Dave Van Allen, Pedal Steel Guitar:
Rarities:

Steel Guitar Danse Party,1982

 

Steel Guitar Danse Party was a self produced 4 song "Cassette EP" I recorded in 1982 in an effort to show what a pedal steel could do in genre's of music besides Country or Country Rock.

Produced on a shoestring and replicated in true DIY fashion I never moved many units, but I did get listed in Joe Goldmark's remarkable "Steel Guitar Discography" book.

Drums: Jim Clatterbuck
Bass: Doug Corbin
Steel Guitars (Pedal & Lap): Dave Van Allen
Drum Machine programing: Dave Van Allen
Lead and Backing Vocals: Dave Van Allen
Backing vocal "Sweetheart Weekend" & "Appalchia on the Pike": Liz Van Allen
All tunes Written by: Dave Van Allen

"Sweetheart Weekend"
(MP3 approx 3.7MB)

Rhythm=1938 Rickenbacher 6 String Lap Steel, solo=1973 MSA Classic; 1972 Vibrolux Reverb

A "power pop" love song for my wife

"(I'm gonna sit right down and) Mail Myself to Elvis"
(MP3 approx. 4.1MB)

A rockabilly trio number with the Rhythm and Solo being played on C6th. No Guitars just steel, bass, drums... and an overdubbed hot harmonica solo by Jimmy Powers

"Haul of the Mountain Beez"
(MP3 approx 4.1MB)
MSA Classic, MXR Flanger for rotary effect

Instrumental surf inspired by Joe Meek. Thematic elements borrowed from Hall of the mountain King and Flight of the Bumblebee, hence the title. Highly coreographed surf guitar solo by my pal Jon Vengrouskie on Stratocaster...

"Appalachia on the Pike"
(MP3 approx 4.3MB)

Rhythm=1938 Rickenbacher 6 String Lap Steel, solo=1973 MSA Classic; 1966 Fender Bassman

An angry punkoid rocker about an apartment complex I used to live in... nuff said

Other old whacky Steel Stuff of mine

"Always a First Time/Burnout"
(MP3 approx 6.7MB)
Martha Hull & the Steady Jobs 1981;(written by Hull/Matarese and ???) Pedal Steel (Dave Van Allen), Vocal (Martha Hull), Guitar (Mark Matarese), Bass (Doug Corbin), Drums (Mike Pugh)

The A side of our single... The Steady Jobs were popular for about a minute in DC... Martha is a wonderful dynamic front person who was popular far longer.

"Planetfall"
(MP3 approx 10.9MB)
The D-V-8's;1983 or 84
Electric Guitar-Paul Bell, Vocal & Pedal Steel-Dave Van Allen, Keyboards -Spencer Hoopes, Drums-Jim Clatterbuck, Bass-Bill Wetmore
The D-V-8's was my attempt at fronting my own originals band from behind a steel guitar...Recorded live on a Panasonic boombox at Friendship Station a club in DC that booked us for some reason...
the tune was one of several Sci-Fi themed tunes I wrote in this period, this one about an intergalactic pilot who stayed awake for the decades it took to get to a new star, while the potential colonists slept in stasis fields staying young...

RECENTLY DISCOVERED D-V-8's ARTIFACTS!

Sweetheart Weekend
(Windows Media .wma file approx 2.5MB)
Full band version -studio recording.

Another Language
(Windows Media .wma file approx 2.7MB)
Full band version -studio recording.

The Ocean Roll
(Windows Media .wma file approx 2.7MB)
Full band version -studio recording.
I believe the lineup is same as on the live recording above- these recordings were unearthed by my pal Jim Clatterbuck, the drummer on the sessions. I had forgotten they even existed!

ANOTHER RECENTLY DISCOVERED ARTIFACT!

The FIRST record I ever played on!

Country Song
(MP3 file approx 2.1MB)
1974 single A side by DC Country Rockers "Hickory".


Personnel:
Dave Allen (no relation): Songwriter, Acoustic Guitar and Lead Vocal
Steuart Smith: Piano and Electric Guitar and Backing Vocals
Dave Van Allen: Pedal Steel
Greg Hemming(?): Bass
Steve Dennis: Drums

©2008 Dave Van Allen