As a young man Dave Easley found himself playing pedal steel with seasoned jazz musicians twice his age, including Lin Halliday, a veteran of the Glenn Miller and Maynard Ferguson groups. Dave's first tackling of the classic, Giant Steps, was accompanied with Lin's personal account of John Coltrane's private remarks on the landmark recording. From this, "jumping into the deep end", Dave carried away a sense of spontaneity combined with a deep work ethic that has carried him through many years of stage and studio appearances alongside superb performers such as, Brian Blade, Jim Singleton, Charlie Byrd, Dr. John, Coco Robicheaux, Cyril Neville, Joni Mitchell, Colonel Bruce Hampton, George Porter, Peter Rowan, Ruthie Foster (on her Grammy nominated, Let It Burn), Howard Levy, Bill Kreutzman of the Grateful Dead, Jeff Matika of Green Day, Jerry Jemmott…
Dave’s two most recent releases are Byways of the Moon, which received a positive review on NPR and was selected “Best Jazz on Bandcamp” for January 2022, and Easley Rider featuring the rhythm section from the Iguanas along with Kass Krebs and the late, great, Alfred Uganda Roberts.
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“What’s truly impressive about Easley’s playing is his touch on the instrument. The best Pedal Steel runners find a way to make the instrument hum and dip, never feeling like the fingers are involved, but rather that the sounds just melt out of the amplifier in rippled tones. Easley can do that, sure, but he’s also got a way of making it carve sculptural tones and in the case of the Page/Plant’s “Battle of Evermore,” making it fry the senses in a way the instrument has rarely been allowed.
Easley’s tone is immaculate, feeling ever the contemporary to the sax and piano players he’s often emulating. Honestly this is one of those records that begs listening through the end of the year, sneaking out at the top of December when everyone’s ears are distracted and slicing through the remains of the year. Under the eye of Chris Schlarb (Psychic Temple) in the producer’s chair Easley has released a masterpiece that pulls together disparate scenes to create a singular vision of jazz, pedal steel, and the emotional resonance of an instrument that often gets relegated to the back row.” - Raven Sings The Blues
Well-known for his pedal steel guitar playing, Hawaii-born, Louisiana-based Dave Easley is an equally fine singer-songwriter with a strong penchant for guitar-centric rock in the spirit of the Grateful Dead, especially some of Jerry Garcia’s guitar and vocal mannerisms. - Roots Music Report
“Easley is nimble on the strings and motors of his instrument, gliding, picking and ascending the melody with glowing pointillism. It's easy to float away in his glissando, but Easley returns to Earth just as Pineda takes a spirited piano solo warmed by the Wurlizter's hum and the rhythm section's spacious scene setting.” - NPR
““Byways of the Moon” presents a set of exquisite instrumental pieces performed by pedal steel guitar maestro Dave Easley and his colleagues. Although most of the album centers on contemporary jazz, Easley easily crosses into spirited blues, rock and Americana.” - Progressive Rock Central
“the 13-track, 53-minute Easley Rider presents a treasure of captivating musical ideas. Dave’s electric and pedal steel guitar work is stellar throughout, while his song lyrics and vocals are also quite profound.” - Roots Music Report
“Easley Rider is a solid introduction to the art and craft of pop-rock singer-songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Dave Easley.” - Roots Music Report
...the solos from pedal steel player Dave Easley are again transcendent. - John Duffy, All Music Guide (from his review of Brian Blade's BlueNote/Capitol album, Perceptual.)