The Steel Guitar Forum

Here here! Thanks so much for putting on this cool event. It's great fun to be in the presence of so many great players and to try to keep up (take it from the dude who had to follow Dan Tyack!) Thanks too for letting us Seattle guys come join in - it's worth the trip - I'll come back for sure.

The audience couldn't help but notice the really toothy SMILE by Mr. Eric West...... His new teeth made him look at least 10 years YOUNGER! I've never seen so many brilliantly shiney teeth....At least 32, I'd guess, ALL UPPERS! CONGRATULATIONS ERIC....
I fully realize that such an ordeal cannot be painless.....but you really do look nice.....handsome, almost.
Appreciate the offer to have me play thro' your wonderful new amp however, I no longer play in public. Enjoyed YOUR playing as we did everyone else, Behm, Susskind, James, O'Conner, Williams,
Stafford, Grandstrom, Kellog and the whole host of other fine steel players. It was a pleasure to have been in the audience.

"(Bobby is incapable of over playing). "

Dan, no wonder I loved your playing..... that was a very nice thing to say about Bobby Black, a true ambassador of the steel guitar (I can only attest to this from when I was 20), but that seems a looooong time ago

....and Eric... wow, what a great full tone on the C6th stuff with your vintage Sho~Bud... sounded great across the room.

Larry, I understand you offer lessons..... folks, if you live in the area, this IS the man to take your lessons from... a full and complete understanding of the PSG!

Dave Grafe.. I owe you big time for introducing me to some of these Portland players a few years ago.... hope I can catch you next time I go north... thanks my friend!

...and Harley James.... simply sublime is all I can say... so nice meeting you.

Pat and Kevin... of the Keith Holter "Long Horn Band" (Seattle).... I'm counting the days until either I make it up to Seattle, ... or when ya'll come down to Sacramento in Oct. for the Western Swing gathering.

For you locals.. if you haven't heard this great swing band, featuring steel great Dean Rankin..... this year would be a good time! Really something unique, and a truley great large band!!!

Ya'll, thanks again for a great time!

Well of Mr T's playing, I can't be accused of not "calling it the way I see (or hear) it". Without regard to consequences. (tee hee...)

Ray, I didn't want to get too close to you because my teeth look better far away.. I mostly played thru my 15 watt Fender JUST FOR YOU.

10-4 on the Longhorns, further driving home the need for us to stick together, quit pretending that "the money isn't important", and rolling over like whipped dogs when it comes to getting PAID.

THIS event showed that we CAN , FOR A FEE, MAKE MONEY for a club. Not just "taking the door money" and going home without enough money to cover gas. Without this, many bands like the Longhorns will NOT survive what otherwise IS an upsurge in public music, though not like the 80s.

I can tell you the negotiation for this being a PAID event was not without consequence, or give and take. The band "renamed" itself to avoid a prior misunderstanding, and we were nearly represented as a part of the Dance Lesson Program.

Just an example from an "Urgent" email I got.. after negotiating the contract and setting the date without any involvement from anybody but a DJ and the Manager in the club I've been playing at steadily for 30 years.

*** PLEASE, if you would, keep in mind that the reason I’ve been pushing for years to have this event at The Ponderosa is because there would be ROOM TO DANCE. I’m hoping that the players will keep this in mind when they set up - i.e. not piling their cases etc on the dance floor over in front of the DJ booth. Maybe they could put it all over in the corner to the left of the stage. (Have you been to the Ponderosa in the last couple of weeks? Since they installed the new dance floor?) -XX Dance Instruction-

There wasn/t room for b0bs marimba to set up there were so many players and I gotta admit I got a little steamed when I overheard the Instructor voicing her concerns for the "Dancers".. Guess I won't be at Harley's BarBQ this year..

Anybody in the band that feels bad about taking the money, you can contribute it to my friend Robert, a Triplegic that got banned from the club because he was an embarrassment to the Dancers. He loved Pedal Steel, and touching the women that flock around them. He doesn't have a 30,000$ harley in his garage like I do.

Thanks again for everybody coming and realizing that we DO take it seriously here, and we DO LOVE Steel Guitar.

At least most of us do..

I'm playing at the Gresham Eagles this weekend with SBD and Kevin Neal, my FAVORITE Tele Player. Interestingly, the guitar he plays is the one that I played against when it was in the Late Kurt Radke's hands the many years I played with him in the 80s. He does it proud.. Next Weekend at the Gateway Elks.

No Cover.

I'll put you on the guest list, but no yelling profanities at me, and no spitting. Wives either. They have bouncers.

Flipping me the Bird is Fine. It reminds me of the me I really like being..





EJL/HFLE

Probably won't see you at the Eagles.

Excellent steel jam.

Thanks to all the guys who put it together and to the other guys who made the trek in from Washington and California.

I also truly appreciated the band. Though well-paid, they oughta get a purple heart for having to play through 45 min. of a very dirge-like Rose Colored Glasses and a half-hour long, dangerously manic, Truck Drivin' Man.

I'm sure it will be 3 or 4 months before any of them have the urge to slip a steel guitar CD into the ol' player.

Harley and Larry........I salute you!

Tony, Harley and I (and Doug Jones) do this just for you. Everyone else who comes is a bonus. You have been our idol for years and we.....oh what crap. We do this for everyone, as Harley and I are passionate about promoting steel guitar AND pulling together the brotherhood. It is all about the guys sharing time (and steel) not the other way around. The steel just gets us there.

Thanks for driving up from Roseburg.

Your system (Zum-World 1.2 and Sarno pre)sounded great from where I was sitting.

We could have had over 40 players if all would have come and or those who came would have brought their gear. It would mean we would only get to play 2 songs in 4 hours but then we would not have had the chance to see Eric's new teeth, Harley's Fender, Robin's hat, Russ's ZB, Lynn's Zum-hybrid, etc.

It is the LOVE for each other that brings us, may it never change.

Larry

All is as it should be.

Better than it was before.

God has blessed us.

Selah.



EJL/HFLE

Hey gums where are all the pictures you took of the jam?

larry

Got a BUNCH. Mostly just shots around the room, and a couple GREAT .avi files starting with Tony G playing Way to Survive, Harley and I clowning around, and Lots of stuff. I'll get back from the VA/OHSU tomorrow and post a few pix if they don't gut me out.. Promise.

Those avi files, are GREAT sound quality, for better or... but Tony's "WTS" was GREAT.

What I'd do is run them off on a DVD disc and mail them to anyone. They need a pretty hot computer to play them, like a Pentium4.

Again, it was a GREAT time, and I am SO glad to be able to say I'm back to my "old self", rather than hobbling around in grief and all gaunt and gray. I know it might not seem like something to be thankful for to others, but it's possible I'd have never recovered without God and my friends helping.

Some of them even appreciate my need to have a modicum of argueably appropriate pride and indignation. Maybe it's because they wish they had more themselves. Dunno. Don't care.

Anyhow, anybody that wants snippets, and will promise not to post unflattering ones of anybody, I'll send you the pix and some of the avi's I took if you'll Forum Msg me.

Gotta run. I'll be swamped most of tomorrow at the hosp.



EJL

Sorry I couldn't make it to the "Eric Chopper-a-thon" and I don't mean his Harley. Can't wait to hear the stories when I get back. -DJ-

Jeezus Doug...

We thought you were there...



EJL

Twayn, I guess that was me with the Fender Deluxe 8, although referring to me as "gentleman" may not always be accurate. I played my GFI on most of the tunes, but I thought I'd bring a non pedal rig for a little variety. That's me with my back turned in Jerry's first picture talking to Bill O'Connor and my wife Laurie. It was a wonderful time indeed. Quite a sight to behold, and the last time through Together Again with everyone playing was unbelievable. Thanks to Larry, Robin, Harley and the band for putting this thing on.

I thought you tore it up on that lap steel Dave.
What tuning was that? i want to be able to do THAT!

I have to agree with Ben.... I thought Dave sounded great on the GFI... but there was something about the tone of that Fender eight string that was really exceptional! Also it was very nice chatting with you Dave....what an enjoyable adventure for me!!!

Hey Eric, I'll be glad too send you an email with my address when you get some of those DVDs made.... in fact if you send me your address, I'll mail you some blank disks to helps out

No Prob. I'll run them off tomorrow and mail them off on Fri. I got TONS of DVD blanks and Mailers are nothing. I never come out on the short end. Not here.

Like I said, not all of them are flattering, and I know nobody will hold them in a blackmail file except me...



EJL

Eric....

You crack me up man!! Save some of it for this weekend. I'll see you in G-town if all goes well.

I just want to say thank you to all the steel players and the band for making me ( only months of playing ) feel very welcome and encouraged to play more. I learned alot from all of you.

Thanks JR

Ben, I have that Fender tuned to a G6. From low to high E G B D E G B D. It's like a dobro tuning with a couple of E's added in.
The trapezoid pick up has a great tone. That's the first time I'd played it through my Evans amp. I usually play it through my Vibrosonic or a smaller tube amp. I was trying to economize on space so I brought the Evans and left the monster Vibro at home. I wasn't sure what it would sound like, but it seemed to work out pretty well.

Thanks Dave, your lap playing was inspiring. I'd love to be able to show up to a gig and slay with a small lightweight intrument like that. I have two 6 string laps but havent been able to devote any time to them at all.

Well this is a coincidence.... this AM a friend of mine from Corvallis called, and says he's looking for an older Twin Reverb. If anyone knows who was trying to sell that blackface at the jam (and if he didn't already sell it), send me an email and I'll do what I can to connect these two

Larry,
Was the time you, me and Tony set up in your house and swapped licks the first annual Portland Jam??? Maybe back in 1977? My, it has grown some since then, you are the MAN!

Bill you bring up memories from the past for sure. I know the Washington state association was active during the 70's with Lee Gillespie (sp) and the boys. Jeff Newman told them they were the only group doing it west of the Miss River at that time. He would know.

We miss you up here wild Bill, maybe some day you can throw Chuck in the back seat and beat feet up here even if just for a vacation.

Larry Behm
503-722-7562

Larry,
I have been promising myself a trip up to see you for too long. A reunion with you would be way too cool, Stay happy my friend.