WOW an amazing tele picker/flatpicker/bluegrass GOD. check this guy out!!

[soltwanger]

hi all,

just thought I should bring a new player to everyone's attention. This is Frank Young from Montreal, Canada. I have no idea how he has managed to stay under the radar this long, but prepare to be amazed:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBwLqSeyME0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba1GalG00A4


here is the best part:

www.myspace.com/frankyoung12

listen to 'good hearted woman' and catch your jaw. the tone, accuracy, speed and style of this is just beyond anything i have heard from a guitarist that doesn't live in Nashville, and doesn't play on 8 out of every 10 records in the country music charts.

enjoy!

[RelicStrat]

He seems to be a mighty fine banjo picker too.

[chickenpicker]

Yeah, some speedy and accurate playing - way beyond anything I've ever done, so I'm in no position to judge.

However...

I found the experience rather boring - maybe a bit mechanical? I'm not sure, but while there was technical excellence in abundance, there was a lack of feeling.

[mdunn]

And he teaches too. Boy would I love to have him for a teacher.

[eddiewagner]

Originally Posted by chickenpicker

Yeah, some speedy and accurate playing - way beyond anything I've ever done, so I'm in no position to judge.

However...

I found the experience rather boring - maybe a bit mechanical? I'm not sure, but while there was technical excellence in abundance, there was a lack of feeling.

i have a pretty similar feeling. everything too clean and fast for my taste. i mean they are excellent and all. maybe live they rip everything up a bit more. i wish i could play one lick as fast as the guy though....

[dogcityrocker]

wow. watching this guy makes me think my guitars do not have a very good home.

Ive been a rock-n-roller and punk rocker all my playing days, but recently I can not get enough bluegrass!

[kris1]

That is some great stuff,I was double booked with him on a gig in outside of Montreal a few years back and needless to say I buried my head and did as few lead breaks as possible.He really knows his stuff with a hipshot as well,I had a parsons style on my tele and I wanted to break it off after the gig.I ended up buying his bluegrass CD at the end of the night.He's a pretty personable guy as well,it sort of took the sting out of getting schooled.LOL.

[Telehackster]

There seemed to me to be plenty of feeling and expressiveness in his playing. I was less fond of the compressed sound on the electric clip, but that's my preference and not a critique of his obvious (and impressive) skill and talent.

Good luck to him.

[Mark Davis]

He played good. There is however one thing in common with most of these fast players. They are 1 trick ponys and cant play slow or slow blues.

Eric Johnson is the exception to this rule he can play fast slow country blues jazz etc.

Steve Vai Brent Mason Johnny H and all the other speed players dont show their slow and sensitive side more they either cant play slow with feeling or just choose to play fast to impress everyone.

[chickenpicker]

Plenty of one trick ponies here, Mark. My trick is to play slow, with lots of bum notes.

[HC]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Steve Vai Brent Mason Johnny H and all the other speed players dont show their slow and sensitive side more they either cant play slow with feeling or just choose to play fast to impress everyone.

I have to disagree with you on this. Although Steve Vai is mostly known for his speedy playing, I hear tons of emotion in his playing. And one can tell from the look of his face when he plays that he is really feeling it.

And if you pick up a copy of Brent Mason's last CD "Smokin' Section" you'll hear that he's got tons of soul and feeling in his playing too. Or check out his playing on Alan Jacksons "The Blues Man". Soul, soul soul.

You just haven't hear the right stuff.

[HC]

Yep, great player!

[Grin'n'pick]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

He played good. There is however one thing in common with most of these fast players. They are 1 trick ponys and cant play slow or slow blues.

Eric Johnson is the exception to this rule he can play fast slow country blues jazz etc.

Steve Vai Brent Mason Johnny H and all the other speed players dont show their slow and sensitive side more they either cant play slow with feeling or just choose to play fast to impress everyone.

First time I've ever disagreed with Mark Davis! In particular about Brent Mason who can play slow and with more soul and feeling than I don't know what. I think that post was far too sweeping, Vinnie Moore yes, BSM and JH no! It's so long since I heard Steve Vai I can't remember so I'll leave you all to argue about him.

[Roli]

Loved his electric style, reminds me of Albert Lee.

[soltwanger]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Steve Vai Brent Mason Johnny H and all the other speed players dont show their slow and sensitive side more they either cant play slow with feeling or just choose to play fast to impress everyone.

Yeah, that is sweeping but then again I can't complain. i pi**ed off half the forum board by saying that i wasn't a big fan of Johnny Hiland I have heard some amazing slow soulful stuff from brent, and I wouldn't agree that he plays fast to impress. He is a session player, so I cannot see who he would be impressing if that was his incentive. Steve Vai? I haven't heard enough to judge, but he seems as soulful as anything. About Hiland, Now I have heard some clips of him playing soulfully and also another of him playing slide over a slow blues (i think it was called 'makota blues') and although wasn't thoroughly impressed, it was totally decent simplified blues playing. I did also see one where he launches into this eddie van halen style tapping solo over a really slow minor blues. That REALLY didn't do it for me!

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by Grin'n'pick

First time I've ever disagreed with Mark Davis! In particular about Brent Mason who can play slow and with more soul and feeling than I don't know what. I think that post was far too sweeping, Vinnie Moore yes, BSM and JH no! It's so long since I heard Steve Vai I can't remember so I'll leave you all to argue about him.

I'm sure Brent can play slow I have just never heard it anywhere.

These are opinions of mine so feel free to disagree.

Id like to hear Brent play some slow blues where can I hear that?

[soltwanger]

here you go mark davis, just a snippet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftqvYuqytSA

now you can't say he doesn't have soul

[daddyopapa]

Sounds like Django playing country. I like it.

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by soltwanger

here you go mark davis, just a snippet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftqvYuqytSA

now you can't say he doesn't have soul

I saw that clip when it was first posted.

Im talking about a performance or cd I can listen to. I never said Brent didnt have soul or could play slow just that I had never seen it. Guess I should have added in a live performance in front of a paying audience or recorded on a CD or album.

When this clip was first posted my reply was Id love to hear Brent do a blues or jazz album.

If you really think about it the country fast pickers who only do that style are no different than the shredders who only do that style. Just a different style of music rock/country.

I know Brent can play rock or country Id like to see the fast pickers do something else. We all know they can play blazing fast licks. I am personally more impressed by someone like Vince Gill or Mark Knopfler who plays slow melodic leads that sound thick. Thats just what I like doesnt mean its right or wrong.

[blue water girl]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Id like to hear Brent play some slow blues where can I hear that?

I don't know how to link clips from ITunes, but if you go on ITunes you can hear a great blues clip. It won't cost anything just to listen to the thirty second sample.

Just search in the artist search bar :brent mason

The new Smokin' Section album will come up and all of the songs are on there to listen to the samples. The most representative of what you are looking for imo is a song Brent wrote called "Real Bad Blues." Also "Hip Pocket" but it's not as slow. This is what you are looking for. The songs on that album aren't like what people who only hear his studio work on other people's albums are used to hearing. Most of the songs are written or co-written by Brent. We never listen to country radio, we have very few country cds in our house. Brent is a total lover of blues and jazz. It's all he plays for himself recreationally. If I showed him this thread it would hurt him more than anything anyone has ever said about his commercial country playing. That you don't think he can play with soul and feeling, or that if he can, he is just playing fast to show off. I can't think of a worse thing a person could say about him to really depress him because it cuts to the heart of who he actually is versus what he does to earn a living. (So I won't tell him about it lol)
OH! I almost forgot! Also listen to "Since I Fell For You" where he is also singing!

edit - there is also another Brent Mason on ITunes - a Canadian player with an album called Gloryland. I don't want you to confuse the two Brents. His album comes up right under Smokin' Section.

[maestrovert]

Heya Julie, you jes' let Brent know that i for one, think he's a phenomenal musician, and that i wish he'd tour(through my neck o' da woods anyways) !

[blue water girl]

Though I wouldn't say these are blues tunes, here is a page where you can listen to clips of his other album, Hot Wired. Only one song on the entire album (Sugarfoot Rag) is written by someone else. All the others are Brent's compositions. There are several songs you should listen to if you would like to hear more of who Brent really is. Of course it has "Hot Wired" on it and you must not care for that one. In Nashville a song like Hot Wired is your "money" song, and if Brent does a live show, it is what the majority of the people are screaming for. They just tolerate the other stuff. It makes Brent sad.


The first one "Blue Water Girl" (my username here comes from this song)
And then "Mellow Midnight," "My Little Ballerina", and "Cayman Moon."
("First Rule of Thumb" is also a good sample to listen to, it was used for Country Time Lemonade commercials for several years) "Swing With a Sting" is nice too, if you like swing.


http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/musi...464209,00.html

[Mark Davis]

THanks Julie! THanks for the links to the slow stuff.

I listened to Blue Water Girl and it was great! nice tone slow and melodic just like I like. Now Im gonna go listen to the rest!

Now I like Brent more than I did before. Since all I had really seen was his fast chicken pickin I thought that was all he did glad I was wrong!!!

[WisconsinStrings]

Annoying the way some of those clips cut in and out skipping content.

Good player. I have to agree... a little dry. I bet that would be gone playing with a band instead of a track though. Of everything I like his banjo playing on Foggy Mtn Breakdown.

[sidneystreet]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

...Now I like Brent more than I did before. Since all I had really seen was his fast chicken pickin I thought that was all he did glad I was wrong!!!

I am so glad to hear that. It bummed me out when you seemed to dismiss Brent Mason as some one trick pony. His mastery of country guitar is just the tip of the iceberg. I think it could be argued that his abilities in western swing/jazz and fingerstyle nylon-string guitar are every bit as impressive. Don't even get me started on his skills in improvisation and composition...