Who remembers the look on the Bands Faces when the saw you unload a pedal steel guitar to a Southern Rock Gig or any Gig

[Barry Yasika]

I was so excited—I’d only owned it for a day, but I dragged it along to the gig that night, thinking, “Hey, I can handle the slow tear-jerkers.”
After the first song, the whole band looked at me and kind of smiled. By the third song, they all turned and said, “Don’t do that right now.” Tiny smile included.
I thought I was killing it… until the cassette recorder played it back the next day. Yikes. Out of tune, way too loud, sounded like a goose in a blender.

So I told myself, “Okay, lay back, practice, prove you can do this.” One week later—same disaster. Apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment. (your should have see the looks on their faces the second night)

Anyway, forget the slow stuff—Thankfully I was proficient enough on the Les Paul rig I had so let’s crank up the Allman Bros, turn it loud, and rock this place!

True story. (Sadly.) But like all things in time I managed to get good enough for the saloon joints and shit kickers and It turn out to be a real money maker for me for a little while back then.

[Larry Dering]

Barry that's a great story. I avoided the rock band adventure but have had a few swings in a somewhat mixed musical band setting. I quickly learned to bring a drive pedal and a fuzz. I love it on slower blues tunes.

[Bob Carlucci]

whoa, this guy plays pedal steel!.. musicians from other bands reaction, when the see you set up your steel..

or, whoa, these guys have a pedal steel player!,,, this would be a reaction from say a savvy club owner, or even club patron that knows what a pedal steel actually is, and how desirable it can be for certain music,

Yes seen it several times of course, and always liked that reaction... Typically the musicians would get quite close early on, and watch like a hawk the first set or so.. I could see their reactions when I ripped into my first really good [loud] lick, or first hot solo that these musicians knew the effort required for me or any other pedal steel player to get to that point...its nice to be appreciated I suppose... bob

[Brett Day]

It's funny because I also play acoustic jam sessions, and one Thursday night, I had just strapped my dobro on, and another musician started talking to me, and I said, "I also play pedal steel guitar", and he looked at me and said, "you play steel?" and I said yes. He then said, "Maybe you should bring it here on Thursday nights to an acoustic jam session", and I told him it stays set up at home and doesn't really need to be played in an acoustic setting-acoustic settings are what my dobro is for. Several years ago, I did take my steel to a jam session and during the break, where the musicians kinda socialize and relax, a lady asked me, "Why can't I hear your steel guitar"? and I explained to her that, as a steel guitarist, I don't play lead parts and solos, unless I'm called to do so.

[Donny Hinson]

Back in the "Golden Age" of country music (in the 1960's), bands around here would get hired just because they had a pedal steel! Man, it was great, as most bands didn't have one, and more than once we landed a job just because I played pedal steel in the band. My first country band I was in wasn't that good, but we had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot. We'd go out to audition in a club, and the owner would say "Sorry, no need for you to audition, 'cause we already have a band". Then our singer would say "But we've got a pedal steel in our band!" And that was all it took. Quick set up and play three or four songs (while the other band was on break), and the next weekend, we were in and the other band was out. Yep, those were the days.