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Fretboard Journal
I'm very happy to share my interview with Greg Leisz, a person who needs no introduction here. I felt lucky to get to hear Greg talking about making music, how he listens and finds space in a song, learning pedal steel on the bandstand, all that stuff. He was incredibly generous with his time and I really appreciate it.
I hope you enjoy it!
PS - If anybody has any favorite Greg performances on Youtube or Spotify, let me know and I'll add them to the companion playlist.
steel podcast ep 7: greg leisz
Moderators: Dave Mudgett, Brad Bechtel
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Matt Perpick
- Posts: 59
- Joined: 16 May 2018 10:23 am
- Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
steel podcast ep 7: greg leisz
Last edited by Matt Perpick on 1 May 2024 6:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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John Larson
- Posts: 649
- Joined: 8 Jul 2020 10:00 am
- Location: Pennsyltucky, USA
I'm not exaggerating when I say that I truly believe that Greg is the most versatile player in modern pedal steel.
Jackson Browne - "Looking Into You"
Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest"
Daft Punk - "Horizon"
Whiskeytown - "Dancing With The Women At The Bar"
AF13, Suzanne Ciani, Greg Leisz - Milan (full album)
Fiona Apple - "Sullen Girl"
Jackson Browne - "Looking Into You"
Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest"
Daft Punk - "Horizon"
Whiskeytown - "Dancing With The Women At The Bar"
AF13, Suzanne Ciani, Greg Leisz - Milan (full album)
Fiona Apple - "Sullen Girl"
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright. Give praise to the Lord with the harp, chant unto Him with the ten-stringed psaltery. Sing unto Him a new song, chant well unto Him with jubilation. For the word of the Lord is true, and all His works are in faithfulness. The Lord loveth mercy and judgement; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
- Psalm 33:1-5
- Psalm 33:1-5
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Matt Perpick
- Posts: 59
- Joined: 16 May 2018 10:23 am
- Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
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Tucker Jackson
- Posts: 1880
- Joined: 8 Apr 2004 12:01 am
- Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Thanks, Matt. I'm always trying to learn more about Greg's secret sauce... and it turns out it's probably just his sense of what makes sense for a steel part. And that's often pretty minimalistic, even though he implied he personally would like to play more. Like when he said it was really fun and different when he recently recorded with Jenny Lewis because he was cut free to do whatever, and the steel was featured and up in the mix.
Most of the rest of the time, he's doing what a good musician is supposed to: just adding what the song calls for. And the style these days calls for 'not much' from the steeler. That's not always as satisfying for the player -- but it is for the civilian listeners.
Most of the rest of the time, he's doing what a good musician is supposed to: just adding what the song calls for. And the style these days calls for 'not much' from the steeler. That's not always as satisfying for the player -- but it is for the civilian listeners.