cartoon steel

Ken Williams · Post by **Ken Williams** » 29 May 2001 6:06 am

Who's playing steel on the SpongeBob cartoons?

Thanks,
Ken

Steven Knapper · Post by **Steven Knapper** » 29 May 2001 6:41 am

I don't know about the normal stuff you hear in those cartoons, but it's interesting stuff to say the least (I LOVE cartoons, SpongBob is cool!!). BUT---on the one where Sandy is home sick and wants to go home to Texas, Junior Brown gets a credit for playing the song that Sandy sings----AND as she drops back into her dome after singing her little song, you can hear Junior put a vocal tag---"I wanna go ho-ome" at the very end (it's him). Kinda cool I thought when I first heard that. All the other stuff (steel playing, etc) in those cartoons is kinda neat also. PS--I'm gonna be 51 YO later this year, still watching cartoons!??!!!

------------------
Steven

GFI Ultra S10 Keyless
Peavey Bandit 65

[This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 29 May 2001 at 07:43 AM.]

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 29 May 2001 7:30 am

Gary Brandon-The Blue Hawaiians.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 29 May 2001 7:23 pm

Gary yusta post on the Forum.

(I'll translate for you non-Southerners.)

There was a time when Gary would post on the Forum.

Lee, from South Texas

[This message was edited by Lee Baucum on 29 May 2001 at 08:23 PM.]

Hamilton Barnard · Post by **Hamilton Barnard** » 29 May 2001 8:04 pm

He would post here more often but everytime that he goes on line, I run over and unplug the extension cord that runs his mobil home.

FWIW, on SpongeBob he is playing a double 8 Rick with a vintage Rickenbacker M15 amp. The rest of the band are current members of the Blue Hawaiians.

BTW, Brandin will be releasing his CD containing mostly originals shortly...they are in the final mix.

OK Gary, now send me the five bucks.

------------------
Home page.

Steven Knapper · Post by **Steven Knapper** » 29 May 2001 8:21 pm

OK you guys--aside from the one with the Junior Brown credit, WHO the heck is Gary Brandon??? Does he play that weird stuff all the time?? I mean, I love it, love the cartoon, but I gotta admit, the music kinda makes the cartoon great. Please excuse my ignorance, but enlighten me if you would. If he plays that stuff on recordings, I gotta have one!!!

------------------
Steven

GFI Ultra S10 Keyless
Peavey Bandit 65

Brandin · Post by **Brandin** » 29 May 2001 10:59 pm

"Who the heck is Gary Brandin?"

After many years of therapy I think I know.
I'm a guy playin' steel guitar on a cartoon show. The kids love me!

"Does he play that weird stuff all the time?"

Yes, it's my job.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 29 May 2001 11:45 pm

Hey Gary....when's the cartoon on, & what channel? Are you doing it every week? If so, very cool!!!
Rick...

P.S. there's s'posed a south swell this weekend!!! Maybe we'll see ya out there.
kawabunga!

Steven Knapper · Post by **Steven Knapper** » 30 May 2001 5:57 am

Gary---I guess some of us OLD kids love ya too, can I get a CD of the weird stuff??!!!?. Really, I love the music in that cartoon, I often sit there and wonder how the heck you do some of that stuff, it's great. Do you do any live stuff around the area (I'm stuck in Capistrano waiting for some shoulder surgeries)??? Let me know if I can get a CD or see ya live sometime!!
Steven
The SpongBob Squarepants cartoon is on Nickelodian (sp?) @ 10am on SAT and SUN, at least in Quail Valley time!! CA.[This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 30 May 2001 at 07:01 AM.][This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 30 May 2001 at 07:59 AM.]

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 30 May 2001 4:11 pm

According to the SpongeBob Squarepants web site, the show is on Nickelodeon Monday through Thursday at 8:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 am, and Sunday at 4:00 pm.
Gary does a great job!

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 30 May 2001 5:29 pm

Gary Brandin's a talented player and i'm looking forward to his upcoming CD.
I'm sorry that I misspelt his name in the earlier post though!

There has already been a reference to his work on the cartoon mentioned.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Q - Brandin, are you the ball of fire playing that great Hawaiian guitar in the Spongebob Squarepants soundtrack?
A - Yes, but not all the music is played by us (The Blue Hawaiians). They have us go in the studio and make up songs. Nickelodeon buys the songs, and pays for the studio. What's are influence? Dick Dale, Hank Marvin, and Henry Mancini to name a few.
I'm playing my Rickenbacker D-8, and sometimes my Fender 400 tuned to C6th.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
The L.A.-based Blue Hawaiians formed in 1994 when bassist/vocalist Mark Fontana, guitarists Mark Sproull and Bron Tieman and drummer Tom Maxwell played at the opening of her a then new nightclub, the Lava Lounge.
Gary joined them a few years later and has added to a great sounding outfit.

For Gary's history you have to go back to 1974, when he was living in South Pasadena CA., and admits that he didn't know one end of a guitar from another. His neighbors Bill Bryson and John Egenes, got Gary interested in playing guitar. They took him to the Palomino a few times to hear the Palomino Riders led by Jerry Inman.
That's the line up with Jerry Inman, Buck Felts {bass}, Jay Dee Maness (steel guitar), Archie Francis (drums) and Russ Hanson on guitar. Ethan Reilly replaced Jay Dee for some months in late 1974 into 1975.
A great group and Gary wrote "So I was hooked. I found a cheap MSA S-10 and started to practice. About four months later I was working in the bars full time."

And it began, Gary worked in the Phantom Herd, a 1970s country-rock band with Chris Gaffney joining as lead vocalist for a few years.
He also went on to work at the Foothill Club with Billy Mize and Cliff Crofford's band.
As well as the 1980s Sunday radio show hosted by Paul Bowman. The band was, Mark Bowman on drums, Don Whaley on bass and, Red Volkaert on guitar.
Jay Dee was playing steel on this show first, but was too busy with the new Desert Rose Band.

In the mid 80's he started working with Chris Gaffney's band, they played the punk clubs in LA. along with Jim Lauderdale,
Lucinda Williams, Patty Booker, Buddy Miller, (who lived in South Pasadena at the time) Heather Myles, Rick Shea, and Dave
Alvin among others. Gary played on Gaff's first three CD's. Of the others, Patty Booker, Heather Myles, and Rick Shea were the the ones he worked with most frequently.
In the 1990s Gary also worked with Marc Cory Lee; they did his last CD (Stardust Cowboy) live in the studio, on a tight budget!

And of course Gary joined the Blue Hawaiians in March of 97. With them he appears in
the BBC 'History of Rock&Roll' hand syncing to Brom Tieman's steel part on "A Cheat". For the studio version they let Gary go in the studio and play the solo. The short film "Searchin' for Da Cat" was done before I was in the band, but Gary played steel on a version of the song the BH's last Pascal CD. Check out; [link]pascalrecords.com[/link]
The group is on a larger label and cut a CD with Gary in 1999. I strongly recommend all of the stuff he's appeared on.

Gary's sessions (well some of them)
Blue Hawaiians:
- Sway (1998)
- Savage Night (1999)
Chris Gaffney & The Cold Hard Facts:
- Chris Gaffney & The Cold Hard Facts 1989)
- Mi Vida Loca (1992) Guitar (Steel)
Heather Myles:
- Just Like Old Times (1992)
- Sweet Little Dangerous: Live at...(1996)
- Highways and Honky Tonks (1998) Guitar
Jetpack:
- Planet Reverb (2000)
Marc Cory Lee:
Stardust Cowboy (2000)
Patty Booker:
- I Don't Need All that (1999)

Various Artists Town South of Bakersfield, Vol. 3 (1992)

Steven Knapper · Post by **Steven Knapper** » 30 May 2001 8:51 pm

I don't mean to sound like a broken CD, but is there anything that has the weird, neat SpongBob stuff on it. It really is interesting and great stuff. Is it all original?? Do the Blue Hawaiians do any live gigs, at least in O.C.?? I'd love to catch them live sometime. And remember, "This is going on your permanent record!!"

------------------
Steven

GFI Ultra S10 Keyless
Peavey Bandit 65

John Egenes · Post by **John Egenes** » 27 Jun 2001 5:14 pm

By golly, I know Gary Brandin! Used to live next door to the boy. Will wonders never stop to cease.....

Egenes

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 28 Jun 2001 6:51 am

Hey John, I've been meaning to email you..

John Egenes · Post by **John Egenes** » 2 Jul 2001 5:33 pm

Well.....what's stoppin' ya? [g,d&r]

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 3 Jul 2001 6:09 am

Sorry John, I been busy with a new night job, but I'm on to it now.
Gary must be touring, I'd love to see him post, but I guess he's already posted on this topic before anyway.

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 3 Jul 2001 6:13 am

Ahem, well Gary did post on this back in late May, so he does pop up now and then.
How old is this topic anyway?... I don't mind it's a good 'un.

Bill Fulbright · Post by **Bill Fulbright** » 7 Jul 2001 10:17 am

Gary,

Nice work on the SpongeBob Cartoons. All the kids know about it. Even my 3 1/2 year old daughter knows. In fact, we are watching the "Homesick for Texas" w/ special credits to Junior Brown.. show right now on Nick. Saturday 2:00 pm 7/7/01

It is great to a creative application which helps bring the steel to the kids while still remaining professional and creative!!

------------------
Bill Fulbright
1998 Sierra U12 7x5; '74 Schecter Strat; Gibson ES-165; Peavey Classic 50-410, Line 6 POD 2.0 w/2.2 chip
ICQ# 2251620; Bill Fulbright's Music Website (hotguitar.tripod.com)