The Steel Guitar Forum

According to the credits, Arianna Powell was the steel player on Austin City Limits tonight. She is an in demand session and touring guitar player based in L.A. She didn't get to play steel that much, but what she did was quite good. Good tone on the Emmons thru a small Fender amp. Tasteful backup. There is a good amount about her online referencing her guitar playing but I could find nothing about her steel playing. Anyone with that info, please jump in.

Here's a partial clip...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMtAWwNdrRA

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That's Austin City Limits?
It's sure changed a lot since I last watched it
Erv

I saw that show and the entire band was quite studious! All excellent players and the credits went by so fast I missed her name but she was spot on!

Erv Niehaus wrote:That's Austin City Limits?
It's sure changed a lot since I last watched it
Erv

Los Angeles has been moving to Austin for quite a while now. Hard to believe it's even part of the state I was born in.

Erv, that was good compared to what you will see most of the times. Nothing but a bunch of (scum )(bags) most of the time. Sorry to see it going this way. Used to be a great venue. From George Jones, to Ray Price & other greats. But Bob Wills said it the BEST, "Time Changes Everything" J.R.

What a shame!
Erv

Reminder: This topic is about the steel player Arianna Powell, not the venue.

Calling singers, performers that you don't like scum is wildly inappropriate.

The young lady playing steel sounded fine. It fit that style of music.

The steel is out of tune or she's not playing true. IMHO

Gosh that was painful to watch. Sorry.

The steel sounded pretty good to me. It fits the style well. The singer is definitely good, just a different style than most steel forum members are used to hearing. But that's what the rest of the world is listening to. Olivia Rodrigo has 8.5 Million subscribers on YT and over 342 Million views on her channel.

It sounded perfectly in tune to me, was well played and it fit the style and the selection. That type of music isn't my thing to listen to very much but there is no denying that it is put together very well and lots of people like it. Good for the performers and the audience, I'm in favor of it. They are playing music and I'm not.

I watched some videos of Arianna, she is one heck of a six string player, about as smooth of a touch as I have seen.

I don't see any problem with it. Not exactly my bag, but I would take it instantly over most of the ""country"" music in this modern age..
The steel playing was ok, and fit the song . I thought I heard a little pitchiness, but I'll defer to those with better hearing than I have. It certainly was not blatant if it was there at all.

I certainly could not have done any better, thats for sure..
I think the singer was good, and her band played just fine behind her. Lots better than a lot of the stuff they play on ACL these days... bob

I watched it again when it replayed on PBS. I have to admit I was drawn in by Olivia Rodrigo's stage energy. It's not what I would listen to every day, but it was refreshing to what they have on most of the time now. I would have liked to have heard more steel and higher in the mix.

How interesting! Didn't think Olivia Rodrigo would have pedal steel player in the band. Refreshing to get steel "out of its element", i.e., not in country.

I think it is awesome to find a young lady interested and playing steel.

The negative intersection of the ‘why there’s no new steel players’ and ‘the music these new steel players play sucks’ is a hilarious place to set up shop

Well said Marc.

Olivia is not in my playlist, but she sounds talented and I'm excited by her use of steel. If this is representative of her sound then it's certainly music well suited for steel.

I'd love to see more like this.

While this music is not my "bag", it is every bit as good as what is coming out of Nashville these days.

If you are looking for traditional country on Austin City Limits, just who are you expecting to see unless it is old reruns?

It thrills me to see "any" young person take up the steel guitar and put it in all types of music. The music that I love is pretty much gone and sadly I'm not sure it will be back to the mainstream.
There is plenty of real country music in Texas and now again in Nashville, just not on records.

One of the best Austin City Limits I have seen in a long time featured Charley Crokett. If you did not catch it, look him up.

of course, these are just my opinions.

Have to agree with Bob Carlucci, certainly is a step closer to Country music than what is being offered today. The fact that she features pedal steel at all is a treat, most of the current crop of (so called) "Country" artists carry none at all.

It'a the old addage...you listen to what you like and I'll listen to what I like.

Is she good or bad? Well.....she is getting listened to and paid, I'm not...so what's the answer?

Sam

Arianna Powell is a well known guitarist who has recorded and toured with many acts. This is the only thing I could find about her on pedal steel. I hope that this very public thread doesn't discourage her from doing more on the instrument.

Arianna's playing in this Austin City Limits clip is beautiful in its understated simplicity and tone. Perhaps more young female guitarists will see it and realize that you don't have to be a monster steeler like Megan Lovell or Sarah Jory to make it to the big concert stages on steel. You just need to play well enough to fit the song.

After watching the ACL clip, I looked up the music video and found there was no steel on the album cut. Adding in the idea that Olivia Rodrigo hired a lady with no steel guitar credits leads me to believe that the steel was just a prop for Austin City Limits.

Musically, it felt like none of the parts worked with each other.