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Topic: Who's playing in nontraditional ways or contexts? |
Myk Freedman
From:
Brooklyn
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Posted 7 Nov 2013 10:23 am |
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Hi everyone, pretty infrequent poster here.
I recently moved to a new town (Amherst area from Brooklyn) and as a result am meeting a lot of new folks and am exposing them to the way I play lap steel. Many have been surprised at my nontraditional approach as well as the styles of music I play. I'm wondering how many other players out there on the forum specialize in non-idiomatic approaches to the instrument or play in unconventional settings.
I thought it would be fun if those who feel I'm describing them would speak out and post some tracks of what their doing, featuring either a novel approach to playing or interesting new contexts for the instrument.
Here's a clip of me playing in a Yidish/Hebrew folk group from Brooklyn that performs modern religious material. The group can have up to 5 singers with the steel sometimes being one of them. We've done two records and on the one this track comes from I play almost exclusively using the Ebow.
http://mykfreedman.com/yonati/ |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 7 Nov 2013 11:12 am
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Hi Myk. I've always enjoyed your music and playing and it's nice to hear more of it.
I am definitely moving away from the traditional approach, because it's what's necessary for the music I'm writing and playing. I also prefer to use my fingers now and have spent a lot of time trying to develop new tunings (not that far from traditional, but enough). I recently signed a little deal with a German jazz label, so it has given me a shot in the arm to really get my act together.
I've played with a simcha band for quite a few years now, though increasingly less, but I've been wanting to play steel on the gigs, which I know they'd dig. These guys have a group called the Hasidic New Wave, so they are pretty open to new sounds.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Myk Freedman
From:
Brooklyn
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Posted 7 Nov 2013 11:23 am
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I know Hasidic New Wave. I just played at a wedding where Frank London was also playing (not in the same group, though). Please do play steel with them! I would love to hear that. I've often thought the steel fit really well into klezmer and have been itching to hear/play more of it.
I've also been developing new tunings to help the music I'm making. Right now I'm working through one that's really opening up my playing. Low to high: E,A,C#,E,G,B,D,F. Basically two dominant seventh chords a tone and an octave apart. But like everything, it's a work in progress . . . |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 7 Nov 2013 3:27 pm
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Nice to hear from you, Myk. I've enjoyed your work in the past - I'm going to check out your new stuff.
The band I'm in, Go Van Gogh, probably fits in this camp as well. Our current lineup includes saxophone, trombone, steel guitar, guitar, bass, congas and bongos. Our latest release is called Now We Know.
I play a Rickenbacker B6 lap steel tuned to open G (like a dobro).
Amherst, eh? My daughter is a graduate of Hampshire College.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2013 7:55 pm
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For me, 2013 will go down as the year I discovered 2 = Chris Coombs, with the Jacob Fred Jazz Orchestra - doing things entirely unlike any other steeler, flying way under the mainstream.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-UVyzE7vAg
(he wrote this entire suite by the way)
And the fantastic slide guitarist Kevin Breit - way, way under (my) radar, he's been playing in the exact same band on the same night in the same bar in Toronto for 14 years. I'm still trying to decide who he nudges off the "Five Best Slide Guitarists Ever" list - Johnny Winter? Duane? Debashish? Just make a bigger list, I guess, who knows what else them 'Nucks are hidin' in the snowbanks....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-UVyzE7vAg
There's like, 80+ more phantasms throbbing with genius scattered through this thread, maybe 100 by now -
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=208507
Some of them will be better or at least more interesting (weird?  ) than you thought possible. Just bookmark the pup and check back, dig back, 13 pg. so far, hit any page at random... oughta keep you busy till spring or so anyway. |
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Dom Franco
From:
Beaverton, OR, 97007
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Myk Freedman
From:
Brooklyn
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Posted 8 Nov 2013 8:49 am
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| Brad, Go Van Gogh, go! You guys sound great! Thanks for posting about what you're doing. Your playing sounds awesome in that context. I imagine you guys are a killer party band. |
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C. E. Jackson
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Posted 8 Nov 2013 9:59 am
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| Very nice, Myk. |
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Howard Parker
From:
Maryland
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Posted 8 Nov 2013 11:10 am
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I would think that Susan Alcorn would meet anyone's definition of "non-traditional. 
I attended one of her concerts. Didn't understand it but thoroughly enjoyed it.
h |
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Myk Freedman
From:
Brooklyn
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Posted 10 Nov 2013 8:53 pm
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Hey David,
Thanks for the Chris Coombs tip. I'd never heard of him or the JFJO. That's some really interesting music. Kevin Breit I've know for a long time. I grew up in Toronto and used to go check him out at the Orbit Room. He's got a great sound and kills it live! |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 10 Nov 2013 10:41 pm
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Here is a little ditty I did with my trio "Lunch Money" recently
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG-FFsg2Fj0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a3yP0SAp2k
Along with that stuff I have been playing in a couple hybrid jazz sorta bands in Austin. Nori and the White Horse Orchestra.
I am currently organizing the funding for a series of new compositions for steel guitar. The first two pieces are by a Berlin based microtonal drone composer and an Austin Tx based jazz composer.
Along with the more out music I have been playing quite a few country gigs. Playing the traditional stuff for the dances is a real joy.
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Bob |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 11 Nov 2013 4:37 am
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Susan Alcorn is my very favorite player.
Dave Mason and everyone else: you should check out some of Myk Freedman's music. The Saint Dirt Elementary School stuff is really interesting. Nothing typical about it in any way.
http://mykfreedman.com/albumssounds/
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Rob Anderlik
From:
Chicago, IL
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Posted 11 Nov 2013 3:34 pm
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| Myk, I'm not sure I qualify for this discussion since I'm mostly a bluegrass dobro guy, but I do venture into non-traditional formats from time to time. Anyway, just wanted to mention that I like your stuff! |
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Myk Freedman
From:
Brooklyn
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Posted 11 Nov 2013 6:55 pm
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Hey Mike and Rob,
Thanks for the nice comments and support! And thanks everyone else for posting what you're up to. Keep the links coming. It's really inspiring seeing what others are doing! |
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