http://archive.guitarplayer.com/archive/artists/frisell.shtml. 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. It was like, Maybe we can put this instrument on this one song. I also played some other stuff on a couple other songs, but the songs didnt make the record. A couple years later, he made another record [Old Sock] and Doyle called me again. My friend Brian Blade played drums on it. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Victoria played guitar and I played pedal steel on it. I had to decide whether it was good myself. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . She made one record before that, at least. Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a "bolt-on push pull"? This track kicks off strong with Leiszs pedal steel at the forefront. She was on my radar as somebody up-and-coming. Sometimes you just kind of go, Why did they pay me the money? Thats another crazy story. We were both planning on being on tour a lot. Versatile and musically accommodating, Greg shapes up many tracks with his pedal steel playing. Does he mostly play E9? I basically was just playing music with my friends. Hes the one that knew me. He said, Im not sure what songs Im going to do. My first musical experiences were hearing her sing around the house. 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. Thanks for checking out this post, hope it is helpful and makes playing more enjoyable! An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. They had two different studios in the same complex. Leisz is no stranger to rock n' roll, and always has the ability to add grit and bite to songs. Eventually, when I finally got one, I had friends that I could play along with. Long story short, we made one record. While Frisells guitar playing is unique and bends genres in its own right, Leisz complements this so well. Very nice and tasteful playing. It was a natural fit with a lot of people. I didnt know it was Eric Clapton. I learned how to play it and Ive now played it on a couple of records. Leisz's ability to add whatever a track needs always feels natural and timeless at the same time. 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. Lang, and Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. I dont know how to comprehend everything Ive done, he says. At the 2:44 mark check out Leiszs cool harmonic lick that echoes the vocals. In 1989, he played on k.d. She was just like, I dont need this anymore.. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. And then I started working with some musicians that were playing in some of the folk clubs in Southern California. No. 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. "A lot of people that I've worked with, you think they're going to be intimidating, but they're so good at making you feel comfortable," says Greg Leisz. Youre on the James Iha track Take Me Down. There can be a lot of confusion about this, that's why I stated it up front. Theres so many little things that happen when you make records. All Rights reserved. I just went in and overdubbed on one song. They were different sessions and I recorded with her sitting right next to me while I overdubbed. At first he said, Ill play a solo in the middle, and then you play a solo, and Ill play a solo. Eventually he said, I just want you you to play all the solos. It was amazing for me because I got to be featured. I was basically asked to play all the guitars on the album. Hes credited with playing 12-string too. He felt it would be too many musicians and that it should be more stripped-down. This is going back to her second album. She set me straight and said, Im not going to tell you anything. It is why I am playing steel today. I did his whole record last year, which isnt out yet. I also didnt have parents that thought it was a good idea. Another funny story is that when we were in the studio, he had a banjo. Time and time again, Leisz shows that his ear is always adept to the present musical situation he finds himself in, creating in the moment. Youre touring with Bob Weir now. Steve Earle had taken over from her ex-guitar player [Gurf Morlix], who left the band during the sessions. I think she had an idea of how she wanted to do it. The Robert Plant / Alison Krauss album was another amazing record. There was something called new country. Once that started happening, I had been pre-conditioned to play that kind of music. 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. The longer scale of the Strat (as opposed to traditional Lap steels) seems suited to this type of stuff. My understanding is he uses a '66 bolt-on push/pull for most of his studio work. Tony Berg is a producer Ive worked with quite a bit. Its wild. Are you vaccinated? It was the sound of it. Well, in those 10 years, I spent a lot of time playing in clubs, basically. Eric Clapton. Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 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. Specifications Around the 1:32 mark, Leiszs beautiful harmonics grace the listener in the higher frequencies. I really had no idea it would become what it became. I went through a little bit of soul searching. He basically gave me a banjo. [Laughs] Yes, but Im used to being intimidated by people in the music business. In the studio, usually David used Valco instruments. But its been a crazy year, just like it has for everybody. Note chart for the E9 pedal steel neck. Actually, Ive been working a lot with Jackson Browne. How Do the Pedals and Knee Levers Work on a Pedal Steel? Married to Mai Leisz . Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, Powered by Infopop www.infopop.com 2000 Why am I going there? I had no idea. 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. Watch this gear and we'll notify you if it becomes available again. You did all that in a single day? We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. T Bone talked her into doing it this other way. 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. What I remember is that was right around the time she was diagnosed with MS. Maybe it was after. If it didnt have a purpose, theyd just take it out. Pedal Steel. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. We spent two hours on the phone with Leisz, and just barely scratched the surface of his life and career. But anyway, I actually had the experience of playing with him live in the studio. 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.. lang, adding pedal steel to this Grammy-winning album. It was actually just one day. I know youre very close with Jackson Browne. And until the record came out, I didnt even see the producer until after I finished the session. And when she was young, she actually sang in a Broadway musical and light opera in the mid-Forties, during the war. They are Swedish musicians, but I knew some of the same people that they did. She is known, among other things, for having written the theme song for the TV show "Parks and Rec". They recorded a version of it after she got MS. That was the first Sweet Relief album. 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. It doesnt always work. I have to go back pretty far. I basically thought at one point that Id be a geologist or a forest ranger or something like that. 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 didnt even have a business card. Greg Leisz Follow Artist + The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. They made it look like a recording studio onstage. Later, I did play on a James Iha solo album [Let It Come Down] that Jim Scott produced. I dont know who actually made it. This is all very helpful. I wanted to figure out how to make those sounds. It kicks off that album and its beautiful. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. February 21, 2023. I think that happened when she was on tour with Neil Young. [Editors note: Leisz does, in fact, play on the Pretty Woman version of the song.]. He needs an artificial heart. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He was still married to her at that time. Greg Leisz is prolific, to say the least. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel. Love this solo! I asked her if she had any ideas for the song when we started. I basically grew up inside of that. I took piano lessons when I was nine, but I didnt have a good teacher and I gave it up pretty quickly. Thats just a huge, huge record. 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. This is one of those songs that I cant imagine without Leiszs pedal steel. I was drawn, even before pedal steel, to traditional slide-guitar music. I saw that she broke her guitar and David Crosby didnt like it. It was one of those things where it was just an afterthought as he was making this record. Yeah. Yeah. But I overdubbed. This song is a great example of how tasteful Leiszs playing can be. It was an amazing experience. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. To jump forward here, can you tell me about the formation of the Funky Kings? She didnt want a lot of guitar parts. Greg's always been one of my favorites, from his work with KD Lang to Peter Case to Bill Frisell--I have dozens of CDs he played on that I bought just to hear him. The same thing happened when I heard pedal steel on records that I listened to. Being a mailman was great because you had a car and you drove around and delivered mail. But when we got to the song My Woman Got a Black Cat Bone, he featured me in the song the whole way. Hes help put the pedal steel on the map of countless areas of music that it probably had never been before. They had all these songs and they basically just let me play what I heard. I sometimes just took day factory jobs in Orange County. Then you were with Joni Mitchell on Turbulent Indigo in 1994. I'm learning to appreciate and love the form but it's just not my natural habitat, musically speaking. They were referencing a lot of what they thought of as Seventies music, and using it. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. Youre on Becks song Sissyneck from Odelay. I didnt really see myself in the picture. Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron. I have a credit.. T Bone wasnt even there to tell me it was good. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. All the parts have a reason for being there. Greg Leisz plays a Weissenborn Style 2, Style 1, and teardrop model with an original metal tailpiece (anyone seen another?). I guess because of that, Ive been fairly active. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they just dont use it properly or they bury it in the mix. But I have worked on several other sessions with him, including several where we played live in the studio, like Mutations. We went in the studio to make another record and the band broke apart during the dramas of making the second record. But that particular song, what happened there is kind of interesting. This was her second record and she wanted to make a bunch of changes. While Greg ranges widely stylistically, he can also play excellent straight-ahead country style, as on some of his work with Rosie Flores. Leisz enjoyed collaborating with her for nearly twenty years straight, and this musical dynamic is always worth listening to. Pedal-Steel Guitarist Greg Leisz on His Years With Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Daft Punk, Neil Young Sets Release Date for Vintage Seventies Bootlegs, Kiley Dean Began As Britney Spears Backup Singer. That was great, for me. Yeah. Although this track has Leisz on lap steel, I couldnt help but include it! Playpedalsteel.com also participates in affiliate programs with CJ, PartnerStack, and other sites. On the fall leg, Van Morrison didnt do it. I think hed become aware of my playing on a couple of other records, especially this K.D. Thats someone I met many years earlier when he played in Ace in the Seventies. We hadnt even learned many songs when we got our record deal, and Arista, Clive Davis, signed the band. Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. What sort of career did you see yourself pursuing? Thats because Ive done a lot of stuff with T Bone Burnett. Starting in 1986 or so, your credits list gets insane pretty quick. I didnt have one and said Id like to play it. As far as lately the latest Luncinda Williams has him on steel and guitar. Shes the one that comes in and walks away with it. Youre on Paula Coles I Dont Want to Wait, which was an enormous song. Without Brian making that suggestion, I dont think she would have thought of it. Its overwhelming. Her budget had been stretched by the time, so she wanted to work fast. Mint items are in essentially new original condition but have been opened or played. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. 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. Everybody was trying to get record deals. Help On her album Watershed, the track 'Once in a While' is a beautiful example of refined, tasteful and subtle playing. (He's a really good guitar player.) Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track.

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