The British Steelies Society

April 25th 2017

I only got there for a couple of hours tonight but I been feeling feel it has been a time since I've given you any recordings, so I did this on my phone not knowing how the quality would be but it's better than I imagined ... so sorry Davie you didn't know you were tonight's sacrificial lamb! Trust you don't mind!

Davie's take here on 'She thinks I still care' and 'You win again'!........... Apologies for not getting it from the start!



Sweet playing Davie!

Another good night what I got of it! I think there were fourteen of us!

I'll leave Danny to do his more customary comprehensive report!!!

Wow! Super stuff.

Yes indeed, some extremely tasty chops from Mr. 'Hunner's Holland.

Great attendance, yet again, from the good gentlemen of the SSGW Along with Davie's tasty contributions we had a variety of 'takes' on these two tunes. The gurus (you know who you are) served up their usual amazing deliveries with aplomb, and in their very different approaches, too.

Geoff, or Jif, if you're Australian, and I both agreed we could identify any of the gurus, blindfolded, by their style of playing. Speaking of Geoff, he's obviously being inspired by his shiny, new, beast of a guitar. I thought he was playing, and sounding, great. As was John, I thought that was the best I'd heard him play

All in all an excellent night with everyone showing steps in the right direction. Brandon's got his tone together, as has Robert with his new setup and tweaked pickups, Tony gave us a tune all the way through Gaun yersel! There were glitches, too. We wondered why Davie, Mr Withers, was unusually whisper quiet and it turned out he was in the wrong orifice , it's okay they can't arrest you for that anymore Donny had a sticky string, it might've been a Gstring I couldn't see from across the hall, as I kept forgetting to put my specs on

Special mention to Billy McKillop who sat in on Reg's Williams and played some beautiful stuff, and this was on an Emmons setup when his weapon of choice is Day Inconceivable!

Thanks lads you dished up a rerr terr

Enjoyed the night, some nice playing going on all round. I especially enjoyed Bob's version of She thinks... some nice jazzy moves going on there, I'll need to video you surreptitiously next time Bob

As you may have noticed I was overusing my new zero pedal setup, getting it in as much as I could. It was originally set up as a Franklin pedal but I never really used it, this new setup works much better for me. Danny was asking how it was set up so here's what it does -

String 1 raise ++
String 2 raise +
String 7 lower - -

It gives me a full chord over all 12 strings, in open tuning raising string 1 to Ab, string 2 to E and lowers string 7 to E. It also gives some nice bends, used in conjunction with string 5 works especially well

Yip, Ken and JD ...Sweet playing indeed from Davie, as Danny and Geoff say. 'We all have identifiable touches' I have to say that quite impresses (yet quite scares) me!

Re. your comment Geoff! .......... Your cheque is in the post! ..... But all Jest apart.........it is much appreciated!............ I must have done something right!

Liked your use of that '0' pedal it worked well, great playing from you! Most Impressed!!!! .....And also John Craig's playing.... the best I've heard from him!

You can do what you like surreptitiously but try and avoid any cackle in the background!

This was a little off the cuff video but it leads to a bigger issue prevalent at all such meetings, that of loud chat when guys are playing, it is really ... not on!
It is unfair to put the burden on the MC .. Be it Donny, John, Roy, or any others to say, belt up you lot there is a guy playing here.

Most forum members here want to feel part of our meetings and the occasional video hits the spot, but the end result is so much better if we can actually hear the player without distraction! Granted on this occasion I was not visibly recording!

For the guys at these meetings who 'wing it' it doesn't so much matter but for the other guys who have spent hours practicing to perform amongst potentially the worst critical audience they could imagine, it is daunting for them and disrespectful from us!! A little grace would not go amiss!

In short! If you can't be mindful of this then 'STF up.'

I consider everyone in that room at Gartcosh a friend and I would never wish to offend , however I am broad shouldered enough to say what I feel on this, so challenge me if I am speaking out of turn!

Let's just be there for our players... It is my belief we are driven by our passion' more than' our ego! ............ So let the playing flow!!!.......

As for attendance! how good it would be to see, Alistair, Tim, Malc, Ronnie, Billy Taxi, Young Stewart, The key of 'G' and recently our Calum ..... it would be great if you all just appeared next month! As for Dougie, your presence was missed!

Robert, I will consider my knuckles to be well and truly rapped, although I think I was the lugs the night.

I agree with all you have said.

Asleep at the steel

OOOhhh Wobert ...you bad puddy cat! Lol had no idea you had the phone recording...haha . Sorry I couldnt make this month`s meet, will try to get there for the one in June..
Agree with all you said, and to be honest..never heard a thing..too busy concentrating on not lapsing into Cold Cold Heart