Finding the pedal steel in the most unexpected places
A gifted instrumentalist, Travis Linville is known for his work as a multi-instrumentalist sideman with songwriter Hayes Carll, who calls him “criminally underrated.” He’s performed on stage with legendary artists Willie Nelson, Tommy Allsup, Kris Kristofferson, among countless others.
Independently, he has sold thousands of albums and played just as many shows across his 20-plus year career. His ever-evolving repertoire deeply rooted in songcraft, sly humor, and subtlety has earned him great praise from across the entertainment industry.
It’s a quiet confidence, an air of authority limited to only the most studied artists, a commanding irreverence woven with a thread of vulnerability. There’s something inexplicably authentic about the Oklahoman musician, and it’s carried him from dive bars and classrooms to “The Tonight Show” and esteemed theaters and festivals across the globe.
The pedal steel may be known for its use in Americana, country, folk, blues, and rock music, but it’s truly a magical instrument for any style. Perhaps the most difficult instrument to learn, the sound is 100% unique; the textures it weaves are parallel to none. An NPR article claimed, “When it was released in 1983, the luminous Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks, was one small step for Brian Eno but one giant leap towards expanding the pedal steel's vocabulary.”
The article later continues, “If nothing else, the age of Bandcamp labels, SoundCloud rap, YouTube covers and viral videos of all stripes is made precisely for those bedroom players, as well as lone steel-slingers out in the wilderness, like the exotica-loving Ztom Motoyama in Japan, or Will Van Horn, who recently covered Aphex Twin's haunted "Avril 14th" on pedal steel. It also sounds fantastic in various modern remix modes, like the chopped-and-screwed Alan Jackson or vaporwave Mike Nesmith. Just as the instrument cuts through large ensembles, it can also cut through the cultural noise, a versatile and seemingly ancient craft that continues to open a portal to a strange, glowing place.”
With some imagination and innovation, we think the pedal steel can find a home in places it was never expected to be seen in. What will you create with these sounds?
