lap steel guitar are great starting points for anyone just beginning the lap steel adventure: C6 - C E G A C E - The C6 tuning is by far the most common modern tuning for solid body lap steel guitars. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. I just got contacted. Apparently, she had already worked on the song. Brian recommend to her that maybe I should do it. This is the same type of lap steel that Greg Leisz used (along with his Bill Asher steel) when I saw him with Bill Frisell. Ron called me and said, I just want you to know I used your pedal steel in this Jeep commercial. Its kind of funny. I went in and did one day where I played on a few songs. Includes a bonus section of over a hundred pages of extra chord charts, key references, and more! And it was a cool thing to get to do that. Yeah. While Frisells guitar playing is unique and bends genres in its own right, Leisz complements this so well. Thats what I kind of remember. 148 South Cloverdale Blvd. Or does he switch necks often? I wanted to know where she wanted me to play. The Robert Plant / Alison Krauss album was another amazing record. Interestingly enough, there is this thread between Victoria Williams and Joni Mitchell. Specifications 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. While Greg ranges widely stylistically, he can also play excellent straight-ahead country style, as on some of his work with Rosie Flores. There was a lot of questioning, to be totally honest. And now hes one of my best friends. He has an uncanny ability to always connect with the listeners ears. They ended up pulling it because of that incident. I heard this, and could not get that steel guitar sound out of my head. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. I think I was working on another record at the time, a Jakob Dylan record. 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. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on musics A list. 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. And so she goes through this whole process where she has these hits and she makes another record and it didnt do well, and the label immediately stopped supporting her. 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. Running on Empty was done on the A Rickenbacker. The first note of the solo slides up to the 12th fret. It didnt say who it was from. I didnt play live with her. All in good time --, [This message was edited by Russ Young on 22 November 2002 at 09:12 PM. They did two version of that song. 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. [Editors note: Leisz does, in fact, play on the Pretty Woman version of the song.]. I went through a little bit of soul searching. 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. He said, Im not sure what songs Im going to do. Hearing Leisz' work on that Bon Iver album convinced me that pedal steel is where I want to head. These lap steel tabs and songs were played on an 8 string Excel Jerry Byrd frypan lap steel. 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. He heard my pedal steel and thought that was something that Joni would embrace in her music. They just had me improvise on it. It was just basically recorded in a bedroom. She decided she wanted to take over the production of the record herself. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. He was inspired to pick up the pedal steel after hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow and Buddy Emmons. T Bone talked her into doing it this other way. He said, Im maybe going to go on tour next year. Im fully vaccinated, have been for some time. His heart gets taken out because its broken. Ron Aniello is somebody I have worked with before, so he hired me to come and play on some stuff. And then I was like, Wow, I can actually play this stuff. And then I went, Holy shit. I texted back to see if it was real. She seems sweet. But its been a crazy year, just like it has for everybody. It was amazing to be onstage with him every night. Four years later, I worked with her again on Taming the Tiger. I didnt have any role models or anyone that would suggest that could even be a possibility. Hed heard me play pedal steel, but he didnt know I had blues knowledge that went deep. In the studio, usually David used Valco instruments. I had produced a bunch of his records too. Leiszs tone is crystal clear on this one, and is captivating. I already knew it and I came out of the Sixties and had a folkie background and could understand that stuff. They were all playing together and I was in the band with them. We already have a guitar player. I could see it as a smart thing to do. Im pretty proud of that. Odelay was interesting because he was working with the Dust Brothers. That was a really interesting thing too. anyone know? 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. We spent two hours on the phone with Leisz, and just barely scratched the surface of his life and career. They tweaked it here and there and made that the track. 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. I live in a place thats a good place to hang out during a pandemic since its very close to nature. She came in and she was real sweet. Around the 1:32 mark, Leiszs beautiful harmonics grace the listener in the higher frequencies. It was really a drag that she didnt continue after that because she didnt get enough people didnt really appreciate that last album. 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. Youre on Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift and Civil Wars. 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.'. 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 didnt really know what to call it. They got turned on to the pedal steel somehow and they knew about me. And after the Steve Earle sessions, he signed off, but she didnt think it was finished. Once you start using the low C# tuning on the lap steel, you have completely different instrument than an 8 string tuned to G E C A G E C A. All Lap Steels 2022-2023 Asher Electro Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel Black with Gig Bag! Victoria had already gotten a deal and made a record in New York. The year after that, Morning Phase was the album of the year. Thats a little odd. Weve been doing live streaming shows from the Bay Area. It can help with memorizing note names/positions, locating pockets, learningkey signatures, and more. Up to an additional 30% off shop-wideEnjoy weekend savings on Fender, Gretsch, and moreShop now, View similar gear from other sellers on Reverb. I got a job as a janitor and as a substitute mailman for a while. She got treated a little rough in the press in the reviews. 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. 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. I didnt meet him. Later, I did play on a James Iha solo album [Let It Come Down] that Jim Scott produced. Check out these 7 songs that feature Leiszs fantastic pedal steel playing. T Bone wasnt even there to tell me it was good. 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. 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. Once you get an instrument in your hand and start playing it, you go, Wow. Then you teach yourself something and youre able to do it, you can apply it, its mind-expanding. We had the pleasure of opening for her here in Fort Myers a while back. His playing on this track sits well in the mix with a tone that hooks the listener. I love how unconventional Leiszs pedal steel has been on many recordings. How has your pandemic year gone? It wasnt much. 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. They had gotten interested in doing stuff with live musicians. The early Eighties must have been rough then. It was a natural fit with a lot of people. As far as chords on different frets, one of the essential techniques for playing steel (as opposed to just slide . I basically was just playing music with my friends. I just liked the sound of the guitar and I wanted to do it. He needs an artificial heart. We got a record deal because of Jack Tempchins past of writing songs for the Eagles on their early records. I basically grew up inside of that. My understanding is he uses a '66 bolt-on push/pull for most of his studio work. I love that song too. Every instrument and musical note seems to fall right in place, with great sounding timbres, and Leiszs pedal steel is no different. When I taught myself how to play the electric guitar when I was 13, 14, its a visceral thing. As an Amazon Associate Playpedalsteel.com earns from qualifying purchases. It was Steve Gadd and [organist] Walt Richmond and Doyle and Eric. Its similar. Definitely check out the Sara Watkins album, he's all over it. I was drawn, even before pedal steel, to traditional slide-guitar music. I love the layering and devotion to the song instead of the instrument. Read More. I never saw that coming. Steel guitarist Greg Leisz, who first made his name playing on Americana records from Dave Alvin, Lucinda Williams and Bonnie Raitt, has more recently been playing on progressive-jazz albums. ], Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain. Thats what he did. Why was I even there? Its kind of a disappointing thing. [Laughs] He was like, Heres this carrot. I loved it. These two have such a great melodic sense, and their instruments weave in and out of each other to create a beautiful tapestry of sound. Facebook 0 Twitter LinkedIn 0 Reddit Tumblr. He met Jules Shear. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. 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. Starting in 1986 or so, your credits list gets insane pretty quick. We hadnt even learned many songs when we got our record deal, and Arista, Clive Davis, signed the band. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The sound of the guitars blew my mind. I basically thought at one point that Id be a geologist or a forest ranger or something like that. Editors picks By that time, I had been in some bands and the bands had broken up. When she was making Car Wheels, that was really at the end stages of the record. Im looking at your credits and theres a 10-year gap after the Funky Kings and before you start racking up a ton of credits. His tone (on recent recordings) is, in my opinion, the best you will find in the world. She decided she wanted to go play some live shows. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar It was pretty terrifying. Greg Leisz is a songwriter, sideman, and producer who pays guitar, dobro, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Long story short, we made one record. Well, in those 10 years, I spent a lot of time playing in clubs, basically. They had all these songs and they basically just let me play what I heard. I know Greg plays other guitars live, but I gotta believe that unmistakable Leisz sound comes from the bolt-on. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. I thought, Well, my names in there. It is always a pleasure to hear Leiszs playing. I grew up in a family where I didnt have older brothers or sisters. Greg Leiszs list of credits is so incredibly long and varied that its almost hard to believe its all the work of a single person. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Once I got to the point where I could hang out in bars, I used to go to country bars. At the 2:44 mark check out Leiszs cool harmonic lick that echoes the vocals. The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. Its insane. Yeah. Tell me about playing on Bruce Springsteens Wrecking Ball. Youre on Youve Got It and We Are Alive. I basically felt like I had to hone my own skills. That pretty much sums it up. When I heard electric guitar on records, I wanted to play that. For decades, the Southern California-based multi-instrumentalist has been a go-to guitarist and pedal steel player for musicians such as Eric Clapton, Buddy Miller, John Mayer, Bill Frisell, k.d. I saw her on Saturday Night Live. Although this track has Leisz on lap steel, I couldnt help but include it! 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. Greg Leisz net worth is $800,000 Greg Leisz Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Gregory Brian Leisz (pronounced "Lease") (born September 18, 1949, Buffalo, New York, United States) is an American musician. I really liked that project. Yeah. Manage Settings No. I was also on Where Have All the Cowboys Gone, which was pretty big too. I think she had an idea of how she wanted to do it. 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. 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. It was just Eric sending me a text. Greg Leisz - pedal steel, lap steel, National steel guitar, Scheerhorn resonator guitar, mandolin Ron Miles - trumpet Billy Drewes - alto saxophone David Piltch - bass Kenny Wolleson - drums, percussion Curtis Fowlkes - trombone. More recently, you worked with Phoebe Bridgers. I was doing Gloria or something. It was actually just one day. I can teach myself.. I love the Victoria Williams song Crazy Mary. You play on that. His tone (on recent recordings) is, in my opinion, the best you will find in the world. 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. At some point, Roxette came to town for a gig and they asked me to come into the studio and play with them. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. Yeah. I cant really believe it myself. I didnt study music because I didnt think that was a career option for me. They were different sessions and I recorded with her sitting right next to me while I overdubbed. To jump forward here, can you tell me about the formation of the Funky Kings? Great for diving into single note playing possibilities and runs on the tuning. 6.9K views 1 year ago On this Greg Leisz interview, how playing with artists like Dave Alvin, k.d. Use the following techniques: Hold the bar in between your thumb and middle finger. I forget if it was directly by James Iha or the management. His tunings include low G (D G D G B D) and a secret tuning that he uses in three different keys-one for each of three instruments. The band got signed very quickly because there was already a songwriter that had a couple hit songs. I think that happened when she was on tour with Neil Young. She was bringing in a lot of guitar players and people she knew to overdub on songs that already had guitars on. Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. She is known, among other things, for having written the theme song for the TV show "Parks and Rec". 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. Yeah. Oh, man can Greg play the steel! Shes fantastic. Blues and Rock players tend to favor one of two tuning families: open G/open A, or open D/open E. 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. They were amazing. Youre on Paula Coles I Dont Want to Wait, which was an enormous song. That was enormous, yeah. 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). I just had to hope she wouldnt walk out of the room and not come back. You probably know the history. He spent time at the Ashgrove, the Troubador, and clubs on the Sunset Strip . 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 They were all getting more into roots music. I took piano lessons when I was nine, but I didnt have a good teacher and I gave it up pretty quickly. She made one record before that, at least. I played on something where she hadnt finished the lyrics yet. On the fall leg, Van Morrison didnt do it. They had the chorus. What I remember is that was right around the time she was diagnosed with MS. Maybe it was after. I found out the day before the Super Bowl. I was there and saw them playing. I was pedal steel and lap steel and some mandolin. Eric Clapton. 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. Private Messages I didnt know much about Roxette and it was just that day. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. At sparse moments in the song, his pedal steel playing adds so much emotion to the music. 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. What drew you to the pedal steel? 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.. Diagrams that display the minor pentatonic scale notes on the E9 fretboard. Yeah. 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. Thats probably the longest time I havent spent on a plane since I was a teenager. August 20, 2019. I didnt know it was Eric Clapton. But once I started hearing songs on the radio I liked, Id memorize them and play them on the piano. Youre on Becks song Sissyneck from Odelay. Once I could actually play the guitar, I started meeting a couple of other kids in the neighborhood and wed play together. Terry . You can do anything you want. He asked me to come to Chicago and I was there. Ive been very fortunate since all my friends and family have remained healthy and fine. That band was really the brainchild of this guy named Richard Stekol, who was one third of the songwriting triumvirate of that band. Sure enough, he was serious. Are you vaccinated? Its not just flavoring. That album [Loose] was a really great album for me. Help Ive worked a lot with him.