Saturday, September 23, 2006
Steel yourself: six-string festival slides into town
From The Globe and Mail
Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival
Just over a century ago, a Hawaiian musician found that by raising the six strings of his instrument and sliding a small metal rod over them, he could produce a harmonious glissando. Thus, the steel guitar was born. The new style of playing caught on quickly, especially in North America, and inspired guitar makers to develop ingenious variations on the basic box.
"The main types are the Dobro, the Weissenborn, the lap steel and the pedal steel -- all of which you'll be able to hear at our event," says Kat Wahamaa, co-founder of the Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival, which starts on Sept. 21. "I've always loved the sound they make because it's so much like the human voice. You can play all the notes between the notes, and bend them around."
There will be concerts on Thursday and Friday nights, and workshops on Saturday for learners. Highlights include performances by ShinyBuckle with veteran pedal-steel player Hank Rodgers, Dobro master Doug Cox with Todd Butler, Juno-Award winner Steve Dawson, and the Gang of Five -- an all-steel-guitar band led by local luthier and gypsy-jazz player Michael Dunn.
The Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival runs Sept. 21 to 23. Workshop tickets are $10, concerts are $20 and festival passes are $40. WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac St., 604-254-5858, http://www.shinybuckle.com.
Read the article
The Globe and Mail
Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival
Just over a century ago, a Hawaiian musician found that by raising the six strings of his instrument and sliding a small metal rod over them, he could produce a harmonious glissando. Thus, the steel guitar was born. The new style of playing caught on quickly, especially in North America, and inspired guitar makers to develop ingenious variations on the basic box.
"The main types are the Dobro, the Weissenborn, the lap steel and the pedal steel -- all of which you'll be able to hear at our event," says Kat Wahamaa, co-founder of the Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival, which starts on Sept. 21. "I've always loved the sound they make because it's so much like the human voice. You can play all the notes between the notes, and bend them around."
There will be concerts on Thursday and Friday nights, and workshops on Saturday for learners. Highlights include performances by ShinyBuckle with veteran pedal-steel player Hank Rodgers, Dobro master Doug Cox with Todd Butler, Juno-Award winner Steve Dawson, and the Gang of Five -- an all-steel-guitar band led by local luthier and gypsy-jazz player Michael Dunn.
The Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival runs Sept. 21 to 23. Workshop tickets are $10, concerts are $20 and festival passes are $40. WISE Hall, 1882 Adanac St., 604-254-5858, http://www.shinybuckle.com.
Read the article
The Globe and Mail
# posted by Dave Sichak @ 9:21 PM 
