My goodness. Billy Ebeling must have found just about every pedal steel guitar player between here and Tonganoxie.
Ebeling is normally known for his accordion work, but it’s a good thing he likes to meddle with the pedal. When he schemed up the idea (that Billy, always scheming!) to throw a pedal steel guitar fest in Lawrence, he called on former teachers and fellow players for the Sunday roundup, but this time trading out the usual Lucia spot for the Granada stage. It’s a good thing, too. They needed the space!
Nine, count ’em, NINE pedal steel guitars took up the entire width of the stage (and then some, as they had to curve the line of instruments to accommodate everyone). The premise was that they would play in-the-round (one at a time) accompanied by a house band comprised of Keith Mallory (drums), John Sage (bass), Carl Butler (guitar), and Billy himself. The players included: Martin Farrell Jr., Nate Hofer, Jeff Jackson, Matt Dollar, Lynn Piller, Mike Poholski, Sam Shoemaker, and Russ Wever.
Some of the songs had vocal accompaniments (Martin Farrell Jr., of Jenna and Martin, called upon musical and life partner Jenna WHO HAD JUST DELIVERED A BABY FIVE DAYS PRIOR for some vocals), while some kept it instrumental. The audience was treated to a wide variety of styles, including country classics and pop covers (such as Jeff Jackson’s Tears for Fears cover). At the end of the show, ALL NINE PLAYERS came on at once to perform a couple of numbers. This was a sight to behold, and if you’re a fan of pedal steel it was ear candy. Billy said it best at the beginning of the show: “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”
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