favorite Greg Leisz solo?

Aaron Shively · Post by **Aaron Shively** » 3 Dec 2012 1:05 pm

Every so often, I go searching for more magical Greg Leisz solos. What's your favorite?

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 3 Dec 2012 1:15 pm

Not really a solo per se, but I love what he does throughout "Killing the Blues" by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant.

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 3 Dec 2012 1:24 pm

My favorite is still probably his playing on "Dancing with the Women" on the second Whiskeytown album. Also, his playing on the last Jakob Dylan album is really excellent.

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 3 Dec 2012 1:56 pm

Also, check out his solo on "Harmonia" by Cass Mccombs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcRtRZqou4M

Starts around 2:40.

Shawn Brown · Post by **Shawn Brown** » 3 Dec 2012 2:55 pm

On the Kim Richey song "Let it Roll" from the album "Bitter Sweet" he does about a minute and a half ride at the end that's a favorite of mine.

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 3 Dec 2012 3:20 pm

I thought that was Dan Dugmore.

Shawn Brown · Post by **Shawn Brown** » 3 Dec 2012 3:23 pm

You're right. It was Dan Dugmore. I stand corrected.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 4 Dec 2012 7:51 am

I'm a big fan of Greg's work with Bill Frisell. Check out Good Dog Happy Man from the CD of the same title, or Surfer Girl from a live Seattle concert in 2009.

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 27 Feb 2013 8:13 am

Slow Dance
From Bill Frisell's Blues Dream album.

Not a solo, a duet with Frisell, incredible intertwining melodic electric and resonator guitar lines.

Tommy Janiga · Post by **Tommy Janiga** » 27 Feb 2013 8:45 am

Winona, from Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" CD

Not just a solo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFJFPD8UtK0

I love the way Leisz plays - tasteful, understated, atmospheric, and always interesting.

Has anyone seen the clips of him playing Beatles covers with Bill Frisell? Great stuff.

Kirk Eipper · Post by **Kirk Eipper** » 27 Feb 2013 8:55 am

My fav GL solo is a tune called 3000 year old girl by the Black Plums.
I think you can get it a iTunes.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 27 Feb 2013 9:15 am

When I think of Greg, I don't really have a favorite solo - some of the tunes mentioned here I enjoy for sure.

My wife rolls her eyes when we're with people and I use yet another sports analogy, but after 31 years she's come to accept it.

She's not here to roll her eyes so I have one that applies to Greg. it helps if you like baseball (as we do here in Giants country!). He certainly has played his share of excellent solos, but If he were a baseball player and the score were tied in the bottom of the 9th, this is how I see Greg as he steps into the batter's box. He might not be the guy to end the game with a walk-off home run, though at times he's certainly capable of it. I see Greg as the guy who is very patient with the pressure on and draws a walk. Then in a momentary lapse of concentration by the pitcher Greg capitalizes on this and steals second. Then with two out the hitter singles to the outfield and Greg comes across the plate with the winning run! The whole sequence isn't spectacular and doesn't garner the opening story on the ESPN Baseball Report that evening, it's just good smart baseball.

It's one of the things I love about one of my favorite albums of the '90s, Ingenue by k.d. lang. Between lap and pedal steel on a number of the songs, he adds the tastiest playing but it's not in your face. Greg leaves the tune better than he found it.

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 27 Feb 2013 9:24 am

I think Leisz's greatest strength as a player is not as much his soloing (which IS exquisite), but the way he supports with fills and chord voicings that lie underneath the lead instrument/vocal. My favorite work that Leisz does is his stuff on Frisell's albums. I read an interview with Frisell in which Frisell stated that Leisz is the one guy he does not need to script, he simply has that inherent sense of how to support a song. Frisell often composes parts for the other instruments.

Jonathan Shacklock · Post by **Jonathan Shacklock** » 27 Feb 2013 9:54 am

The Gene Clark Song "Why Not Your Baby" done by Velvet Crush back in the 90's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu4D5MaS3Cs

HUGE solo.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 27 Feb 2013 11:04 am

Chris Walke wrote:I think Leisz's greatest strength as a player is not as much his soloing (which IS exquisite), but the way he supports with fills and chord voicings that lie underneath the lead instrument/vocal. My favorite work that Leisz does is his stuff on Frisell's albums. I read an interview with Frisell in which Frisell stated that Leisz is the one guy he does not need to script, he simply has that inherent sense of how to support a song. Frisell often composes parts for the other instruments.

Yup, I agree. Greg does some great playing on a few Peter Case records.

Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzAdqnmPNbk

Ian Sutton · Post by **Ian Sutton** » 27 Feb 2013 11:21 am

I really love his playing on this song "In The Orchard" by one of my favorite bands, Tiger Army. Very tasteful IMO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_VVXo5f27I

Derek Duplessie · Post by **Derek Duplessie** » 27 Feb 2013 10:31 pm

I would guess that a common link between all of us who are such fans of Greg Leisz is that we all tend to be drawn to music that is a bit more alternative. I cannot quite separate my admiration for Greg from my admiration for the artists he tends to support (Whiskeytown, Emmylou Harris, Bill Frisell, etc). Most importantly, though, Greg is so much more than a great steel player: He's a great musician, and it's really is melodic and dynamic sensibility that I appreciate more than his "chops" (not that he doesn't have those as well).

David Clancy · Post by **David Clancy** » 28 Feb 2013 3:03 am

I think he's really out of the Ben Keith school of playing. Always present to in the song, but very complementary, and above all great tone

Christopher Hillman · Post by **Christopher Hillman** » 22 Jul 2013 9:03 am

Some of my favourite Greg Leisz moments are on this Billy Bragg track. I had to learn it for the American tour and the steel parts are great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfRu3g3KXBI

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 24 Jul 2013 12:42 pm

Not a solo, a duet - "Slow Dance" from Frisell's blues dream. And it's not PSG, it's resonator.

Must agree with the comments about his greatest strength being how he supports a vocal or lead instrument. I read an interview with Frisell once where he stated that, generally, he composes parts for all the musicians EXCEPT Leisz, because Leisz just connects with a tune exactly the way Frisell wants him to.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 24 Jul 2013 1:06 pm

New York City's Killing Me by Ray Lamontagne.

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 25 Jul 2013 5:12 am

Rick Schacter wrote:New York City's Killing Me by Ray Lamontagne.

I believe that was Eric Heywood....but they're both on the album. Thought Leisz only played pedal steel on "God Willing..." He does add beautiful lap steel and bari guitar throughout the album.

Rick Schacter · Post by **Rick Schacter** » 25 Jul 2013 12:25 pm

[quote="Chris Walke
I believe that was Eric Heywood....but they're both on the album. Thought Leisz only played pedal steel on "God Willing..." He does add beautiful lap steel and bari guitar throughout the album.[/quote]

Oops!

Well...since somebody mentioned Tiger Army, here's Greg Leisz playing some pedal steel on another one of their songs.
No solo, but still a very tastefully played track.

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

Rick

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 30 Jul 2013 9:05 am

Greg's production of "Wild Mountain Thyme" on the Steve Fishell-produced "Salute to the Big E" is right up there with Buddy's own.

Chris Walke · Post by **Chris Walke** » 30 Jul 2013 10:12 am

Rick Schacter wrote:[quote="Chris Walke
I believe that was Eric Heywood....but they're both on the album. Thought Leisz only played pedal steel on "God Willing..." He does add beautiful lap steel and bari guitar throughout the album.

Oops!

Rick[/quote]

Yeah, Leisz plays the tremolo guitar part on NYC's Killing Me.