Steel guitar Jams becoming extinct!

Stuart Legg · Posted 21 Sep 2022 2:01 pm

You don’t have to kill the pest it will die a natural death!

The experienced musician’s expectations are a Grande Canyon apart from the Mediocre or Newbie or wannabie attendees.

A lot of leg humping, but not a lot of communication, tastefulness or good vibes.

Then that haunting sense that you weren’t dragged into this you signed up for this Butt Kicking on your own!

If you attend more than two of these sessions you are a hopeless masochist! Laughing

Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

I get what your saying, I’ve thought that way about gigs I regretted taking.

We dont have steel jams here . Seems like a chance to network, and build friendships. A brotherhood ? I’d like that….

I wish we did, I’d love to try it at least once. They might not all be the same.

Your point is well taken, just adding that you could live in a city where the opportunity didn’t exist. Would that be better ?

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Jams are cool, except when there's 20 or 30 participants all playing a verse or two of the same song. After the first 5 or 10, I start lookin' for the bar. (The one with stools.) Laughing

Chris Brooks · From: Providence, Rhode Island

I enjoy the RISGA jams. Everyone at every level gets to play. Jim Rice does a great job at coordinating the action. At the end several pickers will play together, passing around the choruses.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

They don't exist here in the Northeast as far as I can tell, although over the decades I seem to recall 1 or 2 in Ohio, or maybe western Pa.,,, Kind of sad really, I would love to go and make a fool of myself..
Forumite Larry Jamison did host one a long time ago at his music store here in NY state, and it was a lot of fun.
We just kind of traded steel licks, and took turns playing steel,bass and guitar to accompany whoever was brave enough to sing.. Lots of fun.
Hope I can attend another steel player gathering some day before I get too old to do so.
I would like to scare a few young players with my best 1970 cheap country rock E9 cliche' lick that tricks neophytes into thinking I'm a "hot" picker.... bob
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Ken Pippus · From: Langford, BC, Canada

The Portland jams are one of the nice things about living here.

Thanks, Larry.

Samuel Phillippe · From: Douglas Michigan, USA

The pedal jams in my neghborhood is a one man show......can't find psg players close to me.
Sam

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

I love jams , conventions etc … never played one, but always enjoy hanging out with other players , talk , watch them play and checking out different steels … not everyone can play like the pros , doesn’t mean we can’t have fun
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Steve Spitz · From: New Orleans, LA, USA

Obvious , but if it isn’t your kind of event, it’s easy to avoid.

I’d love to have one to check out.

I think you guys that have them are lucky.

Paul Wade · From: mundelein,ill

as far as in the midwest none has happenin my area for a while
used to be bobby reed had one in benton ,illinios whis i could start one

p.w

Tommy Allison · From: Transfer, Pennsylvania, USA

Steel guitar players are becoming extinct.

Steve Cattermole · From: California, USA

The SWSGA puts on a spring and fall jam each year in Phoenix and San Diego. We play along with Frank Carter's rhythm tracks, he has a nice variety of tunes. There is beginners to pro's and everyone has a great time . The pro's all remember how it sounded when they learned. It's pretty cool that if you want to know how JD Maness played his solo in " Hello Trouble " you can ask him , and he will show you. We are really lucky to have him join in. Anyway, I look forward to our jams, and seeing all my friends

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I attended one years ago - not to play, as I was still figuring out whether E9 or B6 was best for what music I played, which was country rock with an emphasis on the rock side.

One studio player I knew said hi and we talked about his guitar. Nobody else gave me the time of day, and after hearing the same 10 or so players each play a verse, chorus or whatever with "backup" by robotic computer generated tracks I left.

I'd been to a lot of b-bender, blues, "country rock", bluegrass and other jams over the years, and the steel "jam" was not at all what I expected.

Every "jam" I'd been to - even ones centered on specific instruments - had a band with guys taking turns on bass or (or whatever) and playing someone's else's instrument; players reacting to the drummers' or a guitar players' style, or calling out changes in speed or swing feel etc.

In other words, forming "bands" with a different mix of players every song or two.

The guy I knew never went to another; his and my reaction (and that of many other players) is that it got dull pretty quickly, with players focused on "playing like a recording" and no interplay or other instruments to break up the monotony.

Maybe I went to specifically odd one - but it sounds like most have a bunch of players sitting around taking turns while backed by a practice track. And to folks I play with that's not a "jam".

Maybe that's the issue - the mode of the whole setup is outdated? I'm just guessing, but based on the ages of a lot of newer/younger players and what they're used to they wouldn't find taking turns playing with backing tracks is much fun.
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No chops, but great tone
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1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Peter Freiberger · From: California, USA

Well, there's also been that pesky Covid thing for the past few years curtailing get togethers.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Ben Lawson · From: Brooksville Florida

There are still some steel jams in central Florida. They happen in November through March. Some guys come down in the 'winter' and the beloved Snowbirds like to pick. If you're down this way, check out Nick Reed's posts on the Forum or facebook. Nick and Dennis Fox usually put the shows together.

Christopher Woitach · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

When I think of the ones we have in Portland, put together by Larry Behm (we are so lucky to have him!), I always smile.

Pros, newcomers, guys like me who play very little country, various pedals, straight steels, dobros, a great and extraordinarily patient band, people with questions, people with answers, egos left at the door - not even remotely extinct, Covid break notwithstanding.

Larry Behm - “Hey Chris, I want you to meet X, they have a question about jazz I think you can answer” - there are 50 versions of conversations like that on the break.

Sitting next to my buddy Pete Burak getting smoked every tune, and laughing about it.

Not extinct here, of all places
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www.affmusic.com

Mike Ester · From: New Braunfels, Texas, USA

Ricky Littleton · From: Steely-Eyed Missile Man from Cocoa Beach, Florida USA

Ok, I’ll probably get flamed and slammed but here’s my $0.02 worth.

My experience as an audience member and steel player, I went to hear the players really stretch out. On more than one occasion at the jams I attended, when the picker kicked off a jazzy tune on C6, there were moans from the audience and many decided it was time to step out. A very notable Nashville picker made comment about it once and the set list went back to the “I Just Destroyed the World I’m Living In”, “All Of Me”, “Mansion on the Hill” type songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love all those “standard steel” songs and love playing them. But umpty-three dozen permutations of those same songs through a jam really wears thin As for me, I want to watch the guys break loose sometimes! Give me some hard-nosed country, but then kick it up with some jazz or rock so I see what I’ve been missing.

There was a round robin jam at the last show I saw. Joe Wright was the headliner and was joined in by 5 or 6 other players. When he asked requests for the jam, the answer was “Together Again”. Joe kinda sighed and shook his head but they played it. All the local pickers did their best Brumley but Joe did some wonderful improv just the break the monotony.

Why are jams dying?

The audience.

There. I’m off my soap box. Flame away…
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