Leisz has played on countless recording sessions over the years, and a look through his credits will astound any music fan. Once I got to the point where I could hang out in bars, I used to go to country bars. And she got Roy Bittan. Greg Leisz's Gear - Premier Guitar I didnt know him then. I had seen her play live when she opened for Sarah McLachlan in Los Angeles. I didnt have one and said Id like to play it. February 21, 2023. 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. Id sometimes listen to the band just to hear the pedal-steel player. She was on my radar as somebody up-and-coming. Also, its interesting to me that it even happened at all. I thought, Well, my names in there. Theres one song where you can really hear how its cut up and moved in the track. Can you bring your 12-string over here to the studio? 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.. How did you feel when you first heard the record and realized theyd used that much of your work? That pretty much sums it up. I went in and played a couple of songs with him live in the studio with a full band. 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. 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. 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. No matter who I play with, I try to integrate what Im doing with what Im hearing. There was a Judy Collins album called Who Knows Where the Time Goes. I tended to gravitate towards jobs where I didnt have to be around a lot of people. In the late Sixties when a lot of people were listening to harder rock, Led Zeppelin and things, I was listening to Jimmie Rodgers, old country music like Hank Williams, bluegrass music, and I was learning how to play that music, and I was learning with other musicians that were kind of turned on to that. Leisz spent his younger years catching acts like the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers in Southern California clubs. Pearl Jam did Crazy Mary on that. Hundreds of pages of practice, instruction, and reference materials for E9 pedal steel. Everybody was trying to get record deals. And then I started working with some musicians that were playing in some of the folk clubs in Southern California. Does he mostly play E9? Gretsch Custom Shop Tour. You wouldnt know it was Daft Punk, but its got pedal steel all through it. And the Japanese version has a bonus track thats almost a pedal-steel instrumental. 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. At some point, I just picked up the guitar, probably around 1962 or 1963. Later, I did play on a James Iha solo album [Let It Come Down] that Jim Scott produced. And then he did the Jeep commercial on the Super Bowl. Put your index finger on top of the bar, which helps you guide and control it. I wasnt expecting that band to break up. Its insane. He toured in 2013 as a member of Eric Clapton's band, in 2015 as a member of Jackson Browne's band, and again in 2017. Mai Leisz Skies Above Salkantay.wav 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#. Check out these 7 songs that feature Leiszs fantastic pedal steel playing. Once youre in that world, your ears become really open to hearing stuff. The last plane flight I was on, I went to New York at the beginning of last February. Join 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, 200 Country Riffs & Licks for E9 Pedal Steel, 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, 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). Pedal Steel Guitar: Why Its So Hard To Play, Pedal Steel Guitar WEIGHT (Lighter vs. At first, she thought shed use Brians jazz band. He basically gave me a banjo. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. This is all very helpful. It was actually just one day. Thats another one of those random things. And then I would live off that money and play music for as long as I could. We recorded that song with Don Heffington on drums and Greg Cohen on bass. I didnt really know what to call it. Why am I going there? I had no idea. To jump forward here, can you tell me about the formation of the Funky Kings? He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. Its overwhelming. Leisz has an amazing ability to generate sounds that the pedal steel isnt usually associated with. One of Bill Frisells favorite musicians to work with, Greg has such a characteristic style of playing and it always shines with Frisell. My wife plays bass with David Crosby. 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. Thats what they called New Wave at the time. 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. I love that song. It gets crazy. And my wife and I spend a lot of time together during the pandemic since were both musicians. ------------------Brad's Page of Steel A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars, Too bad I procrastinated for more than 20 years. I just had to hope she wouldnt walk out of the room and not come back. He didnt introduce anyone. Odelay was interesting because he was working with the Dust Brothers. And then Paul Carrack. Did certain pedal-steel albums influence you? They tweaked it here and there and made that the track. August 20, 2019. Ron Aniello is somebody I have worked with before, so he hired me to come and play on some stuff. Theres a picture of me. She had a strong vision. That was enormous, yeah. Help I just liked the sound of the guitar and I wanted to do it. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time She was just like, I dont need this anymore.. It was an amazing experience. They were all getting more into roots music. Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.46, Our mailing address is: Leisz is no stranger to rock n roll, and always has the ability to add grit and bite to songs. At sparse moments in the song, his pedal steel playing adds so much emotion to the music. A marvelous pedal steel player, Leisz has some of the most tasteful playing and impactful tone. It was. They had gotten interested in doing stuff with live musicians. I never ended up doing anything live with him. Thats a little odd. It sets the tone for the rest of the track, seguing smoothly into Alison Krausss vocals. Leiszs ability to add whatever a track needs always feels natural and timeless at the same time. That was great, for me. gretsch. I was going, Oh, shit. We got a record deal because of Jack Tempchins past of writing songs for the Eagles on their early records. It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. I am a huge fan of Greg's playing, and had the pleasure of meeting him after the show. Hearing Leisz' work on that Bon Iver album convinced me that pedal steel is where I want to head. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. Weve been doing live streaming shows from the Bay Area. She did a tour with an orchestra [in 2000], but it was last time she went out and played guitar with a band. He has an uncanny ability to always connect with the listeners ears. 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. He had Phoebe come in and be in the video. Facebook 0 Twitter LinkedIn 0 Reddit Tumblr. Greg Leisz is my favorite modern pedal steel player. His tone (on recent recordings) is, in my opinion, the best you will find in the world. So the tuning from high (string 1) to low is: E, C, A, F#, E, C). But I have worked on several other sessions with him, including several where we played live in the studio, like Mutations. I swear to God, I said to myself, I dont know who this is texting me. I think I had to think for five or 10 minutes. Unraveling the Mysteries - Weissenborn I was able to play a lot of different kinds of music. He was great. He was a member of Funky Kings who released their eponymous debut album on Arista Records in 1976. This track is beautiful and Leiszs pedal steel comes in almost right away. "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. She was living in Nashville and he was in Los Angeles. He began playing guitar and soon added dobro and lap steel. It was the same thing that drew me to the electric guitar. 8 String E7 Lap Steel Tuning - Greg Cutshaw Every instrument and musical note seems to fall right in place, with great sounding timbres, and Leiszs pedal steel is no different. It was something I really liked to do and I started doing it a lot. lang's Grammy-winning Absolute Torch and Twang and joined her on the resulting tour. He felt it would be too many musicians and that it should be more stripped-down. Bill Frisell "Good Dog, Happy Man" lotsa Leisz. I actually didnt think much about a career. More recently, you worked with Phoebe Bridgers. : Wikipedia : Charles Lloyd & The Marvels, Funky Kings, The All Star Band, Watkins Family Hour, Works Progress Administration : | Greg Leisz Greg Leisz Biography, Songs, & Albums | AllMusic It was just that Billy Corgan was allowing James to do one song on a double album. Its from the Hunger Games movie. (He's a really good guitar player.) I really enjoyed his work on the recent Blue Ridge Rangers" album (John Fogarty). I dont think the label was very confident. [Laughs] He was like, Heres this carrot. Greg Leisz - Quick Lap steel Lesson - YouTube I had produced a bunch of his records too. Asher Weissenborn Inspired Teardrop Lap Steel 2007 played by Greg Leisz They did all that stuff in Nashville. ], Note: Messages not explicitly copyrighted are in the Public Domain. It was from Eric. your profile | join | preferences | help | search. That was a really interesting thing too. Theyd stick it in their wallet and maybe theyd lose it, or maybe theyd write it down. 6 String Lap Steel Tab - Greg Cutshaw They were amazing. I live in a place thats a good place to hang out during a pandemic since its very close to nature. Thats another crazy story. Larry Klein bought me onto Turbulent Indigo. I have a credit.. Part of his universal appeal -- which certainly draws on the experimental nature of those influences -- comes from an open-minded approach to lap and pedal steel, an approach that casts aside Nashville references. Leisz has been a top-call session musician in the L.A. area for many years, so its no wonder he got the call to do work on this production with such fantastic artists. Oh, man can Greg play the steel! All in good time --, [This message was edited by Russ Young on 22 November 2002 at 09:12 PM. This is an invaluable ability for sessions, where the musician often has to hear and learn the music on the spot for the recording. 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. These lap steel tabs and songs were played on an 8 string Excel Jerry Byrd frypan lap steel. I had put in my time many years before that, learning that stuff. 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. You can do anything you want. He asked me to come to Chicago and I was there. This is one of those songs that I cant imagine without Leiszs pedal steel. Music wasnt brought to me through older siblings or really through any older kids. She was unhappy with her producer and had lost her guitar player because I think it was her boyfriend and they had broken up. At the same time, I was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan and that type of songwriting. The first couple minutes of this track display how well these two musicians can create soundscapes within songs. I dont know how else to describe how I feel. David Murphy (left) photographed by Richie Tyndall. I want to go back here and talk about your life. I was shaking on my way to the studio. The word "ubiquitous" is usually placed in front of pedal steel player and guitarist Greg Leisz's name. Classic country shuffle styles for Band-in-a-Box, by BIAB guru Jim Baron. 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. As far as lately the latest Luncinda Williams has him on steel and guitar. She is known, among other things, for having written the theme song for the TV show "Parks and Rec". On the other hand, she was always very interested in hearing what I could come up with. I got a job as a janitor and as a substitute mailman for a while. Add To Cart. Victoria played guitar and I played pedal steel on it. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. There was a lot of music I couldnt really understand. In a successful session and side-man career that's spanned over 40 years, the diversity of music Greg's played on is pretty incredible. I love how unconventional Leiszs pedal steel has been on many recordings. I had to decide whether it was good myself. Tabs that display the major scale harmonized in sixthsthese pockets or positions on the fretboard are great to utilize when playing. She wanted something very specific. I basically was just playing music with my friends. Greg Leisz tunning and info - The Steel Guitar Forum Lang, and Bob Weir and Wolf Bros. I dont know how to comprehend everything Ive done, he says. Its not just flavoring. But I love that record. Tell me about your friendship with him. Those guys are people that I just and I watched the Daft Punk segment, which was great. Those threads can have a huge impact on your musical journey. He introduced Jules to Jack and vice versa. Was this the 1998 tour with Bob Dylan and Van Morrison? It has a deep, full body sound, with amazing resonance. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. After the band broke up, he became a popular musician both in the studio and on the road. We went in the studio to make another record and the band broke apart during the dramas of making the second record. Youre on Safe and Sound with Taylor Swift and Civil Wars. #raylamontange. 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. That was the first thing I did with her. Youre touring with Bob Weir now. Just interested in his equipment and tunnings. The music started coming into my consciousness a lot more. Rather, it is usually tuned to an open chord, often an extended chord like a 6th, 7th, or 9th. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright .