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Slash Shows Off Pedal Steel Skills For Performance Of Hank Jr.’s “Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound” With Shooter Jennings
Man of many talents.
Slash is dipping his toes into the country music world a bit these days. Of course, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist is one of the most well-known lead players in rock and roll history. He is also the lead guitarist in the rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, and has played on a number of records, including Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan and more. And while he is a rock legend, he’s one of the most polarizing guitar players in the business… many consider him one of the best ever, and many others consider him one of the most overrated ever.
Late last year he got dragged for his acoustic flat-picking, with fans, perhaps unfairly, comparing him to the great Billy Strings. But Slash is a Les Paul guy, not his bread and butter. And while this recent performance found him switching instruments again, he was still keeping the twang behind the pedal steel rig.
Slash showed off his surprising pedal steel skills at Los Angeles’ Desert 5 Spot, a popular rooftop bar in Hollywood. Joining forces with the legendary artist, producer, and son of Waylon Jennings, Shooter Jennings, the duo teamed up to perform in honor of the return of Sho-Bud, one of the most iconic names in pedal steel guitar brands. At the event, some of the best steel players were showcased while backed by the Y’all Star Band.
Slash and Shooter Jennings teamed up during the showcase, delivering some classic country music to the Hollywood Hills, and the band fired up the Hank Williams Jr. classic “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound.” Hank Jr. wrote and recorded the song as his title single for this record, Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound. The single was a big hit for Hank Jr., landing in the number two position on the country charts. Hank Williams Jr. came up with the opening lines for the song when hanging out with The Allman Brothers, and wrote the rest in a matter of minutes.
Although the song’s opening discloses his wandering eye, after the first verse, Hank Jr. pays homage to his father with lines referencing his music. The song solidifies his rough and rowdy persona, noting that he often likes to party harder than he should. Even through his rockstar exterior, he admits that hearing his father’s music hits some emotions he usually tries to suppress, leading him to get “Whiskey Bend and Hell Bound.”
“Play me the songs about ramblin’ man
Put old Jim Beam in my hand
‘Cause you know I still love to get drunk and hear country sounds
But don’t play ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’
‘Cause that’ll tear me all apart
I’ll get whiskey bent and hell bound…”
Of course, having Waylon Jennings’ son perform the song from a fellow outlaw has a sentimental meaning, but the performance was notable for more than one reason. Those in attendance at the event describe the night filled with genre-defying music as the Guns N’ Roses legend traded his killer Les Paul riffs for the moan and heartache of the steel guitar. And I’ll give it to Slash, he can lay it down on the pedal steel. Make no mistake, Slash certainly isn’t a great pedal steel player, but it’s a pretty damn hard instrument to play.
The prominent sound of the steel paired with Jennings’ booming vocals is a match made in heaven. The combo of these two men is stellar on its own, but then the fiddle comes in, which is played by a badass woman named Andrea Whitt. The addition of her skills sends this cover to the next level. The band knocked this out of the park and does Hank Williams Jr. right… this is how you put a modern twist on an outlaw classic.
Turn it all the way up.
This ain’t Slash’s first rodeo when it comes to playing the steel guitar. Slash reached out to Jeff “Skunk” Baxter in 2022, asking him to teach him how to play steel. Baxter noted that his wanting to learn to play steel is quite the undertaking, given the complexity of the instrument. So, although Slash is an expert on the electric guitar, there is a lot that does not translate over to steel.
Baxter praised Slash for picking up the instrument and noted that he’s one helluva player on the Appetite for Distortion podcast.
“So when he (Slash) asked me if I’d help him, I said ‘Absolutely!” And Slash is a very talented player.”
Check out Slash playing steel during a cover of Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” Although you always generally associate the great piano work with Elton John, this is a really cool arrangement.
The post Slash Shows Off Pedal Steel Skills For Performance Of Hank Jr.’s “Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound” With Shooter Jennings first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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