Leo Kottke

David Weaver · Post by **David Weaver** » 15 Jun 2001 7:09 am

We went to his outdoor concert in-the-round last night. Man, can he play a guitar!! If you get a chance, catch his act. It's him, a folding chair, a mic, and a couple of guitars (acoustic 6 and 12 string). He doesn't even use a guitar stand...he just flops them on the stage floor. Great show!!

Al Udeen · Post by **Al Udeen** » 15 Jun 2001 8:49 am

Leo is from the Minneapolis area, and used to have a local steeler & dobro player,[Cal Hand] playing with him!

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 15 Jun 2001 9:23 am

Leo is my very favorite guitar player in the world! I'd go anywhere to see him play,sombody tell me where he is playing or how I can find out, Please.
Bobbe Seymour (I may even offer a reward)

RMckee · Post by **RMckee** » 15 Jun 2001 10:41 am

Leo Kottke website:
http://www.leokottke.com/cgi/ontour/leotour.cgi

Also, Bobbe, check your email.

Randy

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 17 Jun 2001 9:42 pm

Thankyou Randy! Someday a steel player will walk out on the stage and play all by himself like Leo Kotke and wow the world in a similar way. Thats with NO one else on the stage and not just steel fans in the audience. We are truly blessed to have a fellow human being in our midst of this unique quality and talent.(not that we don't have many greats in amungst us now!)
Bobbe

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 19 Jun 2001 5:50 am

Bobbe,
Somebody HAS played a solo set at a major steel show. Mike Smith (also known as Miguel e Smith

) played a set at the Knoxville show totally solo about 3-4 years ago. The reviews on the Forum made me want to kick myself for not being there, but I've heard him play solo, no picks, barefoot, and it's truly something to behold. If you can't tell, I think Mike is one of the most underrated steel players on the planet.

LTB

David Weaver · Post by **David Weaver** » 19 Jun 2001 6:24 am

Bobbe...

Go see his show. Like you said, non-guitar players loved it. Sold out house. I just sat there with my head in my hands grinning through the whole performance. Couldn't believe it.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 19 Jun 2001 8:42 pm

Larry Bell, that was a steel show ,for steel players,I'm talkin' advertise in the paper,get in the genral public that knows nothing about music and then knock their socks off! Yes, Mike is a very good buddy of mine and I'm not selling him short at all but it sounds to me like you may not have seen Mr, Kotke yet. Robert Randolph is 21 years old and may be the first steel player to do this in the future.Lets hope someone does----AND QUICK! It well help us all.
Thanks for mentioning Mike ,Larry,he's very underated,maybe the most underated ever.
Bobbe

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 20 Jun 2001 5:19 am

Bobbe,
On the contrary, before I started playing steel I played acoustic blues and Atkins/Travis flavored stuff in coffee houses (remember THEM???). I've been listening to Leo Kottke for more than 30 years. When he first emerged, I was NOT impressed. A lot of noise on a big Bozo 12-string (that's actually the name of the guitar -- builder is a Polish immigrant named Bozo Podu..... whatever). I have heard Leo several times through the years and have been very impressed at how he's grown as a musician. He had a set on 'Sessions at West 54th St' a couple of years ago and he blew me away. He learned finesse somewhere along the way and sounds great. This does NOT apply to his singing, however. Leo describes his own voice as sounding like 'geese farts on a muggy night'. (whatever that sounds like).

PS -- You're right on about Michael. A lot of steel players haven't heard his unique approach to the instrument.

FWIW.

LTB

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Emmons D-10 9x9, 1971 Dobro

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 20 Jun 2001 11:23 am

I saw Leo on Austin City Limits before and enjoyed his playing. A few years back I heard him in another type of situation. It was a Guitar Show in Virginia Beach, Va. which starred Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, Albert Lee, and Lee Ritenour. They each did their own thing and during this portion Albert Lee got the best audience response. I was dissapointed in Leo's performance especially when they all played together at the end. It seemed like he was playing backup to a lead which wasn't there. He was very rhythmic (if that's a word) and had a great tone it just would have been better with someone else playing even a simple lead line over what he was doing. I like his older stuff before he abandoned the finger picks.

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 20 Jun 2001 8:39 pm

Playing with or backing up someone is not the Kotke thing,I agree. as I said before, I love the way he can totaly kill a non-music
educated audiance,all by himself. The fact that Albert Lee wowed the crowd only proves the old show-biz addage,"Be famous and don't play to many notes at the same time"---Fast single notes make you look impressive and chords prove your smart.
Larry, glad you know Leo, I only wish I could have seen him grow as you did. I worked with Albert Lee on the Johnny Rivers show and wached him grow,musically,somewhat.
I feel the bottom line to this is , its wonderful that we can look beyond our own instrument and learn from other players. Lets "steel" from them instead of each other
----- It'll expand our horizons and make us all better players,I wish I could play on steel what Leo plays on standard guitar,I'm getting closer though! Possibly if I can live another 85 years-----
Thanks all you guys, Iv'e enjoyed this.
Bobbe Seymour

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 20 Jun 2001 8:42 pm

Larry, I just reread your post, I love your candid remark about Leo's singing,I have to agree with you here also! ha ha ha !He sings a lot like Chet Atkins, bad and to often.
Bobbe[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 20 June 2001 at 09:45 PM.]