| Author |
Topic: NEW BLOG POST: Paul Franklin Sits Down With Tommy White Pt 2 |
John Spaulding
From:
Wisconsin, USA
|
|
|
|
John Spaulding
From:
Wisconsin, USA
|
Posted 25 Apr 2019 1:51 pm |
|
| FIXED! |
|
|
|
Paul King
From:
Gainesville, Texas, USA
|
Posted 26 Apr 2019 2:08 am
|
|
| I sit down and watched it. Worth every minute hearing those men talk about their careers. |
|
|
|
Russ Tkac
|
Posted 26 Apr 2019 9:54 am
|
|
| Tommy is just the best as a player and a person. |
|
|
|
Larry Jamieson
From:
Walton, NY USA
|
Posted 26 Apr 2019 11:42 am
|
|
| Nice. Here are probably the two best players in the world today, yet both are humble, kind gentlemen as down to earth as can be. Both are doing their best to promote pedal steel guitar in an age where it has left the lime light in modern "country" music, and both are able to play any style of music on the instrument and see no limitations for it. |
|
|
|
Joe Rogers
From:
Lake Charles, LA USA
|
Posted 26 May 2019 8:54 am
|
|
I just finished watching Part 2 of this interview and wanted to provide a few comments on important points that have stuck in my mind since watching the entirety.
First off, BOTH of these players have an incredible natural gift and talent on our instrument. That is undeniable. But equally as important, BOTH of these gentlemen are the most hard-working and dedicated players you will ever find. They have reached the top of their game as a direct result of that hard work and dedication. It didn't come by accident. They honed their skills to perfection with a relentless drive and an intent that is reserved for only the most dedicated.
The second thing that struck me was that they were blessed in having mentors (their fathers) that steered them in the direction of inspiration. My parents saw a raw talent in me at a young age and bought instruments which sparked my curiosity. But that was back in the days before Youtube, and growing up in a remote area of south Louisiana there were no sources for my musical inspiration to blossom. I had been playing steel guitar for a year and attended Jeff Newman's week long school where I first heard a Buddy Emmons recording....so other than the songs on the radio I was totally unaware of the work as well as the names of ANY pro session steel player. Watching this interview, it was extremely evident that not only did their fathers provide the initial spark from giving them the instrument, but they also provided the sources of inspiration as well...pointing them in the direction of the best players to emulate and learn from. The impact of that cannot be understated.
Finally, even though there are TONS of nuggets in these interviews that I could elaborate on for days, I want to take a moment and touch on something that was said in a slightly light-hearted manner, but is far more important than most players realize. At one point in the interview Tommy mentioned not wanting time to go by and listen back at something and getting the feeling that it "sounded like I didn't care".
Years ago I bought one of the first Franklin Ped-a-bros. I went to show it to a friend who knew I had it on order and wanted to see it as soon I brought it home. I knocked on his door, his wife told me he was out in the garage. He was converting his garage into a studio and I walked in as he was tacking carpet to the walls. I set up the instrument and he was so intrigued, he asked me if I would play on a song he was recording with a newly formed band he was putting together. There I was in an unfinished garage in the swamps of Breaux Bridge, doors and windows wide open to the crickets and frogs outside....noodling fills and a solo on what I assumed was a demo to get gigs....I was wrong. Months later I get a phone call from him telling me the project was picked up by Flying Fish Records. A year later he called telling me the record was nominated for a Grammy. Sadly, I barely tuned up for the project....and the pitch issues were quite noticeable to me after the fact. Sure, had I known where the record would end up I would have taken more care in preparation....but that's just it.....as was mentioned in the interview, you NEVER know the significance of ANY performance.
Fast forward a few years...I am living in Nashville and get a call to play on a project at a home studio. The person who called was a personal friend who later became an A team player. The young man grew up in the studio, and was engineering the project. I played on a song where at one point, one of my fills slightly grazed an adjacent string. I heard it but didn't bring it to anyone's attention partly out of laziness, but mostly not to bring attention to my lack of not playing it perfect the first time. At that point I made a bigger mistake....in assuming the young engineer wouldn't hear it. He had ears like an elephant. I fixed the mistake and all was good, but it was quite an embarrassing lesson to learn. Plus, I never got called back for another session...LOL..!!
Tommy's comment in the interview is spot on. Never leave a recording unless YOU are 100% sure that the performance is your best and nothing is left to make you cringe at a future listening. This also holds true for live gigs. In today's world of instant video you NEVER know how many people are out in the audience taking a video of your performance and posting it for the world to view a mere seconds after your picks come off the strings. My love of experimentation in learning new licks on the gig is constantly coming back to haunt me with the mistakes that are a harsh by-product of my incorrect choice of notes, my lack of preparation, and an instant-video-world we now live in. It happened again just this last week and watching Tommy and Paul's interview really drove home the importance of leaving the practicing at home and being at your best on a live gig...ANY live gig. Tommy's Pizzarelli sessions were a result of a Youtube viewing.....hence it is worth noting that a chance video on Youtube (and Facebook) can either make or break a career.
My hat is off to both of you for a fabulous interview....I had an ear-to-ear grin watching the entirety.
Thanks!!!
Joe Rogers |
|
|
|
Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
|
Posted 6 Jun 2019 8:01 am
|
|
| Very well said, Joe. Paul and Tommy live in a world where the tape is always running, and play accordingly. Your experience gave you a glimpse of that life. I have learned the hard way too; there are videos and recordings of bands I have been in that are so bad I will deny that it’s me playing. |
|
|
|
