The Steel Guitar Forum

Everyone should check out a band called the Japancakes. All Instrumental stuff. Some of the most pretty steel guitar ive heard. music to live your life to. Its the steel player from the drive by truckers.

Got a link?

Here ya go:
The Official Japancakes Music Site

...and on myspace...

I haven't checked out Pit's links yet for duplicates but you can check them out here as well, there are a whole bunch of tracks for your listening pleasure:

http://www.lala.com/#artist/Japancakes

Love it! Thanks!

I've made ambient and electronic music for the last 13 years and this stuff is different and enjoyable.
-vwg

I'm a cellist as well, so that doesn't hurt my diggin' of these tunes!

Hes got a great tone and touch. Probly my favorite steel player out there. Vic, Check out itunes a song called "behind the mountains, instrumental" and "tracing new maps". Definatley worth 99cents

You can listen to both of those tunes in their entirety to "try before you buy" in the www.lala.com link that I provided in the earlier post.

I'm assuming that on iTunes you get about a 30 second sample of the song?

Very cool - some of that ambient stuff really speaks to me!

I can't believe this band has been around since 1996 and I'm only just hearing about them! (And they're from Athens, GA, too -- home of my alma mater, UGA.) I'm definitely ordering some of their CDs from Amazon. Thanks for surfacing them, Alex.

I'm a big fan of Japancakes as well. Been listening to them for about 5 years I guess. There is a lot of great stuff out there, it's just hard to find out about it sometimes. This forum is definitely good for steel related music. There are some great blogs that shed light on some other great ambient music. I dig up some links at some point.

I don't generally go for instrumental music but this is good stuff! Always nice to be pleasantly bumped out your zone

Thanks, Alex, and everybody!

From the description on Lala site:

"Japancakes is an American indie rock group based in Athens, GA. History Rhythm guitarist Eric Berg formed the band with the idea of putting ten musicians in a band without any rehearsal, and performing a D chord for 45 minutes"

I totally love the idea of creating music spontaneously in a group setting. EXCELLENT!
TC

the new DBT is stompin a mudhole in my player right now too. not much steel on that one tho

that you doing the bottleneck stuff John?
great album! congrats!

Thanks, Ben. There's only steel on 3 songs on the new record. Yeah, that's me on slide.

Hey T.C., you're right, it is a cool way of making music, although that D chord for 45 minutes got old pretty darn quick. I haven't forgotten the few shipping bucks I owe you. I'll be ordering my 2nd CB12 Split as soon as I can!

Thanks so much for bringing attention to this great band, I have never heard about them until this thread.

I gather they are mostly instrumental, but this song with vocals is absolutely beautiful--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSXo0m38ZCs

Thanks again for the heads up Really nice playing by John Neff.

John,

Man, you sound really great with Japancakes. I really like the melodic riffs and how they interweave. Wonderful tone and touch as well.

Keep up the nice work! And if DBT or Japancakes comes near Chicago, I'm there!
TC

PS I'm glad you're diggin' your SPLIT CB12. Why, I'd be honored to build another for you.

John,

Again, really enjoying your playing, and since discovering Japancakes having been spending much time on the bands Myspace page.

Can you talk a bit about the equipment, tunings, copedent, etc. you use with the band? Thanks in advance,

Josh

Hi Josh,

BTW, I found your site a couple months ago and really enjoy your playing!

I'm just using a straight up Emmons E9 setup, with Es on the L, raising strings 1,2&7 with RKL, and lowering 2&9 on RKR.

That's my Rains on most of those myspace tunes, usually through a Line 6 DL4 delay. I've used various amps, sometimes in stereo. A Vox AC30, an Ampeg V4 head through Peavey BW 15", to name a couple. Japancakes hasn't recorded since I've had my Sarno Revelation/T.C. Furlong CB12 SPLIT combo, so I can't wait for that.

I've been lucky to be able to learn to play steel guitar in such an artsy, free thinking town as Athens, GA. When I moved here 15 years ago, I was playing in 5 bands, and none of them cared that I was pitchy or didn't know what I was doing. I think in a way, my limitations as a player are part of the appeal of Japancakes.

The first feedback I got on this forum, 10 or so years ago wasn't so positive, so thanks!

John,

Thanks for everything--background, kind words and all!

On some of the tunes I can definitely hear you playing E9 (Soft and Easy, for example).

On others--To Here Knows When--the way the steel weaves into the texture of the overall soundscape, theres no way of knowing. And sometimes it's hard to tell if the sounds heard are cello, keyboard or steel.

But after listening to the tunes extensively for the past couple days, I've come to the conclusion that your playing is what makes this band-- I really mean it! (Ok I'm biased ...+ I want a Japancakes T-shirt )

Mr Neff,

Do you know how much steel is going to be on the 2nd DBT record released later this year?

John
hey i saw this thread and thought i would chime in. I saw japancakes play at the kindercore fest at the 40 watt in the summer of '99 or '00, can't remember which. Anyway, I do remember being enamored with your steel playing, and that was the deciding factor for me to go out and buy a pedal steel guitar and start learning. I had been thinking about getting into steel guitar for a while, but immediately after that show, I turned to my friends and said 'i'm getting a pedal steel ASAP'. I still tell that story to people who ask me how I got started on pedal steel.

I had no idea that you play with DBT! I was the pedal steel player that was playing with Bobby Bare Jr when we opened for you guys at the Ryman on Halloween a few years back. I was filling in for Todd who was out with Lucero.

take care brother and perhaps we'll cross paths out there someday--
Luke

Hey Darren, there'll be plenty of slide, but only a few pedal steel songs.
Luke, I remember you, with Bobby Bare Jr. Pretty great playing the Ryman! Good to hear from you!

I ran out of weed before the second minute. Will re stock and finish another day !
Might want to bomb a Navy Base.

John, just wanted to say hi. I was working the door and learning to run sound with Rich at the old Velvet Elvis in Savannah, right when you were starting out on PSG. I believe that you were playing with Redneck Greece at the time, and that was a lot of fun. Little did I know, the steel bug was gonna bite me a few years later and I'll be attempting to follow in your foot steps here in the ol' Sav. I've been checking out your multiple band's music the last few years and I am astonished at the quality of steel playing.I hope to be half as good as you when I hit that 15 year mark.BTW, I still hang out with a lot of your old pals, Kevin Rose even fills in on the tele' with my band now and then.
Cheers, Igor