Despite its designation as a guitar, the pedal steel is about as foreign to most 6-stringers as advanced quantum physics. And although the instrument’s tangy twangs and gooey glissandos are mainly associated with traditional country and Hawaiian music, in the hands of a virtuoso like Joe Goldmark the pedal steel is capable of traversing multiple genres. “I love the sound of the traditional steel guitar, but really enjoy putting it in non-country contexts,” Goldmark explains. “I think rock audiences who might shy away from conventional country would find a lot of things to connect with in my music.”
This seems a reasonable assumption considering Goldmark’s past albums have included his take on Beatles tunes and other ’60s pop gems, and his latest release Blue Steel [Lo-Ball Records] finds him putting the pedals to tunes by Rufus Thomas, Graham Parker, Bob Marley, and B.B. King—alongside his own blues and surf-inspired instrumentals. “I always keep my ears open for tunes that might work well with steel guitar and add them to a running list,” says Goldmark. “When I make a new album, I’ll go back over the list and see what’ll work with the music I’m writing. I look for the kinds of tunes that are under-represented in country rock and try to do unconventional things with them. This album features guest vocalists Glenn Walters and Dallis Craft and I often had them reverse genders by having Dallis sing a traditionally male song and vice versa. I have really eclectic tastes in music, and I don’t like boundaries.”
During the ’90s, Goldmark recorded three acclaimed albums as a member of Jim Campilongo’s 10 Gallon Cats, and Campilongo makes a cameo on Blue Steel, writing and playing lead guitar on “I Want to Be with You Forever.” In his