Greg Leisz with Eric Clapton in 2013

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 21 Sep 2012 12:49 pm

I think this qualifies as Bullying...

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Sep 2012 12:27 pm

Remember this song?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICXCYVZ6ewo
Greg Leisz played in this band.
There's a record from Marc Olson (the Jayhawks) where he plays guitar, bass and dobro. He's not always playing pedal steel on the records he's on.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 22 Sep 2012 3:04 pm

Joachim Kettner wrote:Remember this song?
He's not always playing pedal steel on the records he's on.

Thanks for the link, Joachim!

And no, I don't believe anyone wrote in the thread that it's always pedal steel for Greg.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Sep 2012 11:40 pm

And no, I don't believe anyone wrote in the thread that it's always pedal steel for Greg.

Sorry that must have been the wine, Mark. $:\$

Steve Hotra · Post by **Steve Hotra** » 1 Oct 2012 11:18 am

Joel Martin wrote:Jim (and everyone else!)
Check this out - if you haven't heard it, Bill Frisell did a stellar record of John Lennon songs last year and Greg is playing steel all over it.

For someone like myself who came into steel after years of guitar playing, this record is almost TOO MUCH ear candy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQB9gIju ... re=related

This is a sweet clip!
Thanks for sharing

Tommy Janiga · Post by **Tommy Janiga** » 14 Mar 2013 4:49 pm

I just had a quick listen to the new Clapton album, and Greg Leisz is on at least 4 of the tracks - as expected, he sounds great doing his thing on several different styles of music. This is a rather eclectic Clapton album, I think.

Jack Stanton · Post by **Jack Stanton** » 14 Mar 2013 5:27 pm

A little bird told me he will be on the tour and sporting a Milkman Amp.

Christopher Hillman · Post by **Christopher Hillman** » 16 Mar 2013 4:30 pm

Greg is an amazing steel player. Over the last couple of months i've had the pleasure of working out steel parts that he played on the latest Billy Bragg album for the tour starting next week.

As mentioned before he is slightly unconventional in his style of playing which makes him very unique. Great tone too!

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 17 Mar 2013 7:44 am

HE seems to spend so much time playing and touring with great musicians, HE doesn't have time to come yak with us guys on the forum. Doesn't he know this is the best way to get good?

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 17 Mar 2013 10:15 pm

He also played on Whiskeytown's great "Strangers Almanac" record.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 18 Mar 2013 8:44 am

Greg playing PSG on "Tears in Heaven" (thru one of Tim Marcus' Milkman amps BTW)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzMaJNBg4OU

Paddy Long · Post by **Paddy Long** » 18 Mar 2013 12:57 pm

I worked with Rose Flores (Austin Tx) a couple of years ago and Greg was playing pedal steel on most of her recordings - very nice player all round.

Don Drummer · Post by **Don Drummer** » 18 Mar 2013 2:28 pm

K.D. Lang's "Torch and Twang" Mucho Grego!

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 18 Mar 2013 3:02 pm

Jim Cohen wrote:Does G.L. play pedal steel guitar? I thought not, but could be wrong about that...

Greg is playing a Williams built by Bill and Tim Rudolph In Minnesota.

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 19 Mar 2013 5:18 pm

That Lennon clip was great! Thanks.
Heres more.

Clete

Tommy Janiga · Post by **Tommy Janiga** » 22 Mar 2013 10:43 am

Clete Ritta wrote:That Lennon clip was great! Thanks.
Heres more.

Clete

Too bad, that link appears to be dead already

A friend just sent me this new one with Frisell & Leisz doing Lennon - it's over an hour long:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9a87Q3w7Ds

Steven Meyrich · Post by **Steven Meyrich** » 23 Mar 2013 10:14 am

What a great performance by all. thanks for the link. Looks like Greg is playing a Williams S-12 here.

John Russell · Post by **John Russell** » 26 Mar 2013 7:28 am

Greg Liesz gives me hope the instrument will evolve. So many great players around that sound alike. No offense, I love all pedal steel and try to emulate the great players (don't most of us). But players like Sneaky Pete and Lloyd Green stand out IMHO. Oh yeah, almost forgot: Robert Randolph. If you want a treat, check out RR on the first Crossroads concert with BB King, Clapton, Robert Cray, etc. Big smiles from everyone when RR takes a solo.

Back to Greg L. I first heard him on k.d. lang's "Absolute Torch and Twang" record and his play was so strong, reminding me of Buddy on "Someday Soon." Lots of passion and melody, not just clever licks. That's what it's about.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 26 Mar 2013 8:39 am

I wonder if this will be the band at the Crossroads Festival next month?

Larry Behm · Post by **Larry Behm** » 26 Mar 2013 9:28 am

Mark Eaton, the cut Greg did on the Mayor at about .038 sec in was sweet.

Larry Behm

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 28 Mar 2013 7:24 am

Greg is one of my all time favorite steel players

when he called me about buying an amp I had a little freak out - I could not believe it!

Turns out he is a sweetheart of a guy, and one hell of a steel player. His approach is subtle and very melodic - and it seems to tap into the emotional depth of the song. His playing is inspiring to me - I keep a little WWGLD in the back of my head when I am doing sessions

His rig on the tour is a Williams SD-12 Extended E9 steel into a Telonics volume pedal. He uses a few delay pedals and then runs into a radial splitter box. The Milkman 85W steel amp sits behind him, and he has an Evans 15" Combo on the floor next to him (he said the sound crew wanted two different amps to mic to dial in different tones)

This same band will go to Europe in May - exciting stuff!

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 Mar 2013 9:23 am

Gerg certainly does some cool stuff! I'd never think of him as a "hot player", but rather just very a laid-back creator of simple, melodic lines, in the same vein as a lot of the Pete Drake and Red Rhodes stuff. Sometimes, all that is required is a shimmering chord or a soft arpeggio, or subtle pads and harmonics, and Greg does that stuff very well.

Once you have acquired a modicum of chops, it takes great reserve and restraint not to use them!

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

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 29 Mar 2013 11:42 am

My kind of steel player!

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 3 Apr 2013 8:10 pm

found some more footage of Greg crushing on his lap steel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPeY2THPhbQ

you can see his Milkman amp next to him, but I am not sure if the lap goes through it or not. I am pretty sure it does but can not say 100%.

Gerry Brown · Post by **Gerry Brown** » 4 Apr 2013 4:26 am

I saw the Clapton concert in Charlotte Tuesday night and it was pretty epic. They had a video camera on Greg's steel and whoever was directing the video feed knew the material very well because they would cut to Greg's close up whenever he was playing. He was very much featured in the first half of the show, less so in the second half. Played some very tasty blues on lap and also some terrific mandolin. Who ever thought that these guys, at their age, would still be touring and performing at such a high level?

The Steel Guitar Forum

Greg Leisz with Eric Clapton in 2013

Clapton's "Old Sock"

gl

Re: Greg L.