The Steel Guitar Forum

I was in Nashville last Fri. night and went to the Palace to hear Mike. I throughly enjoyed his playing , its first class . I also enjoyed the visit we had as we talked about many mutual friends we shared. I highly recommend you visit Mike and the Band if you are in Nashville on any night as they play 7 nights a week.

Ben Jack

Amen!!!!!

Mike Sweeney: one of the best, and one of the most commercial. Boomer

For the last three or four years,my wife and I have made a habit of visiting Mike at the Nashville Palace during our summer vacations. We always enjoy his fine steel work and a chance to visit with him. When in Nashville, do check him out.

DIDO.....Mike is a great guy..fantastic PICKER.....soulfull person aqnd good friend.
Grouchyvet

I also went by and visited Bobbe Seymour but he asked me not to devulge where he is as there are too many pickers trying to come by and steel his licks.

Ben

Wow,fellas,what can I say? Thank all of you for the kind words. I'm not sure I deserve all of that but I certainly do appreciate your comments. I'd also like to invite any and all of my fellow steelers to come by and see me at the Palace any time they are in town. I'm there at least six nights a week. I try to take off on Sunday if my sub is available. Thanks again.

Mike

Going to the Palace to eat and hear Mike is also one of my favorite stops when in Nashville.

Hopefully I will not be able to find "Bob Ease" new store location the next time I come to Nashville,that way I should have enough gas money to get home.

Mike played Midnight in Old Amarillo at our request a few years back. The MC read the request and said "I guess we've got a steel player in the crowd tonight". Mike did a great job and the crowd loved it.

Hey Gerry,
I remember that night. I don't get to many requests anyway and especially for that great old Bobby Bowman tune.
Come back and see me again.
Mike

Mike, I'm sure you meant Billy Bowman didn't you? He wrote the tune.

Yes Roger I'm so sorry for the typo. That's what I get for posting on here when I'm worn to a frazzle. It is BILLY Bowman. I think I'll go back to bed now, Good Night All, Mike Sweeney

I Remember when I used to get an occassional(how do you spell that word?) phone call from my Dearest Friend, Ben Jack! I can't believe you were in town and didn't ring me. As for Sweeney, I've always been a fan! Call me Ben!
Robby

Robby,
I can say this for Ben. He told me he tried to call you several times while he was here but got no answer. We figured you went to Arizona for Waylons funeral.
But he did ask if I knew if you were in town or not. So you were not forgotten.
Come by and see me when you can.
Mike

<SMALL>Mike Sweeney: one of the best, and one of the most commercial. </SMALL>

What does "commercial" mean here?<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Earnest Bovine on 02 March 2002 at 12:31 AM.]</p></FONT>

I think it means, "Opry Live" like more commercials than music?

It probably means he's a good player worthy of respect, who plays music people want to listen to.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

I would also add my name to the list to Mike Sweeney fans. The Nashville Palace is always a place you can go to and know that steel guitar is well represented in the band at the hands of Mike Sweeney. Ask him to play some C6th when your there. He really cuts the rug! Good food there at the Palace also.

Thanks Herb and Kevin.
By the way, COMMERCIAL is NOT a dirty word.
I can't speak for California or Montana[ even though I have played shows in both states]here in Nashville we don't get paid by the note.
Once again thanks to everyone for the kind words.
Mike

Commercial-- What 99% of all TV shows have to do to stay on the air!

Commercial-- What 99% of all Musicians have to play to stay on the air!

Ps. Mr Sweeney I'll be seeing you next Sat. nite before the Bush/Emmons show.

Jim

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JIM
"73" MSA S10, "74" LTD 400, "55" Esquire, "63 Epiphone, "63" Precision,
"71" Jazz (The Bass)
REAL OLD STUFF

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jim Whitaker on 02 March 2002 at 04:29 PM.]</p></FONT>

(quote from Mike's post: we don't get paid by the note.)

Reminded me that on my first road job I was admonished by the bandleader that the quickest way to get fired would be to continually try to impress someone by trying to "cram as many fast notes in as you can before the song is over".

The best way to hang around for awhile would be to play something pretty.....and close to the melody! I guess that would be another definition of commercial. www.genejones.com <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 02 March 2002 at 05:32 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 02 March 2002 at 05:34 PM.]</p></FONT>

Sometimes people use "commercial" to mean a style of playing. I wonder what style they mean.

I've always assumed that "commercial," as a description of a player's style, refers to note choice and stylistic characteristics that cater to the preferences of the audience, rather than to impress other musicians or push musical boundaries. E.g., refer at least in part to the melody of the song, construct your solos so as to be relatively singable melodies, play "inside" so to speak, and be fairly conversant with styles currently popular in the culture.

If I might offer one example: playing Crazy Arms on the E9th tuning, whether in Day, Emmons, or Mooney style, would be generally considered a "commercial" approach.

Playing "Crazy Arms" in ultra-Chalker style would impress many steel players and be way loads of fun, but nevertheless would be less "commercial" than striving for the recorded sound of the song.

Completely un-commercial would be trying to cram "Giant Steps" into "Crazy Arms." The great player could make it work, I'm sure. But don't count on a whole lot of dancers out there in Audience-ville.

Doug, somehow I have a feeling you're already aware of these things.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Herb....you silver-tongued devil. You defined my understanding of "commercial" so much better than I did!