Richard Bass
From:
Sabang Beach, Philippines
|
Posted 20 Oct 2004 3:38 am |
|
Nice article in this mornings Tennessean.
Robert Randolph's not trying to be boastful, he just wants to help fill a void he's picked up on.
''I'm starting to notice, and I'm sorry, but there are not a lot of good musicians anymore,'' the 25-year-old pedal steel whiz told The Rage last year. ''I didn't really grow up wanting to be like a certain guitar player. I wanted to play in church, where I was taught to play with soul, not 'How do I cop this lick from Stevie Ray?' I want to learn how he played that lick and how he played it with so much soul.''
No one who has experienced Randolph's rip-snorting mastery of the pedal steel, the instrument he grew up with in the Pentecostal church tradition of Sacred Steel, can deny that the Jersey native has learned to play with soul. His studio debut, Unclassified, was an out-and-out romp through a number of musical styles, with Randolph's frenetic plucking serving as the gravity source around which the members of his band orbit.
And it's those pieces that make up The Family Band, notably cousins Danyel Morgan on bass (he of the insanely high falsetto heard on the single I Need More Love) and Marcus Randolph on drums, anchoring this band as one of the new breed of jam-band favorites.
Everybody plays everything and plays it well, as can be seen on an impromptu jam session taped for the Web while RRFB was on tour with Eric Clapton in France. (See www.robertrandolph.net/ video for more proof.)
So while he might not feel there are enough good musicians in the world today, on most nights, Randolph can look around and find exactly as many as he needs. They're right beside him on stage. |
|
