Travis Toy
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
On Episode 14 of Steel, we meet Travis Toy, one of Nashville's deepest pedal steel players. Travis has shared the stage and studio with some of modern country's biggest acts, including Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Luke Combs, Steve Wariner and Patty Loveless. Travis is one of the deepest technical practitioners of pedal steel. He's just as comfortable playing a honky tonk gig as he is shredding jazz funk fusion on E9. We discuss his fascinating musical upbringing in Kentucky, his obsession with '90s country and GRP records, how he tries to play things that matter in the studio, and lots more....
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Dave Biller
Steel: The Steel Guitar Podcast
On Episode 13 of Steel, we catch up with guitarist and steel player Dave Biller. Based in Austin since the ’90s, Dave’s played with everyone from Johnny Bush and Ray Price to Jimmie Vaughan and Charley Crockett. There aren’t many musicians who can play a classic country E9 gig in the afternoon, hit a jazz club on six-string that night, and then compose a piece for a chamber orchestra the next day...but Dave can. We talk about his winding musical path through rock, metal, jazz, and country; his various musical obsessions including John Coltrane, Jimmy Day, and Django Reinhardt; and the...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.' ...
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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: ...
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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...
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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...
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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_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.
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