Laurel Premo
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
For episode 12 of Steel, we meet Laurel Premo, an incredible folk musician from Traverse City, Michigan. Laurel’s 2021 album, 'Golden Loam,' is a collection of deep, dark folk tunes played on solo electric guitar and lap steel, and the sound is completely her own. The record is spare, brooding, rhythmically deep, and completely captivating. When I learned Laurel was coming to New York, I jumped at the chance to meet her and talk about her musical life. In this episode, we discuss Laurel’s musical roots in Northern Michigan, where she played fiddle in Finnish Barn dances; how she...
info_outline
Jerry Douglas
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
Episode 11 of Steel features legendary dobro player Jerry Douglas, who joins to discuss his new album 'The Set.' Jerry Douglas is one of the most recorded, accomplished, and expressive players in the history of his instrument. His career is as deep as it is varied. He’s been a top-flight bluegrass player for five decades and has shared the stage with everybody from J.D. Crowe to Billy Strings. He is a Nashville session ace and has played on thousands of recordings. And when he can find the time, he makes his own records. Today, Jerry and I discuss how this record came to be; how his...
info_outline
Chris Parker
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
For Episode 10 of Steel, we meet Chris Parker, a deep guitarist living in Brooklyn who has found some incredible ways of copping classic pedal steel sounds on a plain old six-string guitar with just his fingers and a slide. Chris is a fixture on the Brooklyn guitar scene. Most nights of the week you can catch him backing up songwriters, playing fully improvised music, or leading his own band, Guru Complex. Chris and I discuss the evolution of his singular slide guitar sound, his approach to practice and improvisation, and the realities of being a professional musician in New York. We also get...
info_outline
Jeremy Wakefield
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
On Episode 9 of Steel, we travel to Portland, Oregon to interview Jeremy Wakefield, one of the finest swing and jazz lap steel players out there. He has a beautiful touch, he’s a great improviser, and he breathes life into this style of American music. Jeremy has played and recorded alongside ridiculously great players like Dave Biller, TK Smith, Jonathan Stout and Sage Guyton. His albums 'Hot Guitars of Biller and Wakefield' and 'Steel Guitar Caviar' are touchstone latterday swing steel guitar records. Jeremy’s playing is also heard all over the TV show 'Spongebob Squarepants.' ...
info_outline
David Murphy
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
For Episode 8 of Steel, we travel to Cork, Ireland to meet David Murphy and discuss his new album Cuimhne Ghlinn: Explorations in Irish Music for Pedal Steel Guitar. The album is a collection of melancholic Irish “airs” and Sean-nós tunes that David plays beautifully on the pedal steel. In our chat, David breaks down how he became one of the few pedal steel players in Ireland, where this particular strain of traditional Irish music comes from, what these songs mean, and how he brought them to life on the steel guitar. Check out these links to learn more about David and his music: ...
info_outline
Greg Leisz
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
For Episode 7 of Steel, we catch up with legendary L.A. steel player Greg Leisz. Greg’s steel playing has graced recordings with iconic artists like Bill Frisell, Joni Mitchell, Beck, Mark Knopfler, Phoebe Bridgers, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and many more. He's renowned for his ability to bring depth and emotions to recordings with his touch, tone and occasionally minimalist musical sense. Greg and I discuss his musical journey, from high school garage bands and learning steel in honky tonk bars to becoming a first-call session player in Los Angeles. To learn more...
info_outline
Christine Bougie
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
For episode 6 of Steel, we travel to Toronto to meet Christine Bougie. Christine is a guitarist and lap steel player who has shared the stage and studio with folks like Bahamas, Sarah Harmer, Amy Milan, the Queer Songbook Orchestra and Jeremy Dutcher. Christine just released 'Soft Start,' an album of gorgeous ambient music. In our chat, Christine breaks down her musical journey, from learning to record as a teenager with the two cassette records, to how a few choice words from Bill Frisell inspired her to record her own music, how the lap steel became part of her life and how she used...
info_outline
Kashiah Hunter
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
On this episode, we speak with Kashiah Hunter, a wonderful sacred steel player based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Sacred steel is an incredible form of gospel music played in House of God Pentecostal churches across the United States and the center of this rich musical tradition is the steel guitar. Kashiah's deeply expressive, lyrical playing is a hallmark of the sacred steel style. Kashiah plays steel in the New Mercy, New Beginnings, New Victory Ministries church in Georgia, but I was lucky enough to catch up with him when he was in town to play the Brooklyn Folk Fest. We dig into Kashiah's...
info_outline
Jeff Snyder
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
Steel is a Fretboard Journal podcast that dives deep into the world of the steel guitar. For Episode 4, we speak with Jeff Snyder, a musician, composer and instrument designer about his fascinating new creation, the Electrosteel pedal steel synthesizer. The Electrosteel feels like a pedal steel, but has capabilities and a sonic palette that are a long way from your grandpa's Sho-Bud. Jeff tells us about his life as a musician, a composer, and instrument designer; his work as Director of Electronic Music at Princeton University; and, of course, we take a deep dive into the genesis, design, and...
info_outline
Steve Fishell
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
Steel is a Fretboard Journal podcast that dives deep into the world of the steel guitar. On Episode 3, we chat with Steve Fishell, a pedal steel player, a Grammy-winning record producer, and the author of the biography 'Buddy Emmons: Steel Guitar Icon.' Steve held down the steel guitar chair in the '80s incarnation of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band and has recorded with the likes of Dolly Parton, John Prine, Sam Bush, and Linda Ronstadt. We discuss coming up in the 1970s California country rock scene, cutting his teeth in the recording studio, Buddy Emmons' impact on the pedal steel, and more. You...
info_outlineFor Episode 7 of Steel, we catch up with legendary L.A. steel player Greg Leisz. Greg’s steel playing has graced recordings with iconic artists like Bill Frisell, Joni Mitchell, Beck, Mark Knopfler, Phoebe Bridgers, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and many more. He's renowned for his ability to bring depth and emotions to recordings with his touch, tone and occasionally minimalist musical sense.
Greg and I discuss his musical journey, from high school garage bands and learning steel in honky tonk bars to becoming a first-call session player in Los Angeles.
To learn more about Greg, check out Fretboard Journal #33 or check the following links:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Leisz
- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5MG1pGbqGltH79LxIYjVyN?si=6ffd82c09253448d
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvvtMAAyfWufFmO9oJAnT9dgMh4rgJwA8
- https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fj-33
Steel is hosted by Matt Perpick for the Fretboard Journal.
Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal magazine here:
https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription