“That Thing, That Sound” Doc Looks to Revitalize Interest in the Steel Guitar
Cinematographer Kelsey Hammer-Parks and music journalist Nathan Emerson have set out to create a new documentary about a dying music instrument and those trying to save it. That Thing, That Sound is a musical documentary on the steel guitar—often a topic of discussion when the talk turns to the dying roots of country music.
What used to be a mainstay in country music and is recognized by country fans and non-country fans alike as an essential element to the music, has now all but disappeared from commercial country. But there is still a strong appeal for the lonesome moan of the steel guitar in many independent country fans and their favorite artists, as well as bigger stars like Miranda Lambert and Garth Brooks who still feature the steel in their music.
That Thing, That Sound includes appearances and contributions from a virtual who’s who of the steel guitar realm at the moment, including Zachary Moulton of Mike and the Moonpies, Spencer Cullum Jr., previously of Caitlin Rose and now the steel player for Miranda Lambert, “Cowboy” Eddie Long from Jamie Johnson and Hank Williams Jr., Rose Sinclair from Wayne “The Train” Hancock, the legendary Buddy Cage from New Riders of the Purple Sage and Neil Young, Brett Robinson from Whitey Morgan and the 78’s, Neil Flanz from Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, and Paul Niehaus from Justin Townes Earle and Calexico.
Other steel players in the documentary include Andy Hall, Jay Jackson, Bruce Bouton, Ben Kitterman, Dave Easley, Simon Page, and Anders Beck.
“The steel guitar is rare in recorded country music but it is even more rare in a live setting,” says That Thing, That Sound‘s Nathan Emerson. “The film is to educate and inspire a generation that is unfamiliar with the steel guitar.”
To help with finishing the film, an Indiegogo campaign has been launched. Though Saving Country Music doesn’t normally endorse or promote crowdfunded projects until they’re in post production unless the aim is altruistic, the plight of the steel guitar is one that this film and its goals are worthy of the cause.
A teaser video can be seen below.
June 30, 2016 @ 6:32 pm
The best instrument of all time.
April 5, 2018 @ 4:45 pm
I can second that. But PLEASE don’t leave out the great FEMALE artists….Mikilani Fo,Letitia Candle,etc.
Many people think that making love while feeling this music in the background (it’s the original electric guitar,loud enough to be felt) is the ultimate experience…whether Hawaiian or country-western.
June 30, 2016 @ 6:34 pm
“There ain’t nothin’ like a steel guitar……..to drown a memory.”
June 30, 2016 @ 6:35 pm
This looks really cool. It definitely is an instrument we’ve seen phased out live even when it features prominently on records – Chris Stapleton’s tour has featured a four man band – him on guitar, his wife singing backup, a bass, and drums. Astounding in this modern age of 4 guitars, 2 drummers, and 3 leather clad Magic Mike wannabes dancing in tight black leather pants, but I would’ve killed for the textures the steel provides to his overall sound.
July 1, 2016 @ 6:11 am
Yeah, definitely the biggest disappointment of the Stapleton show was the lack of steel and harmonica. Anderson East opened the set, and had a full band including trumpet and sax. The show was still incredible, Stapleton’s voice alone fills up the place. But the steel and harmonica would have added so much.
July 1, 2016 @ 9:00 am
It might be hard for Robby Turner to tour full time these days. Or they may just be featured a stripped down lineup until Stapleton starts playing even bigger shows.
July 3, 2016 @ 10:15 am
Stapleton’s shows are pretty big so no reason to NOT have it guessing Robby’s preference.
June 30, 2016 @ 6:39 pm
Great write up Trig, I love the steel guitar and its very refreshing when you hear some steel in a modern commercial country song.
Theres only 5 mainstream country songs i can think of that were at radio the past 3 years (since country music changed so much in 2011-2012 steel guitar has virtually disappeared from songs) that had a steel guitar crying through nearly the entire song: Mind Reader by Dustin Lynch, All Country On You by Austin Webb, Nobody To Blame by Chris Stapleton, Hard To Be Cool by Joe Nichols, and Cold Beer With Your Name On It by Josh Thompson. I’m sure theres a FEW more i’m forgetting, but this goes to show how the steel guitar has disappeared from mainstream country.
I think Dustin Lynch’s “Mind Reader” hitting #1 with all the steel in it was a slight victory for us country lovers looking for the return of the steel guitar in modern country, as most songs with steel in it usually do poorly or mediocre on the charts.
June 30, 2016 @ 7:10 pm
I was going to add Jason Aldean’s “Fly over states” and “night train” but those where #1 in 2012. Once in a while Aldean picks a decent song that I feel represents a decent depiction of the rural farm life I live (Amirillo Sky is spot on for my life),and then ruins his credibility with something like “Burning it down”.
Otherwise I can’t think of anything else to add that has been on mainstream radio.
July 1, 2016 @ 10:56 am
i believe Aldean’s Fly Over States was on radio in 2011 and Night Train hit #1 i believe in late 2013 or early 2014. everyone is right i did forget a few notable ones like Shotgun Rider and Up All Night. i dont have the best memory lol.
June 30, 2016 @ 7:38 pm
I think Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” has it. Ironically, it’s the same one that name drops Marvin Gaye. As I’ve said a million times, country songs should ONLY mention country singers, unless that particular artist serves a specific purpose. Why would one genre want to promote another genre instead of itself? I imagine they only added the steel guitar because everything about the song was pop and they needed something to justify it being called country. I don’t know why, they’ve never had to justify themselves before…
June 30, 2016 @ 9:23 pm
I strongly disagree. I see what you’re getting at, but the only thing to me that matters with a name drop is if it’s important to the artist and/or the song, regardless of genre. To me a cheesy line referencing Drake is just as bad as a cheesy Alabama reference. There’s a reason why the best songwriters over time don’t do name-drops- very rarely do they work in a sincere way.
A good example of an excellent reference is Jason Isbell referencing Pink Floyd in “Songs That She Sang in the Shower” with “Wish You Were Here”.
June 30, 2016 @ 9:31 pm
The problem is, sometimes they make it sound like country is inferior to other genres. A “country” singer would rather listen to Drake than their own genre? See what I’m saying? And in some of FGL’s stupid songs, lines like “Mixtape’s got a little Hank, little Drake,” and “Rock a little bit a’ hip hop, and Haggard, and Jagger” are straight up promoting the monogenre, where all music is lumped together. I realize this hardly represents what you’re saying, but to me, pretty much all references outside their own genre are only promoting the monogenre
July 1, 2016 @ 6:21 am
The ‘monogenre’ is not represented by an individual appreciating several different artists, styles, and genres. The monogenre comes in to play when all music sounds the same because boundaries are never respected. Hank, Drake, Haggard, and Jagger all reside(d) within their respective genres, and are fine. The problem with the FGL lyric is that you get the impression that FGL wants to take them all and throw them into a blender, put it on every radio station, and call it “evolution.”
July 2, 2016 @ 10:27 am
The name dropping thing is just another example of songs written to serve ‘ the moment’ . Most songs that become standards do so because they don’t date themselves with hip expressions or references to possible fly-by-night songs or artists. Referencing gives a song a short shelf life and all but ensures it won’t be covered by artists in the future .
June 30, 2016 @ 9:02 pm
I think you’re missing a big one. “Shotgun Rider” by Tim McGraw has it in bunches.
“Smoke” by A Thousand Horse also has it.
“Up All Night” by Jon Pardi probably has the longest solo of any song is recent memory
June 30, 2016 @ 9:40 pm
“Dirt” by FGL. Some of Brad Paisley’s stupid new songs still have it in a few places, like “River Bank.” Whenever they put a steel guitar in a song, usually everything else drowns it out. What’s the point of having steel guitar in a song if people have to strain their ears to hear it? It’s not even worth the cost of putting it in there. They need to crank that thang up! I figure, in a country song, the countriest instruments should be the loudest.
July 1, 2016 @ 1:09 pm
i also forgot Head Over Boots by Jon Pardi. theres steel guitar in Sam Hunt’s Leave The Night On but its so drowned out that it took me hearing that song probably 60 times before i heard steel.
July 1, 2016 @ 3:54 am
“Baby you a little mind, baby you a little mind reader, yeah that’s what you are.” Sorry but a song with those lyrics could never be a victory for country. Mind Reader sucked. Change it every time it comes on.
July 1, 2016 @ 5:29 am
The steel in mind reader also sounds like it’s been through 100 different filters.
July 1, 2016 @ 8:13 am
Jon Pardi-Up All Night had quite a bit of steel in it.
July 21, 2016 @ 4:11 pm
I’m late to the party here, but Lady Antebellum – Downtown actually has some really nice steel guitar
June 30, 2016 @ 6:59 pm
I saw Jay Farrar the other night and he played a song that had a peddle steel guitar and a steel guitar at the same time. They looked the same to me, but damn was it good. I know he’s more on the Americana side of the spectrum, but I don’t see how it could have gotten any more country than that.
June 30, 2016 @ 8:53 pm
If theres steel in that song then I must be deaf
June 30, 2016 @ 8:54 pm
oops replied to the wrong comment sorry about that meant to reply to the one above
June 30, 2016 @ 7:04 pm
+1 good story,,, John Neff ex DBT’s,, good player too!
June 30, 2016 @ 7:09 pm
But are we appropriating?? This is a Hawaiian instrument
July 1, 2016 @ 6:57 am
Pedal steel is really not a Hawaiian instrument. The style of laying an acoustic guitar down and playing with a slide in “slack key” tuning comes from Hawaiian musicians though. Pedal steel is a modification of the electric console guitar with pedal(s) added to change pitch. But Hawaiians really mastered the style first and if you want to check out the best of the best then you’ll need to listen to Gabby Pahinui. Gabby is featured on several selections on Ry Cooder’s “Chicken Skin Music”. (A note about “chicken skin”, that term comes from Hawaii as a description of what we call the “goose bumps” we get when we hear that pedal steel sound.)
Finally I need to name drop Red Rhodes from Michael Nesmith’s First National Band.
July 1, 2016 @ 9:08 am
Honestly the steel IS a Hawaiian instrument. The popularity of the “Oahu Method” lap steels and instructional material got my heroes into steel guitar as children in the 40’s. Lloyd Green, the king of Nashville steel guitar, Mr. Nashville Sound, got his start as a small child when he became the poster child for the Oahu company. They would go door-to-door selling guitars and instructional material, doing seminars in each town. Lloyd was so good they endorsed him as an example of what their teaching method could do, even though he was just brilliant and picked it up quickly.
Technique wise, the greats emulate and revere Jerry Bird and Lloyd’s approaches to bar slants, volume pedal expression and other techniques right out of the Hawaiian playbook.
I’m listening to a beautiful newer record right now that you should check out: “Hawaiian Enchantment” by Aluka Hoy (2014). Lloyd Green plays steel on it. Listen it it and you’ll hear where he got the chord voicings and techniques that made him famous in Nashville in the 60’s. -BR
July 1, 2016 @ 9:28 am
Honestly, NO it isn’t. The style of playing an acoustic guitar with a metal bolt was created by Hawaiian Joseph Kekuku. But he did not invent an instrument of any sort. The “steel” in “steel guitar” style refers to the bar used to fret the strings and not the instrument itself.
Here’s some info for you…
According to C.S. DelAno, publisher of the “Hawaiian Music In Los Angeles” whose “Hawaiian Love Song” was the first original composition to be written for the Hawaiian Steel Guitar,
“Joseph told me that he was walking along a road in Honolulu … holding an old Spanish guitar when he saw a rusty bolt on the ground. As he picked it up, the bolt accidentally vibrated one of the strings and produced a new tone that was rather pleasing. After practicing for a time with the metal bolt, Joe experimented with the back of a pocket knife, then with the back of a steel comb and still later on with a highly polished steel (bar) very similar to the sort that is used today.”
July 1, 2016 @ 9:38 am
I’m well aware of the history of the instrument. But… What I said…^
July 1, 2016 @ 9:47 am
This is from a while back but if you’re a fan worth checking out
All Roads Lead To Red: A Pedal Steel Mixtape / Tribute
http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2015/06/23/all-roads-lead-to-red-a-pedal-steel-mixtape-tribute/
July 1, 2016 @ 10:18 am
Hey thanks a lot. That is absolutely awesome stuff and soooo cool to know others appreciate what a cat Red was.
July 4, 2016 @ 6:58 am
thanks a lot
June 30, 2016 @ 7:29 pm
Steel guitar is my favorite instrument. Too bad nobody cares about sounding country anymore. All anybody has to do is SAY something is country and 99% of people will not question it. I guess these idiots think steel guitar and fiddle are too “old timey.” Everything needs synthesizers, drum machines, and all kinds of other crap that have nothing to do with country so it can appeal to modern audiences. Never mind the fact that all of that is the exact opposite of country.
Hey, brilliant thought: I know they’re trying to compete with pop for listeners, but why? Wouldn’t it be better to not fight for a demographic, but rather carve out your own little niche demographic, one that may prove to be more lucrative anyway, since they’re the ones that actually buy music? Not only would this result in better, more country music, but they would make more money that way. Not to mention nobody would be tearing up the Internet about how stupid the music is. It would be better for everybody. So tell me, why are they such morons?
July 1, 2016 @ 6:13 am
This is another of the many reasons Dale Watson has started the Ameripolitan genre. If you are unfamiliar, read about it. Dale has a pretty good thing going with it now, awards ceremony every february, getting airplay on public radio and satellite radio, it’s great because it covers Honky Tonk, Outlaw country,Rockabilly and western swing. The steel guitar will survive…but maybe not on country radio per se.
June 30, 2016 @ 8:29 pm
I like the steel guitar. It adds texture to a song. I also like when musicians expand the instrument beyond the background twang. Kelby Ray from the Cadillac Three does some cool stuff on their album, although since signing with Big Machine they have released some questionable singles. Another band, who is probably not the taste of most here, is the southern hard rock band The Rockford Mules uses the steel guitar in cool ways.
June 30, 2016 @ 9:04 pm
Jon Graboff, nuff said
June 30, 2016 @ 9:29 pm
Jeremy Wakefield of “The Lucky Stars” is easily my favorite steel player. He killed it with Wayne Hancock in the early days as well.
July 1, 2016 @ 3:40 am
“Pick it Moon”…. Waylon.
July 1, 2016 @ 4:25 am
If I can help by supplying some video from past steel guitar shows, let me know. My YouTube is http://www.youtube.com/steelpicker
July 1, 2016 @ 9:12 am
Mr. Ferguson, I’m positive Nathan and Kelsey would love your help! Can you just email me your contact info?
-BR
July 1, 2016 @ 9:13 am
Sorry brettrobinsonmusic@yahoo.com
July 1, 2016 @ 5:02 am
Yep, The Smithsonian Museum in DC can make use of this documentary…perhaps have it running continuously on a screen next to a display case holding Buddy Emmons steel or perhaps Ralph Mooneys. Grandpa can then show the youngins this strange lookING anarchic behemoth from the long forgotten golden age of country music. The curious kids will then say. ” what’s country music?” Yep, it’s where we are headed.
Just saw the always great Don Pawlak play mind blowing pedal steel this past Monday with Dale Watson, he had his trusty vintage ShoBud and it sounded glorious! I thanked him after the show for keeping this instrument alive and he mentioned that one of the pedals on it is broke and he hadn’t successfully fixed it yet. I guess getting parts for a 40 year old steel isn’t the easiest task!!
July 1, 2016 @ 5:58 am
Tom Brumley!!
July 1, 2016 @ 6:09 am
We’re actually looking for a steel player. So, if anybody in Southern Indiana is interested . . . ?
July 1, 2016 @ 6:14 am
I think a big problem is that most steel “players” these days don’t really know how to convey emotion using the instrument. Look up John Hughey and Don Helms to understand what I’m talking about. In my opinion this is how a steel should be played.
There are still some great players out there. Tommy White, Gary Carter and Mike Johnson come to mind. I’ve been lucky enough to have Tommy and Mike on my sessions. My steel player, Dale Whitener, is a great steel player, but certainly doesn’t have the name recognition as those other guys. They know how to paint a picture with their playing.
July 1, 2016 @ 6:38 am
Thanks for that article, Trigger
But dying is it really that bad..? Even I know of a guy who has made a living from playing the steel guitar for at least 10 years now in Sweden the most pop oriented -country in world!!! Even though he is mostly playing Ragtime and Jazz on it he is from time to time also playing a Country tune on it
July 1, 2016 @ 9:04 am
I don’t think the steel guitar is going to die off per se, but it has definitely fallen out of favor in popular country music. That seems to be one premise of this film.
July 1, 2016 @ 9:22 am
There was a time when the accordion was the most popular instrument in American households. There are basically four players recording steel in top sessions in Nashville right now. I’d say 90% of steel players are over 65 years old. Instruments fall out of favor, we steel players can see it happening to our instrument because we’ve lost nearly all our major heroes. As we lose the great country singers, we also lose the steel players that helped those singers define country music. Just like the accordion, the steel was popularized through mail-order services offering lessons and instruments. That push ended and kids stopped learning steel, that’s why we have this huge age gap. And unlike guitar, to play steel guitar requires a mechanical understanding of the instrument. Like the players, the great builders and mechanics are disappearing at an alarming rate.
July 1, 2016 @ 10:49 am
If that’s the case it’s truly sad…But people still seem interested. I’ve seen a lot of question in the comment section of FAK’s youtube videos, there young people are asking about the steel guitar and they are to 90 percent Folk fans. I’ve also seen comments like: I love that pedal thing… 🙂 I hope it’ll be back….
July 1, 2016 @ 11:15 am
@Brett
I’ve been thinking about what you said about the accordion. And I suddenly realized the same thing has happened in Sweden 30-40 years ago I knew a lot of people who played the accordion. But they were also “older people” and now I dont know of anyone who does…It’s really sad….
July 1, 2016 @ 7:22 am
For my money the most poignant steel guitar solo is in Aaron Watson’s July in Cheyenne.
July 21, 2016 @ 4:35 pm
fantastic. songs like this are why I read saving country music.
July 1, 2016 @ 8:04 am
You left out one of the greats Ronnie Miller, Steel Picker for Charlie Pride.
July 1, 2016 @ 8:35 am
I love the steel guitar.
It and the banjo are my favorite instruments.
I love all country and bluegrass instrumentation (including the steel guitar, the banjo, the dobro, flat-picked guitars, resonator guitars, stand-up bass, accordion, harmonica, etc.)
July 1, 2016 @ 9:49 am
You left out the best of all-time; Ralph Mooney. How do I know? Waylon said he was and that’s good enough for me.
July 1, 2016 @ 11:45 am
I’m seeing multiple comments about steel players who were “left out.” This is not a list of the greatest steel guitar players. The steel guitar players mentioned were the ones who participated in the documentary. Unfortunately, Ralph Mooney passed away and can’t participate. And just because someone is not included should not be taken as an insult to that player. This is a totally independent endeavor by these filmmmakers and they’re not going to be able to interview every steel player in existence.
July 1, 2016 @ 12:08 pm
Plus, The filmmakers are themselves steel players and are aware of the tradition and the players throughout history. I know Nathan and I got to talk quite a bit about the players that influenced me (MOONEY!!!!) and I’m sure it was a hot topic in every interview. The thing that got me stoked about the project, because I don’t consider myself relevant in any way to steel guitar history to this point, is their focus on the players that are out there paying dues and forging ahead. I think that segment of players is greatly under appreciated even within the world of steel guitar, because it’s a song/artist driven industry and we are working young pickers that work for up and coming artists. This film is great for steel guitar and for independent country music in general. Because without people like my boss, who directly employ a steel player, this instrument and country music are doomed.
July 1, 2016 @ 9:53 am
Seems like the fiddle is dying out as well and the mandolin.
July 1, 2016 @ 9:57 am
Steel players never fly with finger picks on them because in case of a crash they don’t want to be falsely identified as a banjo player. True.
July 1, 2016 @ 10:29 am
I would love to be able to afford to purchase one someday. Darci Carlson’s steel guitar player is probably one of the best steel guitar players still out there playing, his steel guitar solos in her song “Release me” are incredible.
July 1, 2016 @ 10:38 am
I saw Brett Robinson a month ago or so from Whitey Morgan and the 78’s and that guy was pretty sick on the steel guitar. So happy to hear that beautiful instrument at a concert.
July 1, 2016 @ 10:55 am
I’m an amateur dobro-ist and I love the sound of the lap steel. Looking forward to this documentary, but it would be even better if they were talking to some folks from the sacred steel community too, or they’ll miss out on amazing talent like AJ Ghent or Robert Randolph.
July 1, 2016 @ 12:23 pm
The whole sacred steel thing probably deserves its own documentary. Robert Randolph’s story itself is pretty crazy, how he barely knew about the outside music world while being probably one of the best steel players around.
July 1, 2016 @ 12:40 pm
This sounds awesome! I recently saw Miranda Lambert in concert and I remember thinking her steel guitar player was excellent. Now I know why!
July 1, 2016 @ 4:43 pm
Here’s a big part of the issue… I started learning lap steel a few months ago.
When I started learning banjo, mandolin, or guitar, there was a lot of resources to help learn these instruments.
Lap steel, is a different animal, people are unwilling to share the knowledge… they’d rather sell you lessons, or books. There’s simply not the resources available for people to start and learn before seeking out a teacher.
If people want to see it continue, they need to share the knowledge, and not hoard it.
July 4, 2016 @ 11:27 am
bb.steelguitarforum.com
I’ve found that the steel guitar community is more accepting and encouraging than most and hope you find the same. Everything steel guitar happens through that forum. The greatest players alive discuss and buy and sell. Without it, I imagine most of us young players wouldn’t have kept at it.-BR
July 4, 2016 @ 11:34 am
That being said, there IS a strict unwritten rule about instructional material. There’s not a lot of money in being a side man, even for the guys at the top. In a lot of cases, instructional material is a way to continue contributing to a player/instructor’s family after they are gone. Know what I mean? And older players mostly learned directly from another person, and a lot of the techniques are hard to explain unless your in the same room. The forum offers endless tabulators and advice. I still haven’t fully taken advantage of it in my seven years playing.
July 6, 2016 @ 1:13 pm
Thanks for that, I’ll dig in there for sure.
I suppose that it is hard to have a lot of specific tabs available with the various tunings, string combos, etc.
Personally, I like to have at least a few tabs to meander through and fumble with on my own before reaching out to someone for learning… (which in my area is a 4 hour drive).
That being said, I’ll dig in there, and hopefully that’ll change my mind… thanks again.
July 5, 2016 @ 6:03 pm
I hear ya. I bought a pedal steel about a year ago and it’s still kicking my ass. I’ve found the the forum Brett mentioned has a lot of really good info though. I think it’s just a hard instrument to try to learn without an instructor. It is for me anyways.
July 1, 2016 @ 7:36 pm
It’s a shame that all the great instrumentation that makes country music so unique, the steel guitar in particular, is now buried under the sonic walls of faux-Southern rock guitars, EDM, Autotune, and lousy Bro lyrics. The corporate Nashville hotshots are seemingly totally forgetting about the basics of the genre they’re supposedly peddling.
And It is also instructive to note that inventive things have been done to keep the sound of Steel fresh in the past. If you remember some of the early country-rock records of the late 1960s, especially by the Flying Burrito Brothers (where the late, great “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow was the steel player), fuzztone was used to give the instrument a bizarre rock edge. As the steel player for the much-underrated country-rock band Poco, Rusty Young would frequently use a Leslie filter to get the steel to sound like a piano or a synthesizer. And on Linda Ronstadt’s classic 1970 hit “Long Long Time”, veteran Nashville session steel player Weldon Myrick used an electronic device on his instrument to create a gritty string section that, according to Linda, was referred to as the “Goodlettsvile String Quartet” (with Buddy Spicher doubling his violin part with a viola, no less).
And there are other notable examples elsewhere of how this venerable instrument can remain relevant…if only corporate Nashville will wake up and, pardon the pun, smell the whiskey (LOL).
July 2, 2016 @ 9:12 am
Donnie Herron the steel player formerly with Br549 and now with Bob Dylan used to run his steel through a distortion pedal for added effect. Personally I liked it ….he would use it sparingly . I asked him about it one night and he grinned and said ” oh yeah man I love that crunch” referring to the overdrive sound. These days with Dylan he’s playing it with the more traditional sound. Saw him last year with Dylan and enjoyed his playing more than Bob that night!
July 21, 2016 @ 4:49 pm
Along these same lines the talk box was introduced into popular music by pedal steel musicians like Pete Drake
July 2, 2016 @ 9:13 am
“Pick one Norm”…….Merle
July 3, 2016 @ 7:44 pm
One thing that is hurting steel guitar at the moment is the price. 6 to 10 K for a D10 is totally ridiculous! As it is in some ways dying, greed and overpricing are taking it out of the hands of younger talent that would be more apt to get one. JMHO
July 4, 2016 @ 11:41 am
I don’t think it’s greed. My Show-Pro is a work of art you can’t imagine. The craftsmanship and knowledge inherent in its construction is the culmination of 70 years of the best players and builders. It takes months to build one and a genius to build one that sounds amazing. Since I was born in 1985, the US dollar has nearly halved in value. The major guitar builders keep prices low by building shit guitars in Mexico. Steel guitar builders are often one-man operations. I encourage anyone interested in learning to play to save up $1500 and let me know. I will help you find a guitar that you will never outgrow as long as you live. Check out the Steel Guitar Forum.
July 4, 2016 @ 4:54 am
“saving,” “dying,” “preserving” — that kind of talk is pure defense. it might win you football games, but it’ll kill you in culture.
you have to play offense. steel is great and important. you play one steel lick in a bar and the whole atmosphere changes. it’s a powerful thing. plus, you’ve got players like Helms, Emmons, and Cashdollar (to take just 3) who are as good as any great players on any other instruments.
I don’t know all the great steel players out there now, but it seems to me it’d do a lot of good to promote younger players like Scruggs, Wakefield, and Lam, to promote the idea that steel guitar is forever young — not “dying” or endangered like some irrelevant animal
Trig, I like your blog and find new musicians through it, and I know you like to promote young musicians too. this “dying” language has to stop. it WILL die if that’s the way it’s presented. you run your blog the way you want to, but if you’re willing to hear unsolicited annoying advice, I’d put 70% emphasis on good new stuff, and 30% on the crap and critique
cashville right now is a dead man walking. we want to live in the new growth. steel is alive! go where the life is! you follow? I want to see this documentary, but if it’s “look at these nerdy practitioners of a dying art with their boutique expensive instruments,” I’m not interested, and that kind of presentation may do more harm than good
/rant off
July 4, 2016 @ 8:29 am
Hey Corncaster,
Thanks for the feedback.
I do think the steel guitar is dying in the mainstream. That doesn’t mean it’s dying, period, but that’s sort of the premise of this documentary. That’s also one of the reasons they didn’t just talk to cool independent steel players, but the steel players for Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean.
“I’d put 70% emphasis on good new stuff, and 30% on the crap and critique.”
Believe it or not, that’s exactly what I do. The problem is that it’s the 30% that gets all the attention, all the likes and shares on social network, while people mostly ignore my positive pieces and so Saving Country Music is perceived as being mostly negative. I thought this was a positive article, aside from a tiny assertion setting the table to introduce the premise of the documentary. But I also believe in being critical with music and artists you’re generally positive about. I think that’s a sign of respect, and healthy in the marketplace. There are plenty of puff pieces out there in the media. Someone has to offer a dissenting viewpoint, and unfortunately most of the time it slides to me.
July 4, 2016 @ 11:00 am
It’s certainly a fun, optimistic project. But honestly, I talk to at least five to ten people a night that haven’t seen or heard a steel guitar. I get asked a few times a night what the instrument is called. The fact is, there was a time when that didn’t happen at country shows. What trig is pointing out is that radio, being the medium through which most people hear music, is turning us into nerdy niche instrumentalists. In radio music, the steel is in decline. Within the realm of steel guitar, look at the decline of the C6th neck. When was the last time a hit song had c6th pedal steel on it? “All my exes live in Texas”? Instruments come and go. And every pedal steel is a boutique instrument, try to buy a new one and you’ll see that. Kids don’t have six grand and a year to wait on a waiting list to start learning this thing. People like Nathan and Kelsey want to excite young people, expose them to an instrument in a way that they can relate to. You can’t play Webb Pierce for a twelve year old and get them stoked on steel right away. This documentary is great for the future of my instrument. I’m excited and optimistic about it. I’ve never had a lesson and the first time I was near a steel, I was buying it. I wish I had been exposed earlier, I’d be a better player.
July 5, 2016 @ 9:07 am
eg
what’s new in steel guitar, steel gets a new alloy, hot steel and cold beer, ambient steel, new directions in steel guitar, more strings, less hassle, steel and the sense of space
July 5, 2016 @ 11:24 am
“Whenever they put a steel guitar in a song, usually everything else drowns it out.”
It’s not just on the records either. Paisley’s steel player, Randall Curry, gets drowned out live too. Damn shame because he is one of, if not the best steel player I have ever heard.
July 14, 2016 @ 1:43 pm
Where the heck is Paul Franklin on this documentary? He’s the best steel player on the planet!
July 15, 2016 @ 3:20 am
Want a great country cd? Mike Festa’s ‘Solid Steel Country’ is an all-original symphony of steel-based country music! Email festa@iprimus.com.au or contact through Facebook @mikethevintageguitarist. Teacher, player, historian many years and counting…
July 19, 2016 @ 11:35 am
Before I say anything else, I love the sound of a pedal steel guitar. I play it, and my grandpa played it. A lot of people don’t realize how difficult it is to play a steel guitar. That is a huge reason why you don’t hear or see a lot of steel guitar in today’s music. It’s not an instrument you just sit down and play. It’s not like playing drums or guitar.
August 1, 2016 @ 10:39 am
Hi,
As a former full-time player who has been on a too-many-years-long theater, film and raising kid hiatus, I’d like to chime in. You guys definitely have the right motive – a love for all things steel. Kudos to you!
A couple of notes:
We can’t deny the “traditional” sounds, but I think including some newer alt, sacred, jazz, new age, and whatever styles along with, perhaps, some foreign players might also stoke some interest. Maybe even tie it in to some 6-string slide to show the similarities.
One point – what is “That sound?” Too often in the past I was asked to play “some steel sounds” which often meant a few stock e9th pedal rock or chromatic runs to show the band had a steel. That’s ok; that’s what the educational aspect of such film might be. I would however, suggest, a modified title. As it is, it might lead one to focus on a pre-conceived idea of a specific “sound.”
I think it’s a great idea and project, and I would like to contribute and even assist in some fashion, if possible.
Cheers
August 4, 2016 @ 3:50 pm
I’m listening to Kelsey Waldon’s new album on NPR, I haven’t heard this much steel out in front of the sound in decades. Reminds me of the Connie Smith sound.