Is this country music? re:Will Van Horn

[Bill McCloskey]

I hate reading a thread that I think is new only to discover I commented on it 4 years ago.

[Mike Neer]

There is more tongue in cheek here than meets the eye.

A little more like tongue in eye.

Will, keep doing what you’re doing.

[Bryce Van Parys]

I love this topic. First of all, I would have never heard of Will, so I checked his stuff on the web and I am happy that I did. In an online interview, he had some great advice, namely:
"
"Take the Steel Guitar Forum with a grain of salt. Don’t stick your right elbow out while you play. Learn everything off of ’60s Buck Owens and Haggard records and the entire George Strait catalogue. Oh, and for god’s sake, learn how to use the volume pedal correctly."

Amen...

And do with the trolls and toxic people what I do, ignore them. They only win if you pay attention. If anyone ever came on my stage during a performance and started disturbing me, if they continued after politely asking them to wait until the break, I would have them removed from the establishment before I continued. And, the blocking feature on your phone is a blessing, use it.

Keep after it Will! Music is music, genres be damned. Keep pushing the boundaries and opening new worlds for this wonderful instrument. Remember, they said Miles Davis should have stuck to bebop

[Bill McCloskey]

Remember, they said Miles Davis should have stuck to bebop

Not sure anyone wanted Miles to stick to bebop. He sucked as a bebop player.

[Bryce Van Parys]

Touche'

I think it was the record labels. They were making money

[Bill McCloskey]

Miles was a master of "cool" and "post bop" ,but his bebop work with Charlie Parker...well, lets just say he didn't fill Dizzy's cheeks. I believe Miles best selling record was Bitches Brew, when he went electric, followed by Kind of Blue, a modal jazz record.

[Charlie McDonald]

I was thinking just yesterday that jazz is the height of minimalism. Bebop made it busier, but its blues roots are there.
Think what can be done with a single guitar or piano note, with bass and drums.

Will's music, real surf music as I hear it, altho he might laugh at having fooled me, has that same quality to it.
Waiting for sharks and dolphins to happen, altho they don't; jazz, waiting for Charlie Parker.

Miles at his best was like 'a child crying in a closet,' accrding to Nat Hentoff. Therefore, my vote would be Quiet Nights with Gil Evans.
Lots of space without all those other notes to have to fit in. He was ready to break out of that.

Will, like Paul Desmond, isn't afraid to be 'the slowest [steel player] in the West. Reminds me of what Emmons said:
"If I could play that fast, I wouldn't." Who wants to sweat all night under the jazz tyrant Parker? Not even Dizzy.

[Bill McCloskey]

Interesting choice "Quiet Nights". Mile hated that record and didn't work with Teo for years afterwards because he thought he ruined it. May have to give that a relisten.

[Bryce Van Parys]

Sorry, I misspoke. I was referring to pre Columbia Hard Bop Miles, not early bebop with diz. If He’d stuck with his quintet popularity on Prestige, he would not have changed directions and started modal jazz with innovative new musicians like on kind of blue.

Point made to the original post; why try to keep an instrument or musician confined to a genre? Good for Will to step out there and cross boundaries a bit. I’ve been trying to look for contributions by the original poster. I’m not finding any, am I missing something?

[Tucker Jackson]

I’ve been trying to look for contributions by the original poster. I’m not finding any, am I missing something?

Here's Jonny Lam in blues-rock mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pod0_BvekJg

Hawaiian mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSvaIEmA-d0

Country mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urRmdC9a9P8


Yes, most people were missing something here. This entire thread was a tongue-in-cheek prank, written in the voice of the aggrieved Forumite upset that some piece of PSG music wasn't country (gasp!). He knew he could stir up the audience into two groups, pro and con, on Will's piece.

FYI, Jonny Lam is a great Brooklyn-based steeler (and nice person) and he plays in many styles. He is a musical fellow traveler of Will Van Horn's and he's just messing with his friend here. Actually, he's messing with the "it ain't country!" contingency on the Forum which we used to see a lot of -- but it sort of backfired because most folks didn't pile on to that, they came to Will's defense instead. I'll let him speak for himself, but Jonny was probably just tying get people to listen to Will's great music, and it worked.

[Roger Rettig]

Tucker:

You made me go back and read the first post: I agree - very divisive and pretty clever. He drew attention to Will's music and had a joke at our expense at the same time.

[Tucker Jackson]

Jonny is hilarious in his mock-outrage:

"I would prefer(and I bet a lot of others would too, IMO) if he played Heartaches by the numbers in all twelve keys and then released backing tracks for it instead, or maybe played steel guitar rag for 20 minutes unaccompanied.
just my thoughts."

[Fred Treece]

Jonny is hilarious in his mock-outrage:

Or not.

[Tucker Jackson]

Well, sure. I suppose whether a piece of satire is considered humorous depends on which bear is being poked and how each of us feels about that. Somebody's feathers are bound to be ruffled. I tend to laugh at things -- even when people are making fun of folks like me. As long as it isn't too mean spirited...

[Fred Treece]

I love good satire.
Jonathan is a very talented steel player.

[Bryce Van Parys]

Well I got sucked in but I should’ve known better when he said to play heartaches by the numbers in all twelve keys. In jazz school they made us do that with Donna Lee (on double bass). PITA

now I’ve got two steel players to go check out; Will and Jonathan. I’m not new to music by any means but I’ve only been steelin for a little bit, which is why I spend a few minutes in my lunch hour checking out the forum. A handy resource with some pretty intelligent folks , thanks for the laughs

[Tucker Jackson]

I love good satire.
Jonathan is a very talented steel player.

Snort!

This is what I learned today: in addition to being very knowledgeable about music and steel, Fred has a wicked dry wit. Love it.

[Jonathan Lam]

GUYS REMEMBER WHEN WE MADE BUDDY EMMONS LEAVE THE FORUM BC WE WE ACTUALLY KNEW MORE ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT MORE THAN HIM?

[Bill Ladd]

Yep. I remember.

[John Larson]

I thoroughly enjoyed Will's interpretation of Avril 14th by Aphex Twin.

This thread has been throughly entertaining thanks to all who gave their input.