New release out today, Keepin' It Real

[Mike Neer]

I apologize for spammin' the board, but I have released my new album today and I am very happy it's completed. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out in spite of my having a hand in every facet of it. normally, that could mean disaster. But I'm getting pretty good at this stuff.

This album has more steel on it than anything I've done. I put everything I had into it to the point where I couldn't bear to listen to steel guitar anymore.

I formed a bond with a special lap steel and used it exclusively. It's a post-war 6 string Rickenbacker B6 that belonged to Sol Hoopii. I kept it in C6 or some variation of it, and I got a lot of music out it. The pandemic just made me take a look around and appreciate everything I have.

Check it out if you're inclined. I know, not a lot of familiar music on here for steel players, but this stuff could grow on you. It's all music taken from the Real Book--a 'fake book' of hundreds of jazz tunes compiled by a couple of students in the 70s. It's legendary, but also chock full of mistakes. Even still, it's like a bible for a jazz lover like me. Not many if any of these tunes have been played on ukulele and steel.

https://mikeneer.bandcamp.com/album/keepin-it-real

[Joe Cook]

Just got mine and it's a well produced and great sounding album, Mike! Love the sound of the uke and that historic Ric together in a jazz context and it really works. You should be proud of it. Congratulations, Mike!

[Andy Volk]

Mike, I'm about halfway through listening this morning and just as a listener, I'm so enjoying this record! It all sounds so fresh and bringing in the vibes, accordion and flute are like adding spices to an already delicious dish. These are all great tunes that haven't been thoroughly explored in the way that tunes like Autumn Leaves, All the Things You Are, etc. perhaps have been.

As a steel guitarist, your musicality and subtle blocking floors me. I laughed out loud when you used the tone/foot control Fx. So cool in this context. You mentioned how hard you worked on this and honestly, as a listener, I can hear the thought and feeling that went into this project ... from arranging, to playing, to mixing. Congrats, my friend!

[Bill Hatcher]

great for you!! to finish up a project like this is for sure something to be noted and celebrated!

[Mikiya Matsuda]

Just downloaded my copy! You always have such a fresh and personal approach to music. I'm very much looking forward to listening to this, Mike. Congratulations on the album!

[Mike Neer]

Many thanks to all who purchased the music, or listened.
How’d I do?

I feel good about it, and I’ve had some good feedback from some jazz writers.

[Myk Freedman]

Mike, this looks great! I can't wait to check it out!!

[David DeLoach]

Congratulations Mike - I can appreciate the effort this project took. You did an excellent job at it all. Good for you for pushing the boundaries of lap steel out a bit farther!

[Mike Neer]

A nice little review on Jazzwax by writer Marc Myers.
https://www.jazzwax.com/2021/05/mike-ne ... -real.html

[Ken Pippus]

Will it be on iTunes?

[Mike Neer]

Will it be on iTunes?

Yes, any day now.

[Bo Parker]

Love it, man!

[Brad Bechtel]

Congratulations, Mike! I'm really enjoying it so far. Your choice of ukulele as a rhythm instrument instead of guitar provides a different feeling to the entire release. I enjoy the other instruments and the way you interact.

Good luck with the project!

[Gene Tani]

Sounds great.

Can i buy on CD, that's my preferred format, I think i've listened to Steelonius a few thousand times!

[Mike Neer]

Sounds great.

Can i buy on CD, that's my preferred format, I think i've listened to Steelonius a few thousand times!

I am having CDs manufactured. They will be available in a limited run and they are for sale (pre-sale) with expected shipment around 6/14/2021.

For anyone who purchased the download and wants a physical CD, send me a message and I will get you a 50% discount code.

[Bill Hatcher]

A nice little review on Jazzwax by writer Marc Myers.
https://www.jazzwax.com/2021/05/mike-ne ... -real.html

Very cool! As is the recording.

[Mike Neer]

Thanks, Bill.

Jazz and lap steel is a very tricky marketing area. It seems most lap steel players don’t really care for it and many jazz fans are not really interested in lap steel. Still, I persist.

[Bill Hatcher]

Thanks, Bill.

Jazz and lap steel is a very tricky marketing area. It seems most lap steel players don’t really care for it and many jazz fans are not really interested in lap steel. Still, I persist.

thats what an artist does.

just dont cut your ear off.....

[Mike Neer]

Available on all platforms as well as CD (those will be availble for shipping in about a week).

https://mikeneer.hearnow.com/keepin’-it-real

Thoughts? I think it’s pretty good stuff and the steel playing is pretty fresh. Tons of shedding went into the preparation. I’d be happy to answer questions if anybody has any.

[Erik Alderink]

Available on all platforms as well as CD (those will be availble for shipping in about a week).

https://mikeneer.hearnow.com/keepin’-it-real

Thoughts? I think it’s pretty good stuff and the steel playing is pretty fresh. Tons of shedding went into the preparation. I’d be happy to answer questions if anybody has any.

Mike, I love the album and your playing all around. I feel like you’re moving
the instrument forward. From an extremely practical standpoint, I wonder how much
you get to do this in stuff in the day to day gigging that you do.

I am happy to be stuck in pre bop and swing, but I wonder how the general world
reacts to this? I like to think that I am opening minds to steel, but I tend
to play it safe.

[Mike Neer]

Erik, thanks for your kind words.

I really only gig in support of my own projects anymore, I don’t really take gigs as a sideman—very rarely. I recently recorded another album with an avant garde project but I wasn’t a leader. I’m lucky to be in a position where I don’t really need the bread, which makes it easier to say no to stuff, but I did spend a lot of years playing music I wasn’t nuts about and just decided no more. I just try to keep myself focused on moving forward and creating arrangements I like. And again, if I were to just dabble in this stuff I would make NO progress. I’m trying to refine my harmonic and melodic approach to make it more interesting. I’m trying to get beyond the “not bad for a lap steel player” point.

[C. Eric Banister]

Great album, Mike! I have been playing it in the my office and my officemates are now fans!

Do you have any interviews or videos out there where you talk about your process of arranging the songs for lap steel?

[Mike Neer]

Great album, Mike! I have been playing it in the my office and my officemates are now fans!

Do you have any interviews or videos out there where you talk about your process of arranging the songs for lap steel?

Thanks. I don’t have any, but I should probably make a blog post or something. It would be too lengthy for the forum.

If you want to know how I arrange the melody in terms of finding ways to play difficult lines or just getting the right articulation, I learn things in as many positions as I can until the articulation is right. In other words, sometimes I need to play a note on another string to make it pop or if I’m trying to avoid sliding around and not sounding crisp. There is really a ton of trial and error. I have worked out tons of heads, or melodies, and even then there always seems to be other possibilities, so I just keep at it. Sometimes I change the tuning slightly to accommodate, if need be. I use C6 but probably have 5 or 6 slight variations.

I heard that Sol Hoopii would stay up all night working on a line to make it pop just the right way, and I can say that I do the same. You learn to problem solve and that means so many things come into play, such as open strings, different picking techniques, etc. There is a descending pentatonic lick that I play where it sounds like I’m picking every note with different fingers, but I’m really just using one finger and dragging it because I don’t like the way the individual picks sound. That’s just really too much info, but I listen carefully to those things and if I don’t like the way it sounds, I won’t play it.

[Dan Koncelik]

Greetings from Central Jersey!

So far I've listened to it between 5-10 times all the way through and love it! From my listener's perspective, it is a coherent next step after 'Steelonious' and a further development of your playing.

It strikes me musically/emotionally similarly to Lyle Ritz's 'How About Uke?' (1957). Lesser known tunes, but not lesser. Real jazz played by an unlikely instrument, but highly likable. Of course, the doffing of the cap to Hawaii in a respectful way: in fact, I love that you used ukulele and not electric guitar for your primary chordal rhythm (echoing Brad's point)! And am just as glad for your subtle touch with percussion and NOT full kit drums.

Your 'neer perfect' blend of instrumental spices, as Andy colorfully called them, harkens back to the 'How About Uke?' era, too—accordion, vibes, flute…instruments unfairly maligned in the public imagination….all you need is a banjo to complete the ensemble….maybe next time?

If I squint my ears I can hear the smooth legato and timbre of Pat Metheny, who I've personally heard say in one of his workshops that his line construction is based on horns while his composition is frequently done on piano….the atmospherics of Bill Frisell, who is basically playing pedal steel on an armpit guitar (who first played clarinet). In my opinion, the steel (either lap or pedal) is already there in all these regards—and it 'sings', too! Plus, you could bend a 6-or-more note chord if you wanted…

Lastly but not leastly: I don't hear lapsteel and techniques….I just hear MUSIC! It means that you've done your shedding and honed your craft as to make it transparent and transcendent…this is the artistic grail quest, no? If I notice that an actor is acting, it equals bad or undeveloped acting…

In conclusion: I can't wait to drive up the NJ Turnpike to hear your live presentation of this record! And I've never in my life looked forward to driving on the Turnpike

[Joe Cook]

Nice review, Dan. My feelings exactly.