The Steel Guitar Forum

I think this might have been mentioned before,
but I just got a copy of the Rancho Deluxe cd
with Jay Dee Manness. Oh my, what a great cd.
Jay Dee's playing is (as always) outstanding.
My favorite tune on it is Hometown Blues where Jay Dee just blows the song away. The ending solo is
very touching. It's definitely something you should check out. Refreshing to hear that sort of music.
Great Band....Great CD.....nuff said !

Bob Miano
New Jersey

Hi Bob - I'm a big JayDee fan. What's the name of the CD? Thanks JC

Jody,
Name of the CD (and the band) is Rancho Deluxe.
They have a website (www.ranchodeluxe.org)
and also a myspace page where you could hear
a few songs (you'll have to do a search on myspace
to find them)
It's really great stuff.....in a way, it's like
a continuation of the Desert Rose Band.

Bob

Jody, if you are a Jay Dee fan, check these tracks from Archie Francis' upcoming cd 'Money In The Bank.'

Persdonally, my favorite is Where Are You Tonite, as far as classic JayDee Maness-ness...

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemus ... dID=696499

There are more samples, here http://www.archiefrancis.com/my_cd.html but the sound quality is nicer on soundclick. And the cd should be out... any minute, now

hey zirbel...thanx for the link..turns out that band has my old friend greg harris and his kids involved..
by the way, you look awfully neat and clean in that picture!

Ya Dave thanks for the link. Great sound. Love there influences list. I think I'll be gettin the cd.

Rancho Deluxe are a great, fun band to see. When I saw them a few months back at a little-bitty tavern in West L.A., Gary Brandon was pickin' with them, and he sounded really fine.

JayDee does some disturblingly great stuff...what touch & tone.

I love these guys too. It's so nice to hear guys my age playing real country rock that is familiar to me. And I was impressed that they had Jay Dee too. The songwriting is strong and intelligent. Hometown Blues would have been a country radio hit 15 or 20 years ago. I found them through their myspace page and bought their album. I keep checking to see if they are ever going to come to the southeast because I'd love to hear them live.

Hey Ivey, guess I better change that picture!

The RD Tele picker Jesse Harris was (maybe still is) a Forum member. I bought a Session 500 from him awhile back. He's smokes on the Telecaster. His younger brother Graham plays bass. His father Greg did a little tracking on the record but doesn't gig with the band. Greg played in the Burrito Bros. with Sneaky Pete and Skip Batton during the 1980's.

Chris Ivey, did you ever play in a band with Greg Harris?

I used to see Greg with his band "Gypsy Switch" all the time around San Jose/Los Gatos in the 70's. He was so talented - I remember when he moved to Los Angeles, and as Dave indicated, hooked up with one of the incarnations of the Burrito Brothers.

I always thought he'd go even bigger time and get some national fame under his own name.

Gypsy Switch used to do an incredible, jam version of the Youngbloods Darkenss Darkness - I don't know how many times I saw them play at Mountain Charlie's in Los Gatos.

i played some with greg very early in our careers ..before i even had a steel..greg was way ahead of everyone in the early seventies with his songwriting style, energy and musical ability..i thought he would end up famous in a big way...he was quite an inspiration!
actually, i think i did play steel with him a couple times at mountain charlies...i probably sucked..

I've got that call also and have picked with those guys a number of times. I always enjoy picking with Jesse Harris - he's a card carrying Tele Monster plus the band has great material.

if you like J D and some good stuff check this out






http://www.forrestlee.net


Db

Just noticed on their myspace page that Rancho Deluxe
has a cd release party scheduled for December. Wonder if JayDee recorded with them again?

Bob

I talked to JayDee yesterday he said he used an Emmons on the recording. Listen to how "intune" he was, knocked me out.

Larry Behm

Rancho Deluxe is playing sunday at the mid state fair here in CA in Santa Maria...

i think Dave Zirbel is playing steel with them... should be awesome...

They are great, great band, great songs and they can play and sing and entertain... without gimmicks or cheese.

Yeah - they call that the Mid-State Fair.

There's nothing "mid state" about it.

If Dave isn't flying (and there aren't any major airports close by), then that's a long drive from Sonoma County, where we both live.

When you click on the Burrito Deluxe MySpace, the photo of the guy that pops up next to the song "Steppin' Off The Line," with what appears to be a Sho-Bud, is Dave.

Knock 'em dead, Zirbman!

Also featured in some of those songs is one of the really hot dobro players, period, Michael Witcher.

I've listened too all those tracks - JayDee's playing is nothing short of wonderful!

zirb...that picture is hipper and more organic..tho the other one was nice, too.
if you are playing with rancho delux..tell someone to tell greg harris hi for me...thnx...

Seriously good album. Great writing, great playing.
This stuff satisfies right from the start.
Jay Dee is (as Larry said) "intune" and offers some
new twists that'll get your blood pumping.Knocked out
beautiful playing...
Put this on after or during a bad day, you can leave the benzos in the bottle.


Joe.

I am a former member of Greg Harris and the Bandini Brothers.

Bob, Jesse told me he hasn't even started the working demos for the new album. I'll be surprised if it's done by December. My guess is that JayDee will be on it.

Chris Ivey-that's the real me in the new pic!

I'll be at the Mid State Fair wit RD a week from today, hoping and trying my best to fill the shoes at least part of one shoe of the great JayDee!

DZ

hey guys thanks for all of the kind words and encouragement,

here's a little more info for anyone interested.

As far as JayDee and his gear in the studio, just a steel and a nash 400 ltd, tuned with a strobe tuner, just the vol pedal, we added perhaps the tiniest hair of reverb but that was it.

I am just about done with the demo recordings for the new record, we are very excited to get back in and tracking, we are really proud of the new material and our playing and singing has come a long way since that debut CD.

We plan on using the same personnel on the new CD, JayDee, Megan Lynch, and Mike Witcher on Dobro. There also might be a few special guests on this one as well. Ill keep you all posted.

That reminds me I NEED TO CALL JAYDEE!!!

Tracking is scheduled to begin the second weekend of Sept. We hope to have the record complete in time for the holidays.

Thanks so much for the free PR, long live the SGF!

Cheers all!
Jesse

Oh and BTW

Dave Zirbel is one hot Steel player, and plays the heck out of the guitar as well.

on top of it all he seems to be able to hang around our madness and keep a smile on his face,

Dave thanks for all the driving, see ya Sunday!

Jesse