The Steel Guitar Forum

I've always loved old bootleg and obscure tape recordings, so I thought it would be fun to re-create the illusion of Sol Hoopii playing Monk in a nightclub setting in the 40s or 50s. Since Epistrophy was kind of a theme for Monk (and others) back then, I thought it might be cool to use it on my record as a little interlude. Don't think i'm going to do that, but this was a lot of fun for me anyhow. Used C6 tuning, which would have been a dead give-away.

https://soundcloud.com/ionahoopii/mystery-steel

Anyway, I have a killer arrangement of Epistrophy that we'll be recording in a few weeks. So excited to be recording this stuff. I've put together a great band, I have a great engineer (the cat actually did the Jimmie and Stevie Ray record Brothers, including one of my faves Hillbillies from Outer Space). I have been shedding my butt off!

You sound great man!

That's a good "live" sound. I like the backing too.

Was going for that "newly discovered lost tape" sound.

I think you got that sound. Pretty authentic to me.

It's all about the bass....

Good stuff Mike, diggin' your jazz tone on the other tunes as well!

Looking forward to the album. I know it'll be awesome

That's beautiful, Mike. Epistrophy is indeed a great choice of tune for an interlude, or as a theme to open and close each set. Those chromatic shifts are so natural for steel.

Epistrophy was recorded in 2005 by the Joy Buzzards, featuring Robert Armstrong (of the Cheap Suit Serenaders) on a National tricone.