Steel Guitar Forum members/lurkers in attendance:

Front Row on butt with Dustpan - Rick Aiello

Front Row on their knees (l-r)
Gerald Ross, Doug Smith, Chris Kennison (seldomfed), Harry Dietrich, Jeff Strouse, Howard Reinleib (HowardR), Kay Das, Andy Barlow, L.T. Zinn, Dennis Gonsalves, Maurie Junod

Back Row standing (l-r)
Terry Miller, John Anderson, Wally Pfeifer, Tim Taylor, John Tipka, Bill Leff, Frank Miller, Don Kona Woods, Dave Kitchen, Charlie Buttner, Dave Kollars, Jack Knight, Ray Montee, Ron Simpson, Dave "Hula Monster" Giegerich

Dustpan winners!

(l-r) Chris Kennison (seldomfed) from Colorado, Rick Aiello, Miss HSGA Joliet 2005, John Anderson from California

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 17 October 2005 at 03:27 PM.]

That photo was a special photo for folks who are part of this forum.

There were only two dustpans at auction, a 6 and 8 string. Chris won the 6 and John won the 8.

The special guest, Paul Kim, was great. As you know, he is a wonderful falsetto singer and accomplished steel guitarist in the Rogers-family style. Really nice guy and great sense of humor.

Paul plays a double neck Stringmaster that he removed the finish from and applied hieroglyphics to using a soldering iron. It looks great and is certainly one of a kind!

[This message was edited by Bill Leff on 17 October 2005 at 03:20 PM.]

The Joliet 2005 Forumite census was 27! with Paul Warnik, Craig Stenseth and Kamaka Tom missing from the photo for a total of 30!

About a 33% increase in attendance. Way to go!

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

I had a GREAT time at HSGA. I was still feeling the lingerings of a cold, but I spent as many waking hours as I could - but not enough. There's never enough time to do it all.

My Dust Pan is lovely! Now I can tell my friends I'm getting back into heavy metal guitar. Thanks Rick for donating those! I've played it every day since getting it. The night I won it I was playing it in my room about 4am (after the jams), until someone banged on my wall. Felt like college dorm living. Who ever that was, sorry I only had the MicroCube on .5, and it goes to 11.

Highlights for me... seeing all you guys again and meeting new friends, the steak at Al's, Paul Kim's vocals, Bill Leff showing me a new lick, finally meeting Jeff Strouse (he lies, he can really play steel), having Gerald play electric uke solos with me on my set, having Bill play guitar solos, and having Floyd on bass, and hearing all the great players. How much fun is that! The Fart machine is classic, I need some for xmas gifts Bill.

The 'dust closet' was a cool hang out place. Those JB videos were brilliant!

Can't wait till next time. It's a ball.

Chris

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Chris Kennison
Colorado
www.book-em-danno.com

One of the highlights for me was Professor Rick Aiello’s class on metallurgy and the Hawaiian Steel guitar. I felt that I was back again in college. He brought the process of creating the “Dustpans” to life with his step-by-step description. He broke it down into the thinking process that occurred, including the mistakes and the trial and error approaches. Rick knows his “stuff” and he did not have to use notes. I believe that he talked for a solid hour before taking questions. No question was ever without an adequate answer. It was very illuminating.

I will be back for more highlights later.

Aloha for now,

That's more than 2,084 miles each direction! Pulled off the road in Wyoming and parked beneath the over-pass for a pepper-upper quik doze so I could start driving once again only to be jarred to my senses by two (2)police officers with guns at the ready and the officer at the door could barely speak English.........I had to wonder if she even had a green card but didn't dare ask, on in her land. I guess Sally and I look like the more common TERRORIST of the day. Broad daylight and no black face masks!

"Wake up, Mr. Ross ...

You think your high school PE coach warmed your butt with that wooden paddle ...

Keep snoozin' in my class ... and you'll feel the heat from my AAAA ... Alloy Attitude Adjustment Appliance"

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Aiello's House of Gauss

My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 19 October 2005 at 05:49 AM.]

I used to go to the Joliet convention and function perfectly well on two hours of sleep a night for the duration.

This year my three hours of sleep average per night just didn't cut it. Look at those pix of me... I'm 9/10 dead.

Apparently during the Friday night jam at about 2:45 AM I took a guitar solo on a tune while totally asleep. Everyone was laughing (with me, not at me... right guys?).

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 19 October 2005 at 07:42 AM.]

Hand may buy your pathetic BS story ... but it ain't gonna fly here "

I'm taking a one night a week night class of intermediate music theory. I wasn't sure whether to bring my homework with me (due when I returned). My assignment was to build chords in all of the major scales.

It was a wise decision to bring it with me. If I had a question or get stuck (which I did), there were many people there to help (which they did). Thank you Bill Leff & John Anderson.

But, I'd never hold that against you __ that all showed up at the convention clean is most important.

Mr. Clean

Click on our newest HSGA member ... I found him in a van ... down by the river

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Aiello's House of Gauss

My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

I just got home tonight. Spent a few days at my daughter's house in Kalamazoo, MI.

I also had a great time with all you great players... although I didn't find anything funny to laugh at the whole time I was there.

" She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain When She Comes!"

That's for HowardR.

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Aiello's House of Gauss

My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 19 October 2005 at 06:49 PM.]

One of his memorable sayings, “God has given me a talent. The gift that he gives me is the gift I give to others in my music and is my way of giving back to Him (God).”

A question asked, “What advice would you give young steel guitarists?” He basically said, play for the love of the instrument and the music and not what you can get out of it monetarily.

In two afternoon sessions Paul did a lot of falsetto singing, along with playing his Fender Stringmaster. He knew some of the old classic, traditional songs of Hawaii and sung them with a smooth falsetto voice. Two of the very memorable Hawaiian songs were He Mana`o Ko`u Ia `Oe and Wahine U'i.

Paul studied the Hawaiian language at the University of Hawaii. This allows him to have a better command of the language and the meaning. So, he actually knows what he is singing about.

I think that the Kauauanu Lake Trio would have stood up and cheered. They were a singing group that was noted for singing the old classic, traditional songs of Hawaii in the Hawaiian language.

There may be more later.

Aloha,
Don

[This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 19 October 2005 at 09:02 PM.]

Another nice feature about Paul Kim was not only his ability to do Hawaiian yodeling, but he did a little bit of country/western yodeling, as well.

Aloha,
Don

[This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 21 October 2005 at 11:04 AM.]