It’s called Sacred Steel and it’s most recent prophet is Robert Randolph. Currently on tour with The Word, a “super-group” which contains members of The North Mississippi Allstars and Medeski, Martin, & Wood, Robert Randolph exudes the confidence only a musical prodigy could.
His instrument is the pedal steel guitar, the classic sound of the South. Growing up in Maplewood, NJ, Randolph honed his skills during services at the House of God Church. If his performances at religious services were anything like what I saw in NYC this past Winter, then I can guarantee there were people dancing in the aisles. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call a Robert Randolph concert a religious experience, I would certainly call it ecstatic.
The best part about seeing this guy live is that you can tell he’s living his dreams and loving it. From start to finish he’s all smiles. And why wouldn’t he be? His main band is composed of his family members and his career was jumpstarted when he was handpicked by Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews to open for their national tours earlier in the decade.
It’s a rare opportunity to have a genuine prodigy finally emerge in this currently lackluster music scene. If you haven’t seen him yet, go buy a ticket when he comes back to town. You won’t regret it.
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I just had my first interview today (these guys are in Las Vegas now) and was so...
3 Comments
This dude sounds top notch. How did you first become aware of him?
A good friend of mine used to take photos for the Star Ledger, and ended up shooting one of his shows at some dive bar in Jersey in the late 90′s. He’s been following him ever since. He convinced me to check him out this past Decemeber.
If anyone’s motivated to have a conversation with Randolph, I know he drinks at The Office in Maplewood whenever he’s back in Jersey. My buddy’s seen him there a bunch of times.
He certainly makes sitting in a chair about as cool as sitting in a chair can be!