Review: Fretkillr on You Tube

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 28 Jul 10 - 12:44 AM

And you may also want to check out lightning thumbs ... LOL
look familiar
lightning thumbs

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 28 Jul 10 - 12:37 AM

guitar rag

Son and father are the same by the way

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 28 Jul 10 - 12:24 AM

I am pretty sure Kat but it would be under his real name. He is guarding this thing really well and I don't know why ... just having fun with it I think.   He does a lot of rock and modern country also .. but then sits down and cranks out these old favorites to relax and have fun .. some of the songs I heard that were original were brilliant .. more towards the rock and country genre ..

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 10:35 PM

Oh, hellO! Thanks for that olddude...just as handsome as his picking and voice! Any hopes of him putting out a CD?

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 06:23 PM

Well even after a number of requests I won't tell ya who he is but I will give ya a photo

fretk

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Jayto
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 03:31 AM

That was great man I really enjoyed it. The talent on this site never ceases to amaze me.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,Chloe
Date: 27 Jul 10 - 03:28 AM

On Fretkillrs YT page he said that his parents were baby boomers and he grew up listening to their music. His fingers look younger than a baby boomer's to me. In one video, he's wearing an ESPN jacket. I went to the ESPN website to look at the jackets for sale. The ones for sale to the public didn't look remotely like the one he was wearing, which was black with ESPN in small block letters, multi-colors, on his upper left chest. I don't know, but it looked "official."

As someone who was taught vibrato, and has also taught vibrato, I don't believe anyone taught him vibrato, which he most probably would have been taught if he had taken guitar lessons. He has a vibrato of a sort but it's not what you learn from a professional.

I sure hope he gets back on youtube.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 22 Jul 10 - 05:25 PM

He is an amazing musician and as good on an electric as acoustic ..

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 22 Jul 10 - 05:21 PM

Very nice too...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 22 Jul 10 - 04:54 PM

i am pretty sure i know who he is. I have all but got him to admit it but I won't say ... he is florida boy however :-) He is on another site and left his myspace link .. we became friends on the other site and exchange music ... 99.9% sure ... and he sure got quiet and bashful when I call him on it ... nice man also

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jul 10 - 02:27 AM

Ha..duh..his VOICE implies that he is!
I forgot about that one little detail..got distracted by the thick shirt and right wrist.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Melissa
Date: 22 Jul 10 - 02:25 AM

St Anne's Reel is hot!


Did his original videos say he's a man?

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Ebbie
Date: 21 Jul 10 - 11:34 PM

Wow. Good listening. I watched one after another- hard to pull oneself away.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Jul 10 - 11:17 PM

Looks as though folks have been busy putting fretkillr's videos back on youtube...I've missed them.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,slumpondslim
Date: 21 Jul 10 - 10:03 PM

I vote John Sabastian from the Lovin Spoonful... Listen to DayDream from both of them....

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Richie
Date: 30 Apr 10 - 07:57 PM

I got one of my videos pulled for copyright infringement on youtube even tho it was a PD song.

It was because I said something about a copyrighted song.

Richie

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 30 Apr 10 - 03:13 PM

I'm sorry to heaf that FK's stuff got pulled, and encouraged that someone is trying to put it all back.

I haven't thought about him for a while, but I certainly enjoyed watching and listening to many of his offerings, and learned a thing or two in the process.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 30 Apr 10 - 08:47 AM

another piece of idiocy on the part of Youtube.

copyright infringement, my arse.

the man never made a penny out of any of these videos, and showed a lot of people how the songs should be played.

fortunately, one of his fans has recorded all his videos, and is uploading them again.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 30 Apr 10 - 06:32 AM

Evidently he did too many covers and got pulled on copyright infringement. Pity.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: keyofzed
Date: 30 Apr 10 - 06:06 AM

Where's Fretkillr gone? His youtube account appears to be suspended.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST
Date: 15 Nov 09 - 11:04 AM

Fretkillr by a country mile, man! Isaac fella can't sing!

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,dzjc
Date: 14 Nov 09 - 01:28 PM

For all you naysayers, why even bother commenting on something you don't like? Haven't you got better things to do? Fretkillr has some obvious talent that touches people in the right way, and if he'd rather not show his face, so what?

Yes, there are probably lots of players on Youtube that are better guitarists and vocalists, but so what? This is not a contest! People are just trying to enjoy his music. If you don't like it, don't listen to it. Is that so hard?

Dale

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,Guest, jukkagy
Date: 01 Apr 09 - 04:59 AM

I must confess to being just as intrigued by this incredible talent as the rest of you who've bothered to post here. And unlike any other blog I've read, each and every post has been worth a read. This speculation bit is just too much fun.

So far, the illustrious fretkillr has been surmised to be a bedroom recluse, mental patient, contract musician, (but better that the person he's backing up), average Joe with a day job, did I miss anything! After listening to
this gem I am leaning in the direction of contract musician. Absolutely flawless combination of guitar, harp and vocals. Does it get any better?

Whoever this guy turns out to be, I will be eternally grateful for the gift of his music - and all the swell free lessons ;-)

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 05 Mar 09 - 02:18 PM

Honestly, his version of some songs are superior to the originals. He's a fairly good guitarist, but his voice is excellent.

I've travelled quite a bit, and I've heard probably thousands of live musicians/bands. His talents warrant notice, but so do countless other unknowns.

If I was to take a wild guess as to who this guy is, I would guess he's a contracted backup musician for a star that is not as good as he is.

Off-the-cuff name guesses: Ralph Banuelos, Stockton, CA., Barry Enwright, Cynthiana, KY.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 09 - 02:23 PM

Some comments were made early in this thread about his recording sounding so good. I have noticed in a few FK vids that a cord is hanging by his side, so he must have a head mounted mic on, yet I don't see any cords on the guitar, so that's still a mystery.
Anyway, as I am a beginner guitar player, I am in awe of his skill.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 11:39 AM

I think one of the reasons Fretkillr appears so good is that he is being compared to the millions of wannabes on Youtube. Don't get me wrong, I love his vids. However, how good would Paul McCartney or James taylor(say) sound in a similar vid scenario ?

Anyway, God bless him. I've learned a lot from watching his vids.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Gulliver
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 08:28 PM

Like John said, I too know a number of guys, and not too old either, who'd be technically as good as Fretkillr, and have as good a voice. But I don't think they'd be able to package it as well as Fretkillr. His guitar has a great sound, sings with feeling, clear enunciation, good rhythm, etc. Really nice, IMO.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 02:41 PM

Yeah you right, John.

One thing about Fretkillr that I DON'T believe is when he tells us he's never learned anything from either tablature or sheet music. Of course, like you say, "careful observation of the original" is another way to cop someone's arrangement, but there are tab and/or "dots" transcriptions available for a hell of a lot more songs than there are videos.

I was pretty intrugued watching him play "Lakes of Pontchartrain." He writes that he learned it from Paul Brady's playing, and his playing of the song sounds very much like Brady's . . . BUT ~ this song is one only two* for which Brady provides tablature on his website, and Fretkillr does it quite differently, evidently using a different tuning to produce pretty much the same notes and chords. Brady's arrangement is in open D Vastapol (DADF#AD) and I've learned it pretty well; I can clearly see that FK is not using the same chord shapes, not fretting the same strings in the same places, etc.

I can only conclude that FK is playing in some other tuning ~ open G, maybe, or DADGAD, or maybe even standard. (I am very much a novice when it comes to alternative tunings, so I can't offer an informed opinion.) If FK figured out a whole different way to get the same (or very similar) result, my hat's off to him.

* The other song tabbed on PaulBrady.com is Arthur McBride, in open G "Spanish" tuning.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: John Hardly
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 01:22 PM

I don't have any problem believing that fretkillr is a "nobody". He's a good guitar player and I really enjoy his vocals, but I know some of the arrangements he uses and they aren't his own -- they're culled from songbooks (or careful observation of the original -- just the way we all learn 'em). For instance, he uses James Taylor's idiosyncratic guitar arrangement for "Walkin' My Baby Back Home".

Fretkillr is good, but he's not even in the same league with Pat Donohue, guitar-wise. I know any number of guys who play as well as fretkillr and they aren't even professionals (or they are semi-pro).

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 01:13 PM

Hi Murray,

I noticed a couple of "murrmac" posts that DID remain posted as comments, and was pretty sure that was you.

One comment that someone made about one of the FK clips gave me pause: the person observed that "the background looks like a rehab clinic." Now, the "background" to the typical FK video is as blank as blank can be, which would be consistent with an institutional setting, but of course could really be anywhere. After all, you only see about two square feet of wall space.

But the idea that FK could be a recovering addict or some kind of mental patient is one of many plausible explanations for the phenomenon that he is. A person could be pathologically shy, after all, and his condition would in no way impair his ability to learn an instrument or to sing ~ only to do so in front of other people. That could explain why he doesn't show his face, and also why he might make the decision to delete a given comment for reasons no one else would ever understand.

Another theory: he could be perfectly sane but disfigured in some way that makes him reluctant to show his face.

Being a recluse, for any reason, would definitely allow a musically-inclined individual to practive long hours, hone his craft, and pour his soul quite completely into his playing and singing.

He is giving us some wonderful performances, but I don't see him as an impossibly dexterous, lightning-fast virutoso. He's a highly skilled player with a nice voice who puts across very solidly constructed and deeply felt renditions of well-chosen songs.

From my own experience, I'm quite sure that I could be heard to my very best advantage recorded close-up, alone, in a totally quiet setting. Playing in a louder and more unpredicable environment sometimes brings out a little extra "magic," but is just as likely, if not moreso, to induce nervousness to the point of stiffened fingers, choked-up vocals, etc. I've experienced both sides of that coin, and I've also know some quite excelent players who've never been able to show even a glimpse of their considerable strengths when put in front of a (live) audience.

Some people are motivated to learn and play music primarily as a way to present themselves to others, e.g., to meet girls. But others get into it simply to express themselves, to get out feelings they can't deal with otherwise, to feel the satisfaction of creating something, but have no interest at all in "performing."

I am still very willing to believe that Fretkillr belongs to that latter group. His choice of repertoire definitely puts him into the AARP/BabyBoom age group, and assuming that he learned most of those songs when they were current, he's been playing 35-40 years. If he is indeed a stay-at-home "closet" player, never inclined to take to a stage, this newfangled opportunity offered by the Internet, to reveal his music without revelaing much of himself, would be too tempting to pass up.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 06:24 PM

meant to mention this in the previous post, but if Fretkillr is purely an unknown, and doing all these videos out of pure altruism, why is is he so touchy about the comments posted on the videos ?

as an example, if you search for "murrmac" which is my YouTube ID, you will see on my Homepage a list of my recent comments. One of these comments is a perfectly valid observation about the Fretkillr video of "Wayfaring Stranger".

yet this comment never ever got posted on the list of comments on that video.

I wonder why ...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 06:11 PM

Poppagator, I would love to see Fretkillr confirmed as a total unknown who had acquired such a superlative level of skill purely through playing in his bedroom. I kind of visualise a fairy tale scenario in which Fretkillr is finally "outed" and persuaded to do a world-wide tour encompassing festival appearances, Taylor Guitar workshops, the whole nine yards.

Sadly, I don't think it will happen.

As I said in an earlier post, it is too improbable that any one man with Fretkillr's level of expertise could remain unknown and " unouted " after this period of time.

If he is indeed one man, somebody, somewhere must know who he is. That person would tell somebody else. And at some point down the line, the YouTube fraternity would get to hear of his identity. That is the way of the world.Or maybe he has a circle of friends , all sworn to secrecy ? Or alternatively in forty years nobody else apart from himself and YouTube viewers has ever heard him perform ? How unlikely is that ?

So, either he is a professional going incognito, or the videos are expertly edited to combine the singing of one man with the guitar playing of another.

I have to confess I will feel quite deflated when the true identity of Fretkillr is finally revealed,(as it inevitably will) it has been fun speculating about him.

btw I agree with you about his similarity to Doc Watson.

My wife, otoh, is convinced that he is Burl Ives returned to haunt us from the other side ...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 01:42 PM

Leon Redbone always recorded in a much raspier and mannered voice than Fretkillr; I don't think they're the same person at all.

Redbone, I believe is a performer first and a vocal/instrumental musician second. Fretkillr ~ assuming (as I do) that he's not some famous star traveling incognito ~ is a singer and player, period, with no compulsion to perform at all, and perhaps even a neurotic aversion to exposing himself to public scrutiny.

I spend a couple of hours last night checking out multiple FK videos. He really is quite excellent; as one of his fans pointed out in the "text comments" section, he can take very simple 3-chord arrangements and breathe a lot of life into them, not necssarily by a lot of flashy virtuosity, but just by playing cleanly and solidly, and with absolute conviction.

That particular comment was posted, I believe, along with FK's rendition of "Greenback Dollar," which is considerably more serious that the Kingston Trio version and compares very favorably with that of the songwriter, Hoyt Axton.

I have no problem believing that a guy of his talent and abilities might very well be an unknown who never went public in the flesh, for whatever reasons, but who has found a context ideal for himself in YouTube, setting up in the privacy of his room and showing the world what he can do without showing himself.

It's entirely plausible that the reason he doesn't show his face is not that it's a famous face, but out of simple shyness. He's obviously in the baby-boomer age group and has been playing for at least forty years. He might very well have done all of that playing at home, in private, with no desire to seek the public spotlight. A person can acquire and sharpen some very serious skills in such a context and over that long a timespan, and remain fearful of ~ or simply disinterested in ~ getting up on the bandstand. I've been there myself, albeit not so permanently, and know other folks who have never sought public exposure and feedback, regardless of their skill level.

FK is gifted with rather a better set of pipes than the average obsessive guitar picker, so his singing is not only heartfelt but also tonally quite fine. He certainly does NOT sound "black" to me; he's just soulful, exhibiting the same comprehension of the African vocal component of American music as any decent folk/blues/roots-rock singer of any skintone. If he sounds like any famous voice we all know, I would not think of any African-American singer; to me, he sounds more-or-less like Doc Watson. (Not a bad way to sound, needless to say!)

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: katlaughing
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 12:57 AM

Yeah, I don't think FK is Redbone, either. I did find an early appearance of Rebone on JOhnny Carson, which is pretty funny and shows more of his face than I've ever seen before.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,T Bear
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 12:46 AM

Good point Murray. I check out some Leon Redbone videos on YouTube and his hand positioning doesn't look like Fretkillr's and he also doesn't show the same level of proficiency. But Redbone puts on such an elaborate cover, who knows what he's really capable of? I'll check out Donahue. Thanks for the input.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 26 Aug 08 - 02:37 AM

There has been a lot of speculation that Redbone is Fretkillr (and also that Fretkillr might be Pat Donahue) but as far as I know, Redbone doesn't ever present himself as a flatpicking expert, which Fretkillr undoubtedly is.

If Redbone is in fact a flatpicker, I stand corrected, but I just don't think the man playing guitar in the Fretkillr videos has the same physique as Redbone, as far as it is possible to judge.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,T Bear
Date: 25 Aug 08 - 11:00 PM

I'm almost certain that Redbone is Fretkillr. Take a look at his bio on Wikipedia. Nothing is known about him prior to his taking on his Leon Redbone persona. He is shrouded in anonymity when not on stage. He is also listed as a virtuoso guitar and harmonica player. He probably has a ton of money from his album and concert sales so he is probably doing this just as a creative release. When he sings as Redbone, I believe the voice is altered to fit his "character".

Not to blow your mind, but just another theory would be to check out a sound clip of Jack Sheldon. Virtuoso trumpet player and the guy that sang Conjunction Junction! Not a stretch to think that someone could master more than one instrument. My father is a retired music professor and was a premiere concert clarinetist for years and can also play other instuments almost at the same professional level.

Just my thoughts, please post any other theories you might have.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Gulliver
Date: 23 Aug 08 - 10:22 PM

I much prefer Fretkillr's version of "Wayfaring Stranger". Matter of taste, I suppose...

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 23 Aug 08 - 06:09 PM

Guest Mikeym, Fretkillr is a fine singer and guitar player, if the guitarist and singer are in fact one person, on which question the jury are still out. Even if they are not the same person, the singer is a fine singer and the guitarist is a fine guitarist.

Whether he is the "best thing since sliced bread" (sort of thing you read on YouTube comments) is open to debate.

I would ask you to listen to Fretkillr's version of "Wayfaring Stranger"

and then listen to Isaac Guillory singing "Wayfaring Stranger", and then come back here and tell us that Fretkillr is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,Mikeym
Date: 23 Aug 08 - 04:37 PM

The best thing since sliced bread. Period.
I really hope he remains annonymous to be honest.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 23 Jul 08 - 03:11 AM

the reason this thread keeps reappearing is because it is the third hit that comes up on Google for "fretkillr", so we can expect it to keep on surfacing till the end of time, with various Guests either defending or disparaging the anonymous minstrel.

He hasn't put up a new video for quite some time btw, I do hope he isn't surfacing from creative burn-out ...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: katlaughing
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 11:38 PM

wld, that was worthy of Spaw's writing! Sounded almost like him!:-)

PoppaGator, Rick Fielding could play like that and so can Peter T. I also agree wholeheartedly about dwditty! Isn't it great to hear so many talented peeples!:-)

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Cool Beans
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 04:58 PM

On "I Wanto To Go Back To Michigan" (check it out), Fretkillr sounds a lot like Joel Mabus. Whoever he is, he's terrific. As is Joel Mabus.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 02:47 PM

Nice story, Big Al...heh heh heh.

I can't believe this discussion is still going on, and that there's any question of whether a human being could possibly be as transcentantly wonderful a musical performer as Fretkillr. He's perfectly OK, and of course far superior to 90-95% of the generally lame efforts posted on YouTube, but his level of talent is hardly unprecedented.

I had occasion recently, thanks to a reference in another Mudcat thread, to check out our own dwditty's performance of the classic "Come Back Baby." Now, that's the real deal, at least as impressive as any of FK's work ~ but I don't see anyone questioning whether DW had to hire someone else to do his singing for him, or whatever.

At the risk of embarrassing myself and appearing ridiculous and egotistical, I look at most of these videos, even FK's, and honestly believe "I could do that" (especially given the abilty to record take after take until finally getting it just right).

Even if I'm deluding myself a bit, and the guy really is a significantly better player or a better singer than I am, the fact is that I'm not intimidated ~ and that's not always the case when I view guitar players on video.

For example, I am currently renting a Stephan Grossman DVD from Netflix, entitled "Fingerstyle Guitar: New Dimensions & Explorations, Vol 1." Some of those performances do truly impress me, and make me feel woefullly inadequate. Some are by well-known names ~ John Fahey, Bert Jansch, Jorma Kaukonen [spelling?], Leo Kottke ~ but I've got to tell you, some of the mest impressive numbers on the disk are by players I've never (yet) heard of. Now, when I look at the best of those selections, I truly am intimidated, and know for absolute sure that I'd never in my life be able to duplicate such an effort.

And oh yeah, by the way, if you've ever seen that Asian teenager from Vancouver play "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on his ukelele, on YouTube ~ that's another transcendant performance I could never hope to match, nor do I think could Fretkillr.

PS: On the YouTube page with DW's performance is a list of links to quite a few other renditions of the same "Come Back Baby." Needless to say, none measure up to our friend, and several are just embarrasingly bad. What the hell are people thinking? I look at some of this crap, and can only think, if that were the best I could do, I sure wouldn't be posting it for the world to see ~ and hear....

A week or more ago ~ probably somewhere above, in this very thread ~ I offered my opinion that YouTube is a great new vehicle through which many talented "closet" musicians, players who for one reason or another have not put themselves forward as live performers, can reveal themselves to us, and that we shouldn't be surprised when such an unknown exhibits extraordinary talent. I still believe that this is true, but of course YouTube provides a platform for everyone, including plenty of not-so-wonderful wannabees...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 22 Jul 08 - 01:40 PM

I'm amazed none of you Americans have not recognised the mystery guitarist. It is of course none other than George Bush, The president.

George gave me a call last time he was over in London, and said just point the camera at my belly button.

I said, George - don't you want me to play anything...

He said, No I've heard all that slimey hymie limey crap folk music - all about raggle taggle goddam gypsies, you just point the camera. In Texas we got real folksongs about horses and trains and stuff.....

Anyway we did about a hundred songs that night, and then suddenly George says, Okay - time to call the dogs in and piss on the fire. Say man, d'you think Tony Blair could get me a gig teaching folkmusic 101 or whatever the hell they do in Newcastle - showing these limey kids which way their dicks pointing in when they play guitar.

I said, no you're too good George - you'd embarass the English folkscene - make them all look like shit.......

George said, I figured that might be the case, but I've had about twelve really tough years signing death warrants in Texas, starting wars all over the place. I could really do with a gig like that if Tony could swing it.....

I said I'd raise it on Mudcat...

he said, Jeez! That gang of democrooks and losers!

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,banjo didgeridoo
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 11:21 PM

Here is a link to the specific youtube clip I referred to in my above post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efnIlbkc5vg ... if you read my above post and look at the appropriate point in the youtube clip you can see that it is *obvious* that fretkillr is doing his own singing.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: olddude
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 02:39 PM

The guy is amazing and he has just made my youtube favorites list for sure. no question in my mind at all

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,banjo didgeridoo
Date: 21 Jul 08 - 02:07 PM

Folks - Take a look at the fretkillr post on youtube in which he plays "Wabash Cannonball." Look carefully at the 1:36 time point in the clip - it is obvious that he is singing while playing: you can clearly see his chest move in direct response to the "whoop" he sings at that time point. Does this "prove" he is singing on his other clips? No. Is it enough to convince me? Yes. After seeing his other clips, hearing the voice, and seeing the obvious evidence that it is he who is singing while playing Wabash Cannonball, it is quite clear that it is just one guy playing and singing. Why doesn't his chest move so much when he sings in his other clips? Well, he appears to have a bit of weight on him (sorry fretkillr - no insult intended), and, evidently, not all sung words provide as much momentum to move that weight as does the "whoop" at 1:36 in Cannonball.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 01:38 PM

"I love this guy's style, but also love his choice of songs..."

Me too. He must be about the same age as me, and from a similar background, because I play quite a few of the same songs myself ~ and most of the others in his repertoire are numbers I've always enjoyed and would like to play.

When someone asks me what kind of material I play, I tell 'em half Dylan songs and half Mississippi John Hurt ~ plus a third half of wildly assorted other stuff. My monthly email flyer announcing my mosest little "schedule" of one one-hour spot per month features this heading:

Country Blues / Psychedelic Folk
in other words, the usual
OLD HIPPIE SHIT

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 01:18 PM

I've recorded approx 80 songs of Mr Fretkill (so far) - by simply hooking up my WAV/MP3 recorder (a Zoom H2 - highly recommended) via the headphone socket on my laptop, and then burning to CD from the hard drive using "Creator Basic". I've also linked via the SVideo outlet to a DVD recorder to catch the fingers of this fella for future study.

To date have got my fingers around "Don't Think Twice", "Norwegian Wood" and "O'Brien is Tryin' to Learn to Talk Hawaiian" and will spend the rest of my days getting to grips with as many as possible of the others (beats watching "Eastenders").

I love this guy's style, but also love his choice of songs - I hope I'm not infringing any copyright law here!. If this fella had any CD's for sale I would happily buy them.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 27 Jun 08 - 11:47 AM

Ooops, I hadn't noticed that the first video I saw, "I'll Fly Away," was not FK hiumself, but rather "Son Of..."

I thought there was somthing about that performance that was not up to the quality of all the other cuts. Now I understand why Murray told me to go back and have another look! (My only excuse: somebody up above on this thread provided the link, and it was indeed the first URL to appear in this discussion about FK, so I assumed it was him.)

As Lowden J noted above, Son of FK is a pretty good guitar player in the same style as the "real" FK, and a passable singer, BUT ... not quite up to snuff. Close but no cigar!

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: van lingle
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 08:02 PM

I know this is FK's thread, and he is dynamite, but there's another chap with a youtube channel who is also quite good name of Daddy Stovepipe.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 06:08 PM

I don't understand why it matters who this guy is. Or why his motives seem questionable.

Who ever he is he is a fine musician and an excellent performer. He has figured out where to locate a camera that best shows how to do what he does and how he does it.

He is apparently more interested in showing how to play than he is in increasing his notoriety.

This is a little like a guy who is a bit unselfish. I think thank yous are more important than who and how come.

Don

Lowden, hoe are you recording this stuff?

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 05:06 PM

He's the real deal as far as I'm concerned - my favourite CD's are labelled simply "Fretkiller 1" and "Fretkiller 2" - amazingly good quality audio; he must be using a bloody good video camera or is particularly adept at synchro. Unlike most folkies I know he sure knows how to get the music messages across - up to 35 songs on one CD!

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 03:11 PM

Poppagator, that isn't Fretkillr playing "I'll Fly Away". He is a guy by the name of Todd Emrick who for reasons best known to himself, chooses to adopt the soubriquet of "sonoffretkillr" on YouTube. Competent enough but nothing earth-shattering.

I really do hope that Fretkillr turns out to be the real deal, guitar, voice, harmonica, and that my ( and many others' ) doubts are proved groundless.

He is certainly the real deal on the guitar, no question about it

this little snippet is right up there with Norman Blake or Tony Rice

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 02:46 PM

Oooops - just visited the link posted above; no way is that Fretkiller! He's not a bad guitarist, and has a reasonable voice, but I'm sorry - "Son of Fretkiller" somehow failed to pick up the relevant genes.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 02:33 PM

I've been playing guitar since 1965, and harmonica since 1960. I put the two together from around 1970. Whilst I don't claim to be in Fretkiller's league I don't have any problem recognising the genuine nature of his playing and singing; I'd find it very difficult to believe any of it is "fake"!

Now there was some debate recently about the guitar playing on Dylan's album tracks "Don't Think Twice" and "Girl of the North Country". I was pretty certain that Dylan wasn't playing the tasty finger-style guitar, but took a lot of flak from folks who wouldn't even consider the possibility of a session guitarist doing them. I'm told that Bruce Langhorne was that man.

Mr Poppagator always seems to me to be the voice of reason on this site.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: katlaughing
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 12:24 PM

Well, that's the first time I watched and listened to I'll Fly Away and I thought it was mediocre, esp. compared to the others. BUT, has anyone noticed IFA was posted by "sonoffretkillr?" So, how do we know they are one and the same in the videos? Maybe that would explain the less-than-polished performance of IFA and his showing his face, apparently only in vids posted by sonof. Just my take as a listener only.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 12:14 PM

"Care to revisit the link, Poppagator, and revise your opinion ?

Well, I just went back there to sneak a peek at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDKiv0e4Isw. It's morning, and I'm at work where I have no audio on my computer (and where I shouldn't be doing this at all, but always do).

His face is indeed visible, as I noted last night ~ I don't imagine that's the part of my opinion that needs revising. Watching him play in silence was interesting/informative ~ he performs a couple of very impressive stretches on the fingerboard during his introduction before settling in to a simpler chording/picking sequence as starts singing the verses.

Since I can't hear the selection again right now, I have to rely on my memory, which is demonstrably imperfect. (Obviously enough, I hadn't really noticed nor remembered those virtuoso-level left-hand-finger stretches that occur only in the opening seconds of the presentation.) But I choose to stand by my original impression that his playing on this performance of "I'll Fly Away" is a bit less polished than on any of his other pieces that I watched afterwards, and even his singing ~ which is always very good and true ~ is a bit less than perfect on this one, too.

A big difference between live performance and posting videos is that as a YouTuber, can do retake after retake, wait for a day when your voice is at its best, etc. Fretkiller's "I'll Fly Away" seems to catch him in a more unguarded moment than any of his other postings that I watched: he lets us see his face, and he also lets us witness a less-than-totally-polished performance. It doesn't make me think any less of his talent; certainly, his most important asset, the ability to truly express feeling through music, comes through every bit as well here as in the other selections, all of which seem to have been more carefully polished and selected.

I agree that this fellow is very, very good, but I take strong issue with the proposition that he's so transcendantly impressive as to defy belief.

Also, I find it entirely plausible that such a gifted musician might indeed remain unknown outside a small circle of acquaintances. We're all human and all have weaknesses as well as strengths, and I believe that there is a whole category of players whose have high levels of talent for singing and playing, but do not necessarily have what it takes to pursue public recognition, and/or what it takes to want such recognition. Does it not stand to reason that some folks might lack the "drive" to succeed in public, while lacking little or anything else in the way of musical talent?

We certainly know of individuals who have more than enough assertiveness to get themselves up on stage but who might be a bit lacking in some aspect of their performance ~ maybe they can play really well while their singing is barely passable, or vice versa, or something else. Why should it be so hard to believe that others might have a different selection of strengths and shortcomings?

One of the very best guitar players I ever knew NEVER played outside his dorm room in college. I had heard about him long before I actually heard him play, because only after we met through mutual acquaintances, AND got to know each other pretty well, AND he was able to see that I was a bit of a player myself, did he feel comfortable about leting me witness (and accompany) his playing ~ which was absolutely phenomenal.

Now, at the age of 60+, and only after his son had graduated with a degree in music (jazz guitar) and begun working with a world-class zydeco band, this fellow has begun "playing out," joining an Irish/Celtic ensemble with whom he plays a few gigs a year (only around St. Patrick's Day) and has recorded a self-published CD.

Some people just feel a need to "hide their light under a bushel" to some degree, just as others ~ we all know a few ~ demand a lot more public attention than they really deserve.

By the way: there's one thing about Fretkiller that I do find a litle hard to believe: he claims never to have learned a thing from either "tabs" or "dots," but picked up everything he knows from "just listening." The things he does are just too intricate for me to believe he could possibly have "heard" how to play every bit without some very specific instruction about where to place each and every finger for each and every note. If not tabs or dots, he must have had some very close personal instruction.

I think he is just trying to make sure that he's not bombarded with requests for transcriptions.

Yes, of course one can "hear" how a given piece is played without watching or consulting some form of notation, but only after one has already developed a level of expertise. The question is how one attains that level without help.

I think we're all agreeed that this guy has very obviously been playing for many years and that he's at least as gifted a singer as he is an intrumentalist

I have a question for "GUEST heardhimplay": Can you tell us his name and where you heard him "in concert"? And, better yet, where we might catch one of his performances? Without some more revelations, I can certainly understand that many of us will be skeptical about what you're telling us.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 03:43 AM

My reasoning regarding Fretkillr is similar to my reasoning regarding the moon landings.

If the moon landings had been faked, there would have to be so many people involved in the cover-up that it is beyond the bounds of probability that not one would have come forward by now and blown the cover. This has not happened, ergo, the landings were genuine.

I adopt a similar approach regarding Fretkillr.

We hear and witness great guitar playing, we hear fabulous vocals, and we hear virtuoso harp playing.

We assume that this is all emanating from the same man.

imo, it is just too improbable that any one man so richly blessed would have remained totally anonymous for all these years and suddenly surfaced on YouTube, unbeknownst to anybody (apart from GUEST "heardhimplay" whose contribution I take with a large dose of salt ).

It is also too improbable, if he were indeed one person, that nobody would have come forward by now and revealed his identity.

je repose ma valise ...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 03:07 AM

Poppagator says

"The first link provided above, to "I'll Fly Away, " is a video in which he shows his face (unlike all the others I saw). So he's not completely anonymous, although he doesn't give his name"

Care to revisit the link, Poppagator, and revise your opinion ?

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,heardhimplay
Date: 26 Jun 08 - 01:14 AM

I can vouch that fretkillr is the real deal. Heard him in concert a couple weeks ago playing his original pieces. He is a great guitarist and I think also has an amazing voice.
   Anyone with the level of talent fretkillr displays has been playing a long long time, He has a high level of repect by the best in the business. His posts on YouTube are treasures to be appreciated and a must watch for budding guitaists. Perhaps a big part of why he is sharing these gems is to help teach the next generation of guitarists. Enjoy the posts while they are there and share with all.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: katlaughing
Date: 25 Jun 08 - 11:40 PM

PoppaGator, I think you are exactly right about the private types coming out on youtube, though I think there are also a lot of folks who haven't had any other way of reaching any audience and now have the whole wide world and are enjoying the heck out of it. IMO, there is a lot of tremendous talent out there just waiting to be discovered and now, thanks to youtube and others, they have some kind of chance.

This guy does a beautiful job. I love listening to 12 strings!

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: PoppaGator
Date: 25 Jun 08 - 11:10 PM

Geez, it's easy to tell who hasn't spent much time, or any, in the US. Fretkiller is very impressive, to be sure, but by no stretch of the imagination does he sound impossibly black. I haven't heard many singer/players quite as talented as intrumentalists, but I certainly have encountered singers ~ yes, even European-American (white) singers ~ similarly competent as blues performers.

He simply exhibits an understanding of the blues, unlike many wannabes (including many successful and often-recorded singers who don't really "get" the blues, as much as they might want to, or even as much as they might think they do).

And, he is singing very naturally in a voice of is own, using the full vocabulary of blues intonations, pronunciations, etc. Very much in the same vein as, and no "blacker" than, say, Mose Allison, Jim Kweskin, Paul Butterfield, Charley Musselwhite, and hundreds of unknowns and amateurs. It's obvious that his voice and vocal approach are natural and true to himself, because he uses the same voice and sensibilty for all of his work, including plenty of non-blues repertoire

His playing is indeed impressive, especially since he flatpicks and fingerpicks, plays in standard and other tunings, and gets the appropriate sounds out of 12-string and regular 6-string guitars. But of course his talent goes beyond the technical; this is a guy who has the feeling, and it comes out clearly through his playing just as it does through his singing.

I played about a dozen of his songs, and didn't happen upon even one on which he plays the harp ~ so I can't give an opinion about its "genuineness." But I don't have the slightest impression that any of this stuff is faked. Now, I did come across one selection where he doubletracks his own vocal ~ I think it's a Willy Nelson song ~ but he's not pretending it's anything that it's not, and he explains what he's up to in the accompanying text.

The first link provided above, to "I'll Fly Away," is a video in which he shows his face (unlike all the others I saw). So he's not completely anonymous, although he doesn't give his name. (He does tell us he's living in Long Island, NY.) This was the first of his videos that I saw, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it and admired his obviously sound sensibility, I thought the guitar playing was, well, imperfect ~ which I liked; from what I had been reading over the past couple of days, I assumed this guy would be absolutely clean, which often comes at the price of a bit less feeling. I prefer the "ragged but right" approach, and he's pretty much always pretty damn right, and only a little ragged once in a while.

After "I'll Fly Away," I watched several more of his videos where the instrumental work WAS virtually impeccable, but even on the cleanest of them, he's never anything less than an absolutely authentic singer and performer.

I missed "the lesson you get for free." The link Don gives in the post where you uses that phrase leds me to FK's home page for his "channel," providing access to all of his pieces, along with an introductory text where he says "these are not intended to be lessons." Of course, simply watching and re-watching (and pausing, and rewinding) the performances can provide lessons. But this guy's work is not the same as deltabluestips's ~ he doesn't stop or repeat or provide spoken commentary, he just performs the songs.

Not to be too too disagreeable, but I'm even willing to believe that fretkiller might conceivably have gotten this good staying in his room and "playing to the mirror."

Some players, even some who can really sing as well as play, simply have no interest in performing in front of anyone except maybe the closest of friends ~ sometimes only fellow guitar enthusiasts, to the exclusion even of family and other friends. I have occasionally encountered a stay-at-home player of astounding skill; when you think about it, someone who never gives a thought to performing is perhaps the kind of musician most likely to sing and play with utter authenticity and truth, because they don't ever give a shit about whatever anyone else might think.

The recent historical development of cheap digital video and YouTube is just now providing the world with a window into these bedrooms for the first time ever. Maybe fretkiller is a working pro, or at least an occasional semi-amateur open-mike-type performer, or maybe not. But I'm sure that some of the most impressive hotshot musicians now emerging on the internet are essentially private types whose only conduit to the outside world is their webcam.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 25 Jun 08 - 12:34 PM

nobody can be "sure".

you can't be sure he is all genuine, I can't be sure he isn't all genuine.

everybody (including me) wants to believe he is all genuine, but the evidence is against it imo.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Lowden Jameswright
Date: 25 Jun 08 - 08:11 AM

I'm sure he's all genuine (guitar/Harp/Holder/voice) and I don't care what colour he is. This guy and the "Headless Scouser" (Deltabluestips) alone are worth the Broadband subscription (Mudcat thrown in with the package of course) - they deserve Internet Knighthoods.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 24 Jun 08 - 02:29 PM

If you say so, Don, I just have my doubts ...

I am also starting to have doubts about whether the dude playing guitar is actually the owner of the voice we are hearing.

I have never heard any white man sing with such a "black" voice, and there has to be a nagging doubt, especially as he never shows his face.

People say he sounds like Leon Redbone, but I would never mistake Leon Redbone for being black, nor would I mistake Paul Geremiah for being black (and these are the two closest voices to the authentic article imo) but this guy, I could swear I am hearing a black man sing.

So, we have a virtuoso finger and flatpicker (which he undoubtedly is ), who plays virtuoso harmonica and who possesses an authentic black voice. Sump'n doesn't add up imo.

That said, I still love the videos.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 24 Jun 08 - 09:59 AM

Hi Murray

I know one person who plays at that level with Harp Holder. I have heard Clint Black play nearly that well with a holder. Peg Leg Slim could play like that just stuffing it in his mouth.

Granted this is virtuosity at its best that we are hearing but it is possible.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 24 Jun 08 - 03:34 AM

The link GUEST above supplies is to Fretkillr playing "Uncle Pen"

I am afraid it is stretching credibility just a little too far to believe that anybody could play the mouth harp to that standard with the instrument held in a brace, while simultaneously flatpicking like that.

In fact I don't think the harmonica could be played like that in a brace, period, even if he weren't playing the guitar. Control like that requires the instrument to be hand-held.

A harmless subterfuge, however, which doesn't detract from Fretkillr's otherwise amazing talents.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Jun 08 - 10:38 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bfQjCR-G-I

I used to think that song could not be done well solo, or without a fiddle. Wrong. Fretkillr is everything music should be in one man.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: van lingle
Date: 23 Jun 08 - 10:35 PM

Exactly, I got some woodsheding to do on that intro to Hesitation Blues.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 23 Jun 08 - 10:25 PM

I enjoy the talent, the playing and the voice. But the real jewel here is the lesson you get for free.

Don



http://www.youtube.com/user/Fretkillr?ob=1

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: van lingle
Date: 23 Jun 08 - 10:15 PM

Wow! Thanks for the link,Don. So much good stuff. He really puts his own stamp on some of these old warhorses.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 23 Jun 08 - 05:55 PM

this thread should be kept refreshed.

I agree with Don, this guy is amazing, to date he has uploaded 105 videos to YouTube, none of them less than superb.

I can't help wondering who he is, I know he is keen to maintain his anonymity, but with a voice like that and guitar talent like that, somebody must know who he is, you don't get that good playing to the mirror in your bedroom.

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: open mike
Date: 23 Apr 08 - 02:15 AM

o.k. try this...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDKiv0e4Isw
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YjKnXy5GcE&feature=related

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: open mike
Date: 23 Apr 08 - 02:07 AM

well i missed them...what videos are you talking about? no links...

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 08:19 PM

I am bringing this to the top because I think this is great stuff and shouldn't be missed.

Don

Subject: RE: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,Guest R
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 03:36 PM

Ditto that - it should also be said what a fine voice he has, which his guitar skills complement wonderfully well

Subject: Review: Fretkillr on You Tube
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 22 Apr 08 - 11:33 AM

Check these videos out. They are all fine bits of guitar playing by a very good guitarist. But better still, the video is such that it is a great How To of the song being done.

Standard and other tunings altho' they aren't identified as to which is being used. The only short point.

This is must view for guitarists.

Don