Jeff Lang
Encyclopedia
Jeff Lang is an Australian songwriter, singer and slide guitar
ist. A leading performer in the Australian roots music scene and purveyer of his self-described "disturbed folk" style, which incorporates primarily folk, blues and rock. The songwriting in his music is heavily influenced by the folk music
of the Southern United States
and British Isles
but has distinctly Australian lyrical content whilst his guitar playing mixes folk, blues and rock styles with Indian and African modalities. He plays various types of guitar, both slide and standard, as well as banjo
, mandolin
, Chumbush and drums. In Addition to other awards Lang's 1996 album Native Dog Creek was named 'Best Australian Blues Album' in a Rhythms Magazine readers poll, as were his 2005 release You Have To Dig Deep To Bury Daddy and the 2006 album Dislocation Blues
, a collaboration with the late Chris Whitley
, while his 2002 collaboration with Bob Brozman
won an ARIA award for Best Blues and Roots Music album.
, Bob Dylan
, Leo Kottke
, Ry Cooder
, Roy Buchanan
and Neil Young
. After playing the clarinet for six years he took up the guitar after discovering his older sister's discarded nylon string acoustic. He played electric guitar in various local bands in his hometown of Geelong before forming his own band and moving to Sydney in 1990 with the aim of playing his own compositions.
, "Rolling Through This World" winning the Award in 2002.
was inspired by Jeff's playing and sound to pursue a very similar setup.
Some of the guitars he has used live and in the studio are:
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
ist. A leading performer in the Australian roots music scene and purveyer of his self-described "disturbed folk" style, which incorporates primarily folk, blues and rock. The songwriting in his music is heavily influenced by the folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
of the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
but has distinctly Australian lyrical content whilst his guitar playing mixes folk, blues and rock styles with Indian and African modalities. He plays various types of guitar, both slide and standard, as well as banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, Chumbush and drums. In Addition to other awards Lang's 1996 album Native Dog Creek was named 'Best Australian Blues Album' in a Rhythms Magazine readers poll, as were his 2005 release You Have To Dig Deep To Bury Daddy and the 2006 album Dislocation Blues
Dislocation Blues
Dislocation Blues is a collaboration between singer-songwriters and guitarists, Chris Whitley and Jeff Lang.Jeff Lang produced, co-wrote, co-mixed, and played on the album. It was recorded live by Mick Wordley at Adelphia Studios in Melbourne, Australia...
, a collaboration with the late Chris Whitley
Chris Whitley
Christopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following...
, while his 2002 collaboration with Bob Brozman
Bob Brozman
Bob Brozman is an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist.He has performed in a number of styles such as Gypsy jazz, calypso, Blues, ragtime, Hawaiian and Caribbean music. Brozman has also collaborated with musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds such as India, Africa, Japan, Papua New Guinea...
won an ARIA award for Best Blues and Roots Music album.
Early years
Jeff's interest in music was sparked at a young age, inspired by records his parents played at home his early influences were AC/DCAC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
, Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
, Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan was a sideman and solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career, and two later solo albums that made it on to the Billboard chart. Despite never having achieved stardom, he is still...
and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. After playing the clarinet for six years he took up the guitar after discovering his older sister's discarded nylon string acoustic. He played electric guitar in various local bands in his hometown of Geelong before forming his own band and moving to Sydney in 1990 with the aim of playing his own compositions.
Solo career
In 1992 Jeff split his band up and concentrated on playing solo shows. For the next 2 years he wrote the songs that ended up on his first independently released CD "Ravenswood". Since that debut he has gone on to become known as a prolific songwriter, releasing 12 studio albums in the following 16 years in addition to numerous Live recordings. 7 of these albums have been nominated for the ARIA award for Best Blues and Roots Album, with his collaboration with Bob BrozmanBob Brozman
Bob Brozman is an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist.He has performed in a number of styles such as Gypsy jazz, calypso, Blues, ragtime, Hawaiian and Caribbean music. Brozman has also collaborated with musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds such as India, Africa, Japan, Papua New Guinea...
, "Rolling Through This World" winning the Award in 2002.
Solo Albums
| Title | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ravenswood | 1994 | Produced by Les Karski Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Joe Accaria - Drums, Percussion; Les Karski - Bass, Percussion; Robin Riley - Mandolin |
| Native Dog Creek | 1996 | Produced by Kerryn Tolhurst - Personnel; Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Dirk Dubois - Bass; Chris Finnen - Percussion; Adam Dicker - Drums; Kerryn Tolhurst - Tipple |
| Cedar Grove | 1998 | Produced by Kerryn Tolhurst - Personnel; Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Grant Cummerford - Bass; Ashley Davies - Drums; Kerryn Tolhurst - Guitar |
| Everything is Still | 2000 | Produced by Kerryn Tolhurst Kerryn Tolhurst Kerryn Tolhurst is a noted Australian musician and songwriter who was based in the USA in the late 1970s and 1980s.His musical career began in Melbourne with the Adderly Smith Blues Band. He subsequently joined Sundown, led by Keith Glass, which was one of Australia's first country-rock groups... - Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Angus Diggs - Drums |
| Whatever Makes You Happy | 2004 | Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Grant Cummerford - Bass; Angus Diggs - Drums; Tim Hall - Guitar, Vocals; Sarah Carrol - Vocals; Suzannah Espie - Vocals; Trish Anderson - Vocals; Chris Wilson - Vocals; Matt Walker - Harmonica; Chris Finnen - Percussion, Acoustic Guitar |
| You Have to Dig Deep to Bury Daddy | 2005 | Produced by Jeff Lang and Tim Hall - Personnel - Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars, Distorted Ukelele, Drums, Percussion; Grant Cummerford - Bass; Tim Hall - Vocals, Percussion; Ian Collard - Harmonica; Anthony Shorte - Drums; Ali Ferrier - Fiddle, Percussion |
| Prepare Me Well | 2007 | A Jeff Lang Anthology 1994 - 2006 |
| Half Seas Over | 2008 | Produced by Jeff Lang - Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars, Glissentar, Chumbush, Clarinet, Percussion, Harmonium; Grant Cummerford - Bass; Ali Ferrier - Fiddle |
| Chimeradour | 2009 | Produced by Mark Opitz Mark Opitz Mark Opitz, started his career with ABC TV in Sydney in the 1970’s and has since gone on to work with many of the great Australian musicians that have graced both the Australian and international music charts for the past 25 years.... - Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars, Chumbush; Grant Cummerford - Bass; Danny McKenna - Drums; Don Walker - Piano, Bec Matthews - Kamele N'Goni; Michelle Lang - Vocals; Suzannah Espie - Vocals; Ali Ferrier - Fiddle and Vocals |
Collaborations
| Title | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Live at the Vineyard (with Chris Finnen) | 1996 | Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Chris Finnen - Vocals, Guitars, Percussion; Dirk Dubois - Bass; Steve Peturka - Drums; Kerryn Tolhurst - Lap Steel |
| The Silverbacks (with Hat Fitz) | 1999 | Personnel: Hat Fitz - Vocals, Guitars; Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars, Tony Eissentragor - Drums; Dick Zero - Bush Bass, Trumpet |
| Rolling Through This World (with Bob Brozman Bob Brozman Bob Brozman is an American guitarist and ethnomusicologist.He has performed in a number of styles such as Gypsy jazz, calypso, Blues, ragtime, Hawaiian and Caribbean music. Brozman has also collaborated with musicians from diverse cultural backgrounds such as India, Africa, Japan, Papua New Guinea... ) |
2002 | Personnel: Bob Brozman - Vocals, Guitars; Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars, Chumbush; Angus Diggs - Drums |
| Dislocation Blues Dislocation Blues Dislocation Blues is a collaboration between singer-songwriters and guitarists, Chris Whitley and Jeff Lang.Jeff Lang produced, co-wrote, co-mixed, and played on the album. It was recorded live by Mick Wordley at Adelphia Studios in Melbourne, Australia... (with Chris Whitley Chris Whitley Christopher Becker Whitley was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Whitley changed his sound frequently, and achieved modest mainstream success while maintaining a small but devoted following... ) |
2006 | Personnel: Chris Whitley - Vocals, Guitars; Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars, Chumbush, Banjo; Grant Cummerford - Bass; Ashley Davies - Drums |
| Djan Djan (with Mamadou Diabate Mamadou Diabaté Mamadou Diabaté is a kora player. He began playing quite early in his life, became known as a musician in the area of Mali in which he lived, and has since moved to the United States, recording several albums.-Life and career:... and Bobby Singh) |
2009 | Personnel: Jeff Lang - Acoustic Slide Guitar; Bobby Singh - Tabla; Mamadou Diabate - Kora; Greg Sheehan - Percussion; Ben Walsh - Percussion |
Live recordings
Jeff Lang is known as a strong live performer, which is reflected in the number of live recordings he has released in his career.| Title | Recorded | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Disturbed Folk | 1995 | Live album recorded 1995 in Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean... , Australia. |
| A Crowd in Every Face | 1996/97 | Live in Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , New York New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... City and London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... during 1996/97 with mainly solo tracks augmented by some songs recorded backed by Grant Cummerford on bass and Chris Nable on drums. |
| Real Scars | 1998 | 1998 live limited edition bonus disc that came with first 1,000 copies of "Cedar Grove", features live songs from Melbourne accompanied by Grant Cummerford on bass and Shley Davies on drums, with Matt Walker playing lap steel on one song. |
| Disturbed Folk Vol. 2 | 1999 | Live solo recordings in Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle Fremantle Freemantle is a suburb of Southampton in England.Fremantle or Freemantle may also refer to:- Places :* Fremantle, the port city to the capital Perth, Western Australia... Australia. |
| Live At The Basement DVD | 2001 | Recorded in Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia. Personnel: Jeff Lang - Vocals, Guitars; Angus Diggs - Drums; Don Walker Don Walker (musician) Don Walker is an Australian musician and songwriter known for writing many of the hits for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. He played piano and keyboard with the band from 1973 to 1983, when they disbanded. He has since continued to record and tour, both solo and with Tex, Don and Charlie,... - Piano |
| No Point Slowing Down | 2002 | Live solo recordings from the USA. |
| Engines Moan | 2009 | Japan-only live CD of a Melbourne show with Grant Cummerford on bass and Danny McKenna on drums. |
Equipment
Jeff Lang primarily plays acoustic guitars, although he has an unorthodox way of amplifying them, running a combination of a built-in microphone and a Sunrise magnetic pick-up together for his clean acoustic sound, whilst also running the output of the Sunrise pick-up through various effects through an electric guitar amplifier allowing him to obtain both acoustic and distorted electric guitar tones from the same guitar. This approach has been hugely influential in the Australian scene, particularly after well-known guitarist John ButlerJohn Butler (musician)
John Charles Wiltshire-Butler or John Charles Butler is an Australian musician, songwriter, record label owner and producer...
was inspired by Jeff's playing and sound to pursue a very similar setup.
Some of the guitars he has used live and in the studio are:
- Churchill Guitars - acoustic 6 & 12 string guitars and acoustic lap steels built by David Churchill in Ballarat, Australia.
- Beeton Brass Guitars - built by Greg Beeton in Belmont NorthBelmont North, New South WalesBelmont North is a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, Australia, located southwest of Newcastle's central business district on the eastern side of Lake Macquarie....
, Australia - National Reso-Glass Guitars - DobroDobroDobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
-like guitars from the 1960s. - 1960's Guyatone Electric Guitar
- 1976 Fender StarcasterFender StarcasterThe Fender Starcaster was a semi-hollowbody electric guitar made by the Fender company. The Starcaster was part of Fender's attempt to enter the semi-hollowbody market, which was dominated by Gibson's ES-335 and similar designs.-Design and production:...
- Turkish Electric BaglamaBaglamathumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
Saz - Godin GlissentarTen-string guitarThere are many varieties of ten-string guitar, including:* Both electric and acoustic guitars.* Instruments used principally for classical, folk and popular music.* Both coursed and uncoursed instruments.-Ten-stringed harp guitars:...
- 1950's Harmony MandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
- 1930's Kalamazoo Acoustic
- 1930's Oahu Hawaiian Guitar
- 1930's Regal Dobro
- 1980's Fender Squire StratocasterSquier StratocasterThe Squier Stratocaster is an electric guitar based on the Stratocaster, manufactured and sold by Squier, a marque of Fender.-Origins:After Fender's decision to switch Squier's production from strings to guitars in 1982, the Stratocaster was one of the first models to be put under the Squier...
modified with TeiscoTeiscoTeisco was a Japanese manufacturer of affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969, and now its brand is owned by Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Ltd. . The company produced guitars as well as keyboard instruments, microphones, amplifiers and even drums...
PickupsPickup (music technology)A pickup device is a transducer that captures mechanical vibrations, usually from suitably equipped stringed instruments such as the electric guitar, electric bass guitar, Chapman Stick, or electric violin, and converts them to an electrical signal that is amplified, recorded, or broadcast.-... - 1950's Supro Lap Steel
- ValcoValcoValco was a manufacturer of guitars, guitar amplifiers, and other musical instruments from the 1940s through 1968. Only other relatives alive today live in Staffordshire England.- History :...
Reso Phonic - Tim Kill WeissenbornWeissenbornWeissenborn or H. Weissenborn is a brand of lap slide guitar manufactured by Hermann Weissenborn in Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s....
and fretless acoustic Guitars - Stomp BoxStomp boxthumb|Puck'n Stompa by PetermanA stomp box or stompbox is a simple percussion instrument consisting of a small wooden box placed under the foot, which is tapped or stamped on rhythmically to produce a sound similar to that of a bass drum. A stomp box allows a performer such as a singer or guitar...
External links
- Official web site
- Jeff Lang's MySpace
- Jeff Lang's Facebook Page
- [ Jeff Lang at allmusic.com]
- Jeff Lang collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive