[Laughs] Thats so random. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. I already knew it and I came out of the Sixties and had a folkie background and could understand that stuff. And after the Steve Earle sessions, he signed off, but she didnt think it was finished. I was pedal steel and lap steel and some mandolin. At first, she thought shed use Brians jazz band. This page contains affiliate links. At least that's what David told me 25 years ago. Thats what he did. 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. He appeared in the 2016 Cameron Crowe cable television series Roadies, accompanying Jackson Browne on three songs in the last episode of the series. 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 did a spring leg and a fall leg. Why was I even there? Its kind of a disappointing thing. I dont think the one I play on was in Pretty Woman. Pearl Jam have played that song countless times. T Bone has a lot of I dont want to say he delegates, but he trusts musicians to just do what he thinks theyre going to do. When we ended up playing together, it was kind of fun even though he barely remembered me. Thats what they called New Wave at the time. I missed that whole era. Music wasnt brought to me through older siblings or really through any older kids. I was there and saw them playing. It really wasnt like I saw the Beatles on TV and said, I want to be like them. I never really did that. He's on all of them.. Greg Leisz (born September 18, 1949) is an American guitarist, plays lap and pedal steel guitar, guitar, mandolin, bass and Dobro. I didnt really like service jobs. I actually went to college for a while and studied geology. 00:00:00. lang's Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang and joined her on the resulting tour. He tried to get a deal as a solo artist and he was told that he should get a band around him. Around the 1:32 mark, Leiszs beautiful harmonics grace the listener in the higher frequencies. Similar to playing with a slide or playing pedal steel, the lap steel uses a bar that slides across the strings. They just took pieces of it and moved it around. I didnt really see myself in the picture. Its kind of funny. I actually went to the same high school as Jackson. I didnt have any role models or anyone that would suggest that could even be a possibility. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. They did two version of that song. This is a great album all around, with world class musicianship. Pedal Steel Guitar: Why Its So Hard To Play, Pedal Steel Guitar WEIGHT (Lighter vs. I knew right then it was all up to me. I didnt study music because I didnt think that was a career option for me. Greg Leisz - lap steel guitar & electric guitar Gary Novak - drums Written by Mai Leisz & Greg Leisz Engineered by Kevin Smith Recorded at Groove Masters Studio in Santa Monica, CA Mixed by Alan Hertz Mastered by Joe Gastwirt. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. She came in and she was real sweet. To jump forward here, can you tell me about the formation of the Funky Kings? To wrap here, how do you feel when you look at your credits and just see hundreds and hundreds of songs? I wanted to figure out how to make those sounds. He was probably looking to do something at that same time. Related Stories That was the case with Joni Mitchell. What they did was amazing. I recently tried to just make a list of the names of the people Id played with, but it was so many that I had to stop. I was also on Where Have All the Cowboys Gone, which was pretty big too. But she was fine with it. Im fully vaccinated, have been for some time. She seems sweet. As far as lately the latest Luncinda Williams has him on steel and guitar. 190 views, 8 likes, 1 loves, 1 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Asher Guitars and Lap Steels: Ray Lamontagne live with Greg Leisz on his Asher Lap Steel. On pedals,he plays both necks very well and he told me he's been playing a U-12 Sierra on the Bill Frisell gig.On lap,he plays a number of tunings and seems to come up with nice stuff even if it's a tuning he just made up to suit a certain song.No slouch on standard guitar either.I've been trying to get him on the forum as he's aware his name comes up from time to time.Hey Greg - you out there? 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). Adding distortion to the lap steel, Leisz gives so much personality to this Bruce Springsteen track. I basically was just playing music with my friends. Sometimes you just kind of go, Why did they pay me the money? Leisz has played on countless recording sessions over the years, and a look through his credits will astound any music fan. She ended up having me play enough takes that she felt she could put together what she wanted. I didnt meet Taylor or either one of the people from the Civil Wars. 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. Enjoy weekend savings on Fender, Gretsch, and more. I live in a place thats a good place to hang out during a pandemic since its very close to nature. David Murphy (left) photographed by Richie Tyndall. Its huge. I think hed become aware of my playing on a couple of other records, especially this K.D. We had a laugh about that. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, The greatest musical hands in the world, now on CD! Tell me about your friendship with him. Just interested in his equipment and tunnings. I actually didnt think much about a career. It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. I never even listened to the Dead. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. Use these diagrams as a reference tool, or memorization aid for your practice and playing. A couple years later, he made another record [Old Sock] and Doyle called me again. I havent really been hunkered down as much in the last couple of months, particularly since Ive been vaccinated. "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. 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. There was a Judy Collins album called Who Knows Where the Time Goes. Its got a great honky-tonk sound, and Leisz shows how at home he feels playing pedal steel in a more traditional context too. With origins dating back to the 19thCentury, the steel guitar found its way to Hawaii by courtesy of Mexican settlers. anyone know? They were just guys that were factory workers during the day that played country music at night. This is a gorgeous Asher Acoustic Hawaiian Teardrop Lap Steel owned and played by Greg Leisz who had been using it for recording and touring with Jackson Browne. He just came in and said, Im going to go out. Very nice and tasteful playing. Yeah. And Id save money from doing that and come back to California with several thousand dollars, which is a lot of money for fighting fires. We had the pleasure of opening for her here in Fort Myers a while back. I think she had an idea of how she wanted to do it. I never ended up doing anything live with him. Getting Started (C6th Hawaiian Tabs)Hawaiian Steel Guitar. They had all these songs and they basically just let me play what I heard. 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. And it was a cool thing to get to do that. 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. And then I went, Holy shit. I texted back to see if it was real. Her original version was more what she was doing at the time. But I overdubbed. ], Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain. 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. 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. And then it became, Wow, I can make a little money. But I had all sorts of different day jobs the whole time. Oh, man can Greg play the steel! Leisz is no stranger to rock n' roll, and always has the ability to add grit and bite to songs. She was living in Nashville and he was in Los Angeles. That was fascinating since I spent more time with her and got to see more process. But with the Daft Punk project, everything that band does seems to be very important. T Bone wasnt even there to tell me it was good. Custom pedal steel t-shirts, mugs, posters, and moredesigned in Asheville, NC. Thats a little odd. I spent a lot of hours in country bars learning how to play, but my musical background has always been very wide. August 20, 2019. I was going, Oh, shit. This is all very helpful. Definitely check out the Sara Watkins album, he's all over it. I played on something where she hadnt finished the lyrics yet. He was still married to her at that time. Greg Leisz: Lap Steel Craig Schumacher: Synth Bass John Convertino: Drums, Thunder Drum Brian Lopez: Backing Vocal 3. The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. The record came out and you cant even hear what I played. The longer scale of the Strat (as opposed to traditional Lap steels) seems suited to this type of stuff. They did a lot of interesting stuff with what I played. This track is beautiful and Leiszs pedal steel comes in almost right away. At some point, Roxette came to town for a gig and they asked me to come into the studio and play with them. Feb 12, 2008. At the 2:44 mark check out Leiszs cool harmonic lick that echoes the vocals. Or does he switch necks often? Tony Berg is a producer Ive worked with quite a bit. That pretty much sums it up. Greg's playing on Bon Iver is some of my favorite steel playing of all. 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. Hang down your head, Tom Dooley/Poor boy, youre bound to die. That was like, Wow. And when I started playing guitar, I knew those melodies from hearing them on the radio. Well, in those 10 years, I spent a lot of time playing in clubs, basically. Youre on Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift and Civil Wars. It was a natural fit with a lot of people. Search I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. Theres one song where you can really hear how its cut up and moved in the track. We already have a guitar player. I could see it as a smart thing to do. It was really a drag that she didnt continue after that because she didnt get enough people didnt really appreciate that last album. 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 Click HERE to hear me play Moon of Manakoora recorded on the D9th lap steel tuning, which is nothing more than dropping the 4th string on your C6th from a G note to an F#. 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 I heard this, and could not get that steel guitar sound out of my head. John Bohlinger. He didnt introduce anyone. 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. All in good time --, [This message was edited by Russ Young on 22 November 2002 at 09:12 PM. Did certain pedal-steel albums influence you? It was one of those things where it was just an afterthought as he was making this record. He said, Im maybe going to go on tour next year. It was from 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. But I just overdubbed on it. He needs an artificial heart. ], Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain. A marvelous pedal steel player, Leisz has some of the most tasteful playing and impactful tone. Greg Leisz is prolific, to say the least. Thats someone I met many years earlier when he played in Ace in the Seventies. Kiley Dean Began As Britney Spears' Backup Singer. I basically grew up inside of that. As was already mentioned, his work on the album "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet is great. Victoria played guitar and I played pedal steel on it. I think I was working on another record at the time, a Jakob Dylan record. I feel very fortunate we got through the whole year. greg leisz lap steel tuning | 50827 post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-50827,single-format-standard,theme-capri,qode-core-2.1.1,select-core-2.1.1,woocommerce-no-js,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,capri-ver-3.3, vertical_menu_with_scroll,smooth_scroll,fade_push_text_top,paspartu_enabled,woocommerce_installed,blog_installed,wpb-js . The best way for me to do that was, I felt, I needed to play music, not sit around and wait for something to happen. 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. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. I didnt really listen to the radio. [This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 30 November 2003 at 06:55 AM. I had to decide whether it was good myself. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. . 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. 148 South Cloverdale Blvd. Maybe we can have that guy in the band. Bill Frisell "Good Dog, Happy Man" lotsa Leisz. A few weeks later, they called me back and I did another song. They recorded a version of it after she got MS. That was the first Sweet Relief album. Diagrams that display the minor pentatonic scale notes on the E9 fretboard. 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. Tour Gretsch 's Corona, California, custom guitar building operation with company master builder Chad Henrichsen and PG 's own John Bohlinger. So tasteful! They had gotten interested in doing stuff with live musicians. Yeah. Theres so many little things that happen when you make records. 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. Like what? Log in, Steel Guitar Forum LLCPO Box 237Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA. The ring and pinky fingers always rest on the strings behind the bar . By that time, I had been in some bands and the bands had broken up. Let's connect. I basically felt like I had to hone my own skills. I love how unconventional Leiszs pedal steel has been on many recordings. A true gentlemen, non-pareil tasteful player and inspiring to talk to. Sure enough, he was serious. 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.. Hearing Leisz' work on that Bon Iver album convinced me that pedal steel is where I want to head. I was listening to Jeff Beck and going, Shit, what is that? I was learning to play guitar while he was playing Bob Dylan songs. I dont think the label was very confident. But anyway, I actually had the experience of playing with him live in the studio. 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. The year after that, Morning Phase was the album of the year. Although this track has Leisz on lap steel, I couldnt help but include it! A detailed look at one of the most challenging and mysterious aspects of steel guitar playing: the right hand, 200 Country Riffs & Licks for E9 Pedal Steel, Add these country licks to your playing repertoire, The Elixir of E9 Pedal Steel: Harmonized 6thsif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'playpedalsteel_com-medrectangle-1','ezslot_6',177,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-playpedalsteel_com-medrectangle-1-0');report this ad, Stay up to date on articles, tabs, and more, The pedal steel is much easier than it seems if you approach it with certain essentials in mind. Facebook 0 Twitter LinkedIn 0 Reddit Tumblr. your profile | join | preferences | help | search. Leiszs ability to add whatever a track needs always feels natural and timeless at the same time. Tell me about playing on Bruce Springsteens Wrecking Ball. Youre on Youve Got It and We Are Alive. It was just Eric sending me a text. I put it together myself from maybe a few takes. I didnt meet him. It was that tour. 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. That album [Loose] was a really great album for me. I got to be there and play with three of my idols. Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron. Yeah. Ive worked with Lucinda a lot since then, and even co-produced two of the last three albums [The Ghosts of Highway 20 and Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone] that shes made. Can you bring your 12-string over here to the studio? How Do the Pedals and Knee Levers Work on a Pedal Steel? Her budget had been stretched by the time, so she wanted to work fast. lang, Lucinda Williams, Matthew Sweet, Meshell Ndegeocello, Paula Cole, Peter Case, Ray Lamontagne, Robert Plant, Sam Phillips, Sara Watkins, Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles, The Jayhawks, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tracy Chapman, Whiskeytown, Wilco, and Allen Toussaint. Greg Leisz Follow Artist + The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. Starting in 1986 or so, your credits list gets insane pretty quick. Later, I did play on a James Iha solo album [Let It Come Down] that Jim Scott produced. He had Flood and the other producer [Alan Moulder]. We were both planning on being on tour a lot. lang, Robert Plant and others. Youre on Becks song Sissyneck from Odelay. I didnt have one and said Id like to play it. She was taking parts off and replacing them. No matter who I play with, I try to integrate what Im doing with what Im hearing. Youre touring with Bob Weir now. They had two different studios in the same complex. When I ordered my Williams, Bob Rudolph told me that he uses S-12 Extended E9th tuning. Free Shipping if you live in the North American US - email me directly for shipping everywhere else. produced by Lee Townsend recording and mixing engineer: Judy Clapp. She did a tour with an orchestra [in 2000], but it was last time she went out and played guitar with a band. He stays genuine with the instrument, while still allowing its breadth of expression to add value to each recording. I know. She was bringing in a lot of guitar players and people she knew to overdub on songs that already had guitars on. The experience was great. Great for diving into single note playing possibilities and runs on the tuning. 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.'.