The Steel Guitar Forum

I grew up in Detroit and it's suburbs. I now live in Ann Arbor, MI which is only 45 miles from Canada. I have visited Canada countless times throughout my life.

I love going there. The people are friendly and the cities are safe and clean.

I remember a story I once heard about the city of Toronto. A film company was making a movie there. They had to film a scene in a slummy-dirty part of town. They couldn't find one! So the film company built a slum for the shot. The next day when they came back to continue shooting they found that the city had cleaned it up.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 28 September 2004 at 11:13 AM.]</p></FONT>

<SMALL>I don't think the steel guitar by itself is considered an embarassment, but many of the Hawaiian recordings that featured the steel guitar in 1960's could be.</SMALL>

The author of the EnRoute article is a photojournalist/multimedia freelancer. I would suspect that his statement on steel came from something the ukelele players had said.

If that's true, then I think Gerald's comment above is probably correct.

When Hawaii became a pop phenomenom (i.e. marketable and lucrative), its main export to the western world became its culture-- rather, a sterotyped, iconic version of its culture. Hawaiian steel guitar was front and center.

Everyone on this forum knows the undeniable beauty and influence of Hawaiian steel. Most of the world, sadly, seems only familiar with the co-opted, cheesed-up and watered-down "Hawaiian" music that was pandering to the commercial North American market during this period. A lot of it wasn't even coming from Hawaii.

Like all commercial fads, it became a cliche, ate itself alive, passed out of the public mind, and perhaps the "out" sound of the Hawaiian steel guitar became a joke to some people.

Now, of course, when someone says "steel," they almost always mean the ubiquitous Nashville-country pedal steel sound. Some great stuff there too, but very often-- cliche.

Just as some residents of Prince Edward Island here in Canada will cringe slightly when you mention "Anne of Green Gables," (the popular icon of their island) perhaps some young Hawaiians want to get as far away from the steel as possible, feeling that it has become an embarrassment to their rich musical and cultural heritage. Maybe they don't want to be associated with modern country steel.

The resurgence of ukelele among Hawaiian youngsters could be a sort of reverse orientalism-- rather than taking up the instrument that defined Hawaii to non-Hawaiians (and has since come to define mainstream mainland country music), why not rebel and make excellent music on the most forgotten, misunderstood, and derided instrument of them all?

Tiny Tim ensured that a generation of North Americans would have no further interest in ukelele. Maybe Hawaiians feel like the coast is clear to start playing again without that stigma hanging over them.

I love ukeleles. While recording, we've even ripped half the strings off a mandolin to make it sound more like a uke.

Anyway, sorry to ramble. I think I'm getting a cold.

P.S. I'm a Canadian who has spent lots of time in the U.S. I've found the ratio of kind people to jackasses to be pretty much the same no matter where you are.

Bill, your apology is accepted. As Dwayne wrote, there are jack asses in both countries. Canada is not immune to that. We are a small country in population, a huge country in territory and often an apologetic nation for whatever reason. We have nothing to apologize for when it comes to being a friendly nation. And the MAJORITY of us love Americans no matter what anyone may say. Always remember that.

I'm all for anybody/everybody getting into music in any way, as it just heightens the chances of somebody eventually playing steel.

Ukulele, the gateway instrument...?

One thing can happen to people who rarely visit the States, Canada (or any other country) - they develop stereotypes based perhaps on political events or things they read in the newspaper. A recent trip to the Port Angeles area of Washington State, where people were super friendly and welcoming to me, made me swear never to fall into that easy trap.
Steel guitar is also easy to stereotype because, as Ron said, it is too unfamiliar and abstract for most people.

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Thank you George.
I must be watching too much CNN and Fox news these days. My wife and I used so slip over to London Ontario some years back, and always had a nice time.
And you were right, it was nasty and ignorant!!
Regards BILL

Bill...I should also apologize for my remarks. I guess we were both having an "off-day"...stay cool, all is well.

Duane pretty much sums up my take on the misgivings of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar in a few peoples' eyes / ears / brains.

But a few items of my perspective from Hawaii:

Other than passive statements made by a few Locals in their quest for cultural rediscovery subsequent to the philosophical and intellectual awakening of the 1960's; I have not heard any substantial indication that the Steel Guitar nor the Ukulele was an embarrassment; Although most of us can at least understand that the Steel Guitar has indeed been an icon of what even a substantial number of people in the USA have considered as corny, red-neck, beer-mug whining; Little different than most of us probably disliking Hip Hop which could surely be predictably embarassing at the wrong place and time. No cultural group has a monopoly upon prejudice!

During the 1980's there was an understandably biased but rather naieve / uneducated prejudice among some Local Musicians (mainly non-white and mostly amateurs) to discredit much if not most Music outside what they desired to label real Hawaiian Music. But as reality sank into that resurgence of cultural identity ...I think most of them realized that the ends of such prejudice, thinking and arguement would leave them chanting, blowing nose flutes and beating on hollowed out logs. I have an old hollowed log Hawaiian drum in my shop I subtly break out for the rare Local Musician who still desires to tell me what "real Hawaiian Music" is all about.

I do think that the decline of Steel Guitar in much of the "modern" Local "Hawaiian" music over the last 40 years has left a hole in the sound and identity of Hawaiian Music; And I think that is why Steel Guitar has been making somewhat of a come-back in Local modern Hawaiian Music over the last 8 years or so ...on the heels of the resurgence of Ukulele as well (although not yet as prevalant as Ukulele).

Although live music venues have steadily declined over the last 20 years, and are at an all-time low in Hawaii; I would venture to say that 2 Musicians could do rather well over here busking with a Steel and Acoustic Guitar (especially if some of the Acoustic were Slack Key).

And I think the honestly felt but rather brain-washed emotional prejudice against Canada and France so common today in emotions ...spawned almost entirely by the remarkably biggoted and deceitful cornservative propaganda machine, ...pretty much demonstrates why a few Locals here might express a distaste and "embarassment" for Music brought to these islands by an apathetic and acquiescent country who illegally invaded and conquered them by military force and trickery for little more than to acquire their rich resources and transform their Homeland into a western $$$ "theme park". Prejudice is as ignorant and understandable as it is a human nature no culture has a monopoly upon. Maybe ...just maybe, ...some day we humans WILL realize that the Godly nature of Truth, Compassion, Dialogue, Understanding and Peace is THE means to overcome deliberate imposition of our god-blessed self importance upon others ......IMHO.

Aloha,
DT~

During my short sojourn in Hilo last week, I went to the WAL-MART in the hopes of picking up some steel guitar cd's. I asked the clerk where I could find them. He said, "You mean slack-key, don't you?" to which I replied, "Noooo, I'm looking for steel guitar cd's". This drew a blank on his face. Gads, there I am in Hawai'i in a WAL-MART, and I can't find a steel guitar cd! What does this tell you ?

Years ago I recall talking with a Hawaiian who stated (authoritively) that the steel guitar was invented in Nashville! Makes me wonder how many locals think accordingly ?

Anyway, we on the Forum know differently and my hope is that Hawaiians will appreciate this was an "invention" by one of their own, Joseph Kekuku.

...

Keoki,

I understand where you are coming from in terms of finding Hawaiian music in Hawaii! But you can't expect a store like Walmart to carry any locally produced anything! The whole idea behind Walmart, McDonalds, Starbucks etc. is that it doesn't matter where you are in the world... they are all the same. A Quarter Pounder with cheese is the same in Ames, Iowa as it is on the beach at Waikiki as it is at the Great Wall of China.

Border's books in Honolulu has a huge Hawaiian CD section. This kind of goes against what I said in the last paragraph. Border's is a national chain (started here in Ann Arbor, BTW), but they do carry local interest items at each of their locations.

Today you have to go to specialty retailers to get any kind of non-top 40 music. This is good and bad. Bad because you have to search these retailers out, good because many times you are supporting small business people who love what they are doing.



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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

Mahalo Jeff and Gerald...The ONLY reason I went to WALMART was because I was in Hilo for approximately 3 hours, WALMART was the closest big store to the Hilo airport. Mistakenly, as pointed out by Gerald, I thought they might have local merchandise. I did find 3 nice shirts for our group, but as mentioned, once you've seen one WALMART, you've seen them all.

P.S....I never darken the WALMART doors here in Edmonton....we have 3 of them and who cares!

<SMALL>Gads, there I am in Hawai'i in a WAL-MART, and I can't find a steel guitar cd! What does this tell you ?</SMALL>

He knew, but he was too embarrassed to say so.

This thread has taken several directions, like a good conversation. For some amazing ukulele work, check out Ohta San's recordings.

Has anyone heard the Japanese ukelele duo Petty Booka?

I don't know anything about them, other than what this website has to say (and show)...
http://www.sister.co.jp/pettybooka/index.html

What's the scene like in Japan for Hawaiian music? Anybody know?

It seems they latch on to music trends (i.e. bluegrass, rockabilly) either 30 years late or 10 years early.

Personally, my hopes for the future of Hawaiian steel rest on the ears of the children being raised on SpongeBob SquarePants.

...

Petty Booka...

I checked out their website, listened to their cuts and viewed their video clips.

I kinda like them... I think...

They are kind of a joke, but they're not.

They are kind of amateurish, but they're not.

They are kind of 'William Hung-ish', but they're not.

They're kind of synthetic, but they're not.

I think I like them, but I don't know why.

They kind of remind me of the Mothra Twins from the 1964 movie 'Godzilla vs. Mothra'.

Are they standing in front of a vintage Oahu amp?



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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 30 September 2004 at 01:57 PM.]</p></FONT>

GOJIRA!!!

I feel the same way. I'm confused, and I think I like them.

It's like someone backed up a MechaGodzilla-sized dumptruck full of good times and old records into their yard.

They're taking the music seriously, just not themselves. That counts for a lot in my books these days.

And being cute never hurts.


....hmmm. Maybe they need a steel player.
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Dwayne Martineau on 30 September 2004 at 03:58 PM.]</p></FONT>