Who is Using a Non-Pedal on Tour?

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 4 Mar 2018 4:42 pm

What I mean is, what artists are using non-pedal steel in their act? Like Wayne Hancock, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank 3, etc.

Just how does a person get one of these gigs? Are there auditions or is a "get recommended" by a known player, or some such?

Paul Arntson · Post by **Paul Arntson** » 4 Mar 2018 7:35 pm

Saw Chris Scruggs w/Marty Stuart Will back.

Jim Rossen · Post by **Jim Rossen** » 4 Mar 2018 8:59 pm

I think Chris Scruggs is employed by Marty Stewart for his many other amazing skills. He did not play steel at all at a recent Stewart concert.

Jim

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 5 Mar 2018 5:07 pm

It seem that this is a bygone music. It's frustrating. I love non-pedal swing and first generation country, but it seems to be gone except in Austin and San Francisco. Am I wrong?

Tom Cooper · Post by **Tom Cooper** » 5 Mar 2018 5:59 pm

I donâ€™t tour except for like once or twice a year for only a week, or long weekend, but here locally in central Florida I am getting more work than I even want. Older crowd mostly but some of the younger types come up and are real nice. I had to start my own band though. I only play classic country, swing and jump blues, and early rock n roll(rockabilly). I am playing every weekend with it, but it didnâ€™t happen overnight. I had to work like a dog to get it going. Also a guy in the Villages(retirement community) hires me couple times a year to play his Opry tribute/Hank Williams show. I am up to my neck in non pedal lap steel and dobro. I have day job too so have to be careful. I play pedal too but only for recording for ppl and a church gig. Non pedal is way more my thing. It took me 5 to 7 years of slogging around trying to get the right ppl and right gigs. We play Supper Club, Beach dives, Biker joints, indie rock hip bars, yacht marina, festivals. Mixing up material helps I think. Some songs like Everly Brothers and Johnny Cash donâ€™t play steel on. But I get to play it on a ton of stuff. I try to change style a little here and there. OD sound for 7 nights to a Rock, some other songs. But mostly itâ€™s all classic sound all the way. Big E13/9 ten string on a stand! I just kinda pushed my way onto the local scene like it or not. I donâ€™t think itâ€™s dying really. 20 more years easily could be doing this stuff. A lot of young ppl eventually get into the classic stuff I think. We keep it up tempo/high energy though. Not many slow numbers. Maybe one or two, mid tempo, but then right back to the killers. But yeah, it was really hard to get it off the ground. As far as just being a steel for hire, I could probably keep pretty busy but would expect to have to be a camelion of sorts. Be flexible with style, sounds. Or just try to find a purist/stylist that I could bond with that suits what I want to do and try to develop something that way. Itâ€™s not easy. But it seems like it is still very possible. I never thought I would be playing swing style lap steel every weekend and actually make a little money at it. Itâ€™s only the usual 100$ or per gig. If we are lucky. Sometimes not even that much. But then you get a killer gig that pays really well. Hit or miss. Ppl really seem to like the steel. They look like they seen a ghost sometimes! Freaks them out. Kinda funny. I got lucky with my group. They are super hard working dedicated types. They want to do more than I even ever wanted. Been at it for a decade. Finally getting somewhere. Hope you find a path too. All it takes is a spark with the right person/ppl. I donâ€™t even care if anyone likes it honestly. We play what we want, do JUST enough covers to get by, then wham, all the obscure swing/jump tunes and originals we can throw at them. If you sell it good they will dig it I think. I donâ€™t really know how we are getting gigs. Only do hand full of big known hits. Cab Calloway, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline. But they are good ones. I want to do more, but bass player wants to keep our indie cred. ðŸ™„ i know. Kinda silly. But we are getting away with it somehow. Keep us posted if you find something. Itâ€™s not all gone, seems like it some time, but I keep running into it somehow. Best of luck. TC

Tom Cooper · Post by **Tom Cooper** » 5 Mar 2018 6:05 pm

Also, when playing a festival last year, there were several guys with steels, guitar players, trying to learn. They were just ok, but was cool to see guys working it. There arenâ€™t enough though.

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 5 Mar 2018 6:36 pm

Thank you, Tom. Honestly, you've said more than you know.

Andy DePaule · Post by **Andy DePaule** » 6 Mar 2018 5:12 am

Tom's got it 100% right, If you want it you gotta get off the couch and do it yourself.
In the kind of places we small timers usually play most people wouldn't know the difference between a pedal steel and a lap steel, but they know the sound and they respond and they like it.

Same goes for the old time rockabilly, C&W and even Hawaiian stuff for those steelers who know it how to play it.
Heck, I need to get off my butt and work out more than the two Hawaiian tunes I know even if those harmonic passages do terrify me.

I've been playing here in Saigon for a few years now and that old stuff is well received in most of the clubs we play at. We play for tourists, Ex-Pats and local Vietnamese who love it as much as we do. Most times in very small clubs.

By USA standards I'm a very average or even below average picker, but if I can get out there and do it so can anyone with a little talent. In my case I keep my playing within what I know I can pull off and never push the envelope in public on the job.
It really is fun.

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 6 Mar 2018 6:24 am

I play pedal steel in two bands and one variant of one of the bands. It's not couch-lock. I know a bunch of musicians, probably a hundred, or more, because of having owned a music store back in the day.

I'm just amazed at the lack of folks playing Ancient C&W music. There is a ad in "Jobs" that is for this sort of thing...it required relocating to get the job...it's in Nashville. Nashville. They have to advertise worldwide and then ask the player to relocate for a 3 month gig? How many steelers are in Nashville? Must not be enough?

Just sharing my alarm, doesn't really mean much

Tom Cooper · Post by **Tom Cooper** » 6 Mar 2018 10:26 am

I think Rick is right though, our style is kind of a lost art. I wish there were more ppl playing up front swing/country style lap steel. Feels weird to be one of handful. I don't like it either. It is a different world for sure.

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 6 Mar 2018 8:45 pm

If it's any consolation, the job listed is in the Dakotas. A great-sounding job, actually, but few people here (Nashville) can afford to be out of town for as long as is required for that particular job.

As for your original question, I'm not sure how literally you mean about touring. There are certainly a few lap steel and console steel players out there touring but more than I think most folks realize are playing fairly full schedules in their local areas. (Which is not to say that number s high, just not as low as many folks seem to think.

)

My non-pedal work ebbs and flows but there's certainly a semi-regular call for it.

And as a highly unscientific sample, I played one of the the Ameripolitan awards showcase nights a few weeks back and, on the night I played, there were two non-pedal steels versus one pedal steel. So, there's that...

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 7 Mar 2018 6:21 am

I had hoped you would chime in, Chris.

My error on that job listing. I looked up the email address and it showed to be a person in Nashville...so I assumed

You and Tom are encouraging. I see that Lee Jeffriess is working some. I'm going to put together a band if it's the last thing I do. Time to hit the local (50 mile radius) jams.

Gary C. Dygert · Post by **Gary C. Dygert** » 7 Mar 2018 3:10 pm

For those who are doing it, good for you.

Mike Bagwell · Post by **Mike Bagwell** » 8 Mar 2018 11:24 am

https://www.facebook.com/marti.saunders ... 601943501/

https://www.facebook.com/286800585589/v ... 250270590/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXZcpS-zRHQ

I don't tour, too old, but I play locally a whole bunch. I play with several bands and play with duo's and trio's quite a bit.

Mike

Terry VunCannon · Post by **Terry VunCannon** » 8 Mar 2018 2:04 pm

3rd generation Sacred Steel player AJ Ghent does...just finished up a tour of Australia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIWYaiYUVZw

Rick Abbott · Post by **Rick Abbott** » 8 Mar 2018 4:47 pm

Mike: Wow! That's some good stuff.

Terry: I've started looking around for some Sacred players. I have some contacts in Indianapolis, Indiana who are associated with black Pentecostal, and other churches. My hope is to find some folks who are doing what AJ does.

Thanks for sharing!

Terry VunCannon · Post by **Terry VunCannon** » 8 Mar 2018 4:57 pm

Thanks Rick...find him on Facebook if you go on there ever. He has many player friends and maybe you can connect. I play a couple of SS style tunes with my band here in NC. It is good stuff, & AJ is deep in that style.

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