Irish Steel Guitar Festival Oct. 15-16

Pete Grant · Post by **Pete Grant** » 3 Oct 2005 5:07 pm

Hey, my Irish pals, I see you have Ron Elliott, Gerry Hogan, Sarah Jory, Derek Thurlby, Dave Kirk, Aidan Cunningham, Stephen Smyth, Ivan McLernon, and Mark Horn coming to play your festival on October 15 and 16. So, who else is coming and what can people look forward to for the weekend?

Pete Grant · Post by **Pete Grant** » 4 Oct 2005 5:05 pm

Will there be pedal steel guitars for sale there? CDs?

Allan Thompson · Post by **Allan Thompson** » 5 Oct 2005 12:39 am

Hi Pete,
Ted Nesbitt and Gerry Hogan will have guitars for sale as well as CD`s and other items. Pity you can`t make it, it was great fun last year.

Anne Marie O Keeffe · Post by **Anne Marie O Keeffe** » 5 Oct 2005 2:00 am

If anyone's interested I'll have polo shirts for sale with steel guitars embroidered on them. So get your orders in now guys!!!

Ted Nesbitt · Post by **Ted Nesbitt** » 5 Oct 2005 2:35 am

Hi Pete, its hard to believe that another year has passed so quickly. It seemed like last week when you and I were in the Radio Station in Drogheda doing the interview for The Irish Steel Festival.You blew them away with your Dobro playing...Wow..Irish Traditional Music played on a 8 string Dobro
We have a guy coming over from France this year by the name of Lionel Wendling. Lionel comes highly recommended, and we are looking forward to meeting him and hear him play.
And of course our good ole buddy from Ohio, Butch Mayr will provide vocals for some of the players. Im really looking forward to seeing all our great friends again,sorry you wont be with us Pete, but we will be thinking about you. Keep in touch......Ted

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 5 Oct 2005 3:39 am

Ah, this will be a great time, for sure. Lionel is an excellent player from France. My best regards to all of you for a great show and a wonderful time. Have a Guiness for me!
Jimbeaux

Allan Thompson · Post by **Allan Thompson** » 5 Oct 2005 9:15 am

Hey Jim,
I might even have two !!!!!!

Phil ONeill · Post by **Phil ONeill** » 5 Oct 2005 12:38 pm

Hi Pete,Jim,Allan,Ted,and AnneMarie,
Looking forward to seeing everyone again this year.Jim,Pete and David L. we will be thinking of you guys.Thanks for making last year so special.Just to say also that Wolfgang Bednarz,who makes WBS steel guitars as played by german wizard Mark Horn will be in
attendance to promote his excellent instruments...very interesting!Allan,will we be hearing your promat push pull please!
And Anne Marie I am expecting you to have a black xxlarge Polo shirt with silver logo for me,remember?Lastly there will be steel guitar jazz in the Bar to help the aftershow drinks along on Saturday night featuring our buddy Richard Nelson. Butch is gonna sing too...??? is gonna play....The good times will roll from there so dont book the early breakfast.
Phil

Pete Grant · Post by **Pete Grant** » 5 Oct 2005 1:01 pm

Sure sounds like another great time. Wishing you wild success.

Richard Nelson · Post by **Richard Nelson** » 5 Oct 2005 3:26 pm

Hope all goes well for everyone

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 6 Oct 2005 12:51 am

i'm sure ya'll gonna dig Lionel Wendling
Jean Yves Lozach & him are France's best steelers

there will some French fo'bros' comin' over too
keep yer eyes peeled for'em Ted
i could be hidden there

Geir Arne Boska · Post by **Geir Arne Boska** » 6 Oct 2005 4:01 am

Vestnorsk Steelgitarklubb (Norway) are sending the best wishes for your steel festival. Have great fun

We'll be having our meeting the same weekend. (www.steelgitarklubb.com)
Geir

Richard Nelson · Post by **Richard Nelson** » 10 Oct 2005 4:08 am

Good Luck to you guys in Norway . Maybe we could hook up and do something together. By the way Steven Smith will not be appearing due to health reasons . Phil O' Niell will be appearing instead .[This message was edited by Richard Nelson on 10 October 2005 at 05:10 AM.]

Pete Grant · Post by **Pete Grant** » 10 Oct 2005 4:42 am

Best wishes to Steven.

Hey, Phil! Good for you. I want a detailed report.

Geir Arne Boska · Post by **Geir Arne Boska** » 10 Oct 2005 4:44 am

Thanks a lot Richard. Yeah.. a common meeting would be great. Let's think seriously about that. Drop me a mail.. so we can keep in touch. Have a great steel weekend

Geir

Anne Marie O Keeffe · Post by **Anne Marie O Keeffe** » 10 Oct 2005 4:44 am

I heard Phil play last week and he was so good I forgot the words of the song I was singing!!!!!!

Looking forward to hearing you again at the weekend Phil

[This message was edited by Anne Marie O Keeffe on 10 October 2005 at 05:52 AM.]

Phil ONeill · Post by **Phil ONeill** » 12 Oct 2005 3:05 pm

AnneMarie and Pete your kind words and encouragement are much appreciated.Thanks

Pete Grant · Post by **Pete Grant** » 15 Oct 2005 12:14 pm

By my watch, it's almost half nine over there. I'm expecting a not-so-detailed report, followed by a detailed report.

Gee, last year sfter the fest, I was sitting in my room at a guest house in Trim, County Meath, reading about the show on the SGF using Wi-Fi on my PDA. I love Ireland, I technology, and I love the SGF.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 15 Oct 2005 11:24 pm

Second vote for Lionel Wendling.
I had him down to my studio a few years back playing on my Sho-Bud.

He is a great guy,
a super player,
an ex room mate of Bela Fleck,
a good friend of Russ Hicks.
And a Chicken Pickin' fan of Jimmy Crawford too.
I could go on...

His most recent solo album is very eclectic, well played,
and stands up well over time.
He also speaks english quite well.

Y'all' r gonna enjoy this one
[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 16 October 2005 at 12:26 AM.]

Anne Marie O Keeffe · Post by **Anne Marie O Keeffe** » 17 Oct 2005 7:56 am

HI guys. I just got back from the steel show and it was wonderful. I'm too tired to go into great detail but I can't find one thing negative to say about it. All the players were outstanding. Ron Elliott was terrific and is a very humourous man and had us all in stitches. Sarah Jory as usual was marvellous. Lionel Wendling gave a great performance as did each and everyone that got on stage over the weekend.
It's a small show and this was the fourth year but I think it's getting better and a little bit bigger every year.
I'd like to congratulate Phil O' Neill from Dublin who made his debut at the show this year and who performed beautifully.

The guys that organise the show do trojan work to make sure it runs like clockwork and is an enjoyable experience for everyone.
It's so nice to see so many smiling faces every where you turn from the minute you walk in the door on Saturday morning until you reluctantly leave on Monday.
I know it's been said before but I firmly believe that the Steel guitar "community" are really special and have a warmth and closeness that no other group have.
Small though it may be our show had a real international flavour. We had visitors from Ireland, England, France, Germany, Denmark, I'm sure somone mentioned Holland, the USA of course and a very strong Scottish contingent. We even had a couple from as far as Australia.
The musicians that sat on stage for hours on end backing every steel player were the best I've heard in a long time and it can't be easy to do what they do.
As you can all see it's been a great couple of days for me and I'm sure we'll be hearing from others who attended once they recover a bit.
OK that was a little more detailed than I intended. Perhaps I should do PR for the Irish Steel Guitar Association!!!

[This message was edited by Anne Marie O Keeffe on 17 October 2005 at 09:03 AM.]

Lyle Clary · Post by **Lyle Clary** » 17 Oct 2005 5:23 pm

I am sorry I did not get to go to Ireland.

I had a Silver Trumpet festival to go to,right, Ron?

Pete Grant · Post by **Pete Grant** » 17 Oct 2005 6:06 pm

Anne Marie,

I hope you and lots of people can do PR for the fest. It's a delightful event, and more folks should know about it.

Phil,

Good for you! I'm ready to hear more.

Lyle,

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Uhh, I think.

Ron Elliott · Post by **Ron Elliott** » 18 Oct 2005 5:50 am

Lyle, we had a wonderful time, and the people are just marvelous....sorry you had to stay home and "toot your own horn". See you in Benton on the 28th and 29th of Oct. Ron