The Steel Guitar Forum

I posted a few months ago gaugeing support for a new music camp devoted to slide and steel. It's gonna happen! the slide and steel camp will be happening this july.

the staff will include myself and sally van meter teaching dobro, mike dowling -bottleneck slide, darick campbell (campbell bros.) and freddie roulette- lap steel, dan tyack and chuck campbell (campbell bros.)- pedal steel, bobby black (cmdr. cody)-pedal and non-pedal steel. still negotiating with one more person but we're looking good i think.check the link for more info as details materialize but get it on your calender slide and steel pickers! i don't think there's ever been a camp with this type of agenda before.
www.centrum.org/index.php?page=port-townsend-slide-and-steel-workshop

Orville,

Sounds fantastic. But how am I going to drag my dobro, lap steel, and pedal steel out there?

Looking forward to hearing more details.

Orville, Thanks for posting this announcement. I look forward to attending and learning from the masters. Bobby Black, Dan Tyack, and Chuck Campbell are among my favorite steel guitarists.

Karlis

Holy cow Orville, what a line-up! I really hope I can make this!

Wow, this sounds like something I'd actually shell out for... speaking of which, is there a price estimate yet?

-Travis

Travis, I don't think all the details are on the Centrum website yet about this workshop, but if you explore their site and look at the prices for the other week-long camps they do (look at the country blues workshop especially cuz the same director is putting this one together) I'm sure the prices will be in the same ballpark.

Wow, I sure hope to be there too - nearly a dream come true for this new steeler! So far no obstacles, and I just passed the important first test ("honey, are we doing anything mid-July?").

Port Townsend and Fort Worden State Park sound like a fantastic place to stage this too, very exciting.

The slide and steel workshop is now taking reservations.

Karlis

http://www.centrum.org/index.php?page=Workshop-Information

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

This is a very good organization (Centrum) and a spectacular location for a music camp. I know most of the other staff members for the camp, and I can't imagine a better group of players to spend a week with. I imagine there will be a lot of informal music exchange, not a lot of structured classwork, and a TON of great music.

I'm going to bring both of my pedal steels and a pedabro tuned in my hybred Sacred Steel/E9th tuning if anybody wants a chance to try that out. I should also be able to bring some spare amps for those people who are flying in and don't want to entrust the airlines with equipment.

I can't wait!

Hmmm... my brother-in-law is moving out there around that time. I wonder if he'll need help moving?
Sounds like a blast.

So who is actually going? I'm pretty sure that I am. I've spoken to David Phillips and it sounds like he is going as well.

I'm going.

-Travis

I'm going,
Arriving Seatac at 9AM Sunday. Anybody want to share a rental car with me? I'll be stopping to visit Jason Lollar on the way to Port Townsend.

Colin

Any word on how this event went?

Pete, I just got back yesterday and I am still floating on air. I spent a week with Chuck Campbell, Dan Tyack, and Bobby Black learning great new techniques and approaches to pedal steel. I didn't attend any of the non-pedal workshops but I wish I could have been several people in order to do so.
The concert at the end of the week featuring the instructors was one of the finest I have heard and seen. The final song featuring the Campbell Brothers joined by Bobby Black, Freddie Roulette, Dan Tyack, Orville Johnson, Sally VanMeter and everyone else can not be repeated. The word to describe it is awesome.

Karlis

WOW! is all i have to say. well, not really. what an incredible week of music, teaching, jamming, and learning, not only for the students, but the faculty as well. i'll try to sum up my experience without going on for too long.

the dobro classes that sally van meter and i taught went very well. we had the largest percentage of students and we both did a beginning and advanced class and taught one class together on creating harmony parts. everyone was playing better by the end of the week and i particularly enjoyed my class playing "all blues" orchestrally, some on the bass line, some on the horn riff, and some on the melody line. awesome!

the steel playing blew my mind. i didn't realize just how good bobby black was until we played. everything he plays is perfect! the sacred steel contingent filled the place with soul and spirit. and joe wright! i must admit i wasn't familiar with his playing but when he sat in with the campbell bros. at the concert he sounded like hendrix and coltrane put together and coming out of a pedal steel!

i had the good fortune to play guitar with mad genius freddie roulette on the show (indescribable really), with dan tyack, whose sweet playing and generous personality lifted the whole week, with bobby black, who focused his set on hawaiian steel (what tone!), and my own set, that i restricted to solo dobro which i don't usually do but turned out very nicely. i may have to do that more often.

i could go on, but i'll close by saying that of the many music camps i've taught at over the last 15 years, none have exceeded the fellowship, musicality, and dedication to sharing knowledge of this one. i'm sure glad i was there.

i hope some other forum members who attended will chime in.

Man, I wish I could have been there.

In the past year, and in some cases more than once-I have been to concerts (individually) of the Campbell Brothers, Freddie Roulette, Bobby Black, and Sally Van Meter.

To have them all together-along with Joe Wright and you Washingtonians-that must have been something to behold!

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Mark

I attended the concert on Saturday. It was great hearing such incredible musicians. If there is any chance that Centrum will do something similar again next year, there is no question that I would sign up for the whole week.

I was told there is no room in the Centrum schedule next year so it will not be happening. It may happen again in 2008 but nothing is certain. I sure hope it does and many of us were strongly encouraging Peter, who produced the event for Centrum, to do it again.

I will be posting more about my experience at the event in a bit.

"he sounded like hendrix and coltrane put together and coming out of a pedal steel!
"

-I think I may have just wet myself a little.
man I wish i coulda gone to this.

oh yes you do because i was there!

Brand new member here. My father and I attended the workshop and came away floored by the level of talent throughout the faculty. There was a level of brotherhood that could be felt without uttering one word. I never heard of Bobby Black until the workshop, but I quickly felt and saw with my own eyes his prowess on the lap and pedal steel. Oroville and Dan Tyack were so helpful in their classes. The Campbell brothers were awesome. I'm practicing now so that if their is another workshop I'll be ready.

Since Bobby Black is a Bay Area guy we get to see him play at least a couple times a year.

The only way I can describe his playing is "exquisite."

And if he isn't one of the nicest fellas you have ever met in your life, then I don't know who is (except for maybe Darick and Chuck Campbell!).

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Mark

Okay people, all of you who thought you might go to this workshop--thought maybe you were blowin' it by not? Guess what? you blew it!! This was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences of my admittedly limited , non-professional musical life. Because of you noshows, there were only 45 students. This resulted in small classes with one on one time with instructors and a relaxed time with other classmates. I had 2 one hour private lessons with the indescribably unique blues/jass/rocker wild man, Freddie Roulette. Lots of chances for sharing, jamming and bonding.

Darick and Bobby are awesome, players oozing style and technique. Mike Dowling's playing is perfect and his teaching skills are superb, very clear while adding techniques step by step. I didn't get classes with the other instructors, but I got the feeling they were all equally skilled and inspiring.

I do know that Orville is a kickass singer, lead guitarist and bandleader. I got to sing with this allfaculty band backing me up and I still can't wipe the smile off my face.

I came away inspired and rejuvenated in my slide and steel career of study. If you missed it, signup early the next time so's you don't make the same mistake twice. If you were there, I'm preachin' to the choir.

-CA-