Robert Randolph vid on Reverb.com

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 23 May 2017 9:42 am

If your music is clean as country water, then PSG provides a means of adding complexity and texture as well as twang. The minute you crank up the gain on your amp or stomp on the overdrive box, the instrument takes on a very different character, for a different kind of music. There is a lot of wide open space between those two extremes, of course.

Chris Walke nailed it when he said that PSG is not a genre. Heck, Robert Randolph is not a genre.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 23 May 2017 10:06 am

Thing is, the topic is steel players. Chris' post concerned Robert Randolph, the steel player, and has no mention of any style of music.

It's disappointing that just the mere mention of steel guitar must make it country in some minds. These are the sort of attitudes that hinder the advancement of the instrument.

Brandon Schafer · Post by **Brandon Schafer** » 23 May 2017 3:10 pm

I think it's cool that he does what he does. It isn't where I try to take my pedal steel playing, but that doesn't matter!

I am sure I restrict myself by approaching the pedal steel from a more "traditional" standpoint. But, that's what I want to hear most of the time when I play a pedal steel.

I love playing my six string with distortion and crazy effects. So, more power to him to use his steel to achieve that kind of sound. Get it, RR!

James Quillian · Post by **James Quillian** » 23 May 2017 5:11 pm

I have heard him play country and he does it very well. I don't care for distortion but I don't mind if other people like it.

Bruce Bjork · Post by **Bruce Bjork** » 23 May 2017 5:15 pm

Chris Walke wrote:Bottom line, we mustn't fall into looking at pedal steel as a genre. It is an instrument, and what it can be used for depends only on the players' intentions. I also think it's wrong to say which effects are acceptable - the sounds/colors/textures we reach for are to serve the songs, not some pigeon-holed expectations.

I'd also like to hear RR explore more musical territory, but to be fair, I can say that about most musicians/bands I listen to. I also say that about myself and the musicians I work with, cuz it's a constant evolution, right? Shouldn't it be?

Couldn't say it better myself, thank you Chris. New to PSG but not to music and a witness to major musical tastes and changes from the 50's to today. 55 plus years as a player, guitar, banjo, dobro and for the past two weeks Pedal Steel (Justice Pro Lite). Guitar innovations: Fender Telecaster, Clarence White - Jimi Hendrix etc., Banjo innovators: Minstrel to Earl Scruggs to Bele Fleck etc., Dobro: Bashful Brother Oswald to Jerry Douglas. Anything that stretches Pedal Steel and exposes it to a wider audience is a good thing "Evolution".

The Pedal Steel Guitar is a unique American invention

Dustin Rigsby · Post by **Dustin Rigsby** » 23 May 2017 7:20 pm

A couple of years ago, one of the guitarists in the church praise band asked if I played "pedal steel like Robert Randolph" ? My response.... I just hung my head and said " I only wish I were that good" !

Eddy Dunlap · Post by **Eddy Dunlap** » 23 May 2017 8:18 pm

Pure genius! Creative thinking with the synth fuzz pedals.

Mike Poholsky · Post by **Mike Poholsky** » 28 May 2017 7:32 am

Robert Randolph is the only Steel Show I've been to, where most of the people there were under 30 years old, standing shoulder to shoulder, rocking and dancing to Pedal Steel Music!

As for Robert, how in the world he can enjoy himself dancing and moving around, putting a on a show, and play THAT well and 99% in tune, is way beyond me.

One of the definitions of Sales, Ive heard is:
The transfer of enthusiasm.

Robert does that incredibly well. And is a Monster player. Guys like Robert are keeping this young instrument growing to a younger population.

I say Thanks.

Im definately not in the under 30 crowd. LOL

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 28 May 2017 9:31 am

Well, I'm officially at the age where I was warned I might get cranky - boy, isn't THAT the stupidest, immature thing imaginable?

My overall feeling might be: deferred hope? As long as people call him the Jimi Hendrix of steel, I must say, no. As long as his fans offer him the same, programmed response to his slightly re-written "killer instrumental"; change one chord-and-two-notes from the last "killer instrumental", I would like to hope that at SOME point SOME event, place, person or thing is going to force him to dig deeper. Randolph himself has said "I don't KNOW any sad songs" and "I make people happy!" And this is fine. But I see it as self-erected limits. I don't want his babies and all his best friends to die a la Eric Clapton in order to stamp his license to play da blues, but Jimi Hendrix didn't LIKE that Purple Haze too much, at least not judging by the song. Maybe Randolph could get... a hangnail?

For what it's worth, I don't like ANY mono-affective musicians enough to follow them around drooling (I'm allowed now too!) There's another band out there inspiring great gouts of adjectives doing the "uplifting thing," the Trucks-Tedeschi band. But DT at least has a serious undertone of yin-yangish darkness that peeps out and when they perform something like "A Change is Gonna Come" it's with the clear awareness that it... didn't. Yet?

Edit: I'm-a justy gonna add... this Dead thing is getting WAY FINE in my opinion. John Mayer & Otiel Burbridge have landed exactly in the right place at exactly the right time, lightning strikes twice!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwgzOdk9Rzk
That "Cassidy" is wondrous, magic, etc., Bob Weir & Bill Kreutzmann keep crying in the jams. I LOVE the faked cadences... change chords? NO!.... change chords... No! change chor... WHONK! 14:33, first time I ever saw a standing ovation for a CHORD CHANGE. Poif-ect, Elmer.

Both Mayer & Randolph's "breakout guy" - as in WOW, I GOTTA DO THIS - was Stevie Ray Vaughan. Hmmm... click, click, whirr... Mayer is on fire. AND:
That sort of thing is a nifty way around the "respect" problem, when you hire somebody GREAT to inspire you, but they WON'T KICK YOU AROUND. Clapton had Cream, then Blind Faith, then DUANE ALLMAN, then... he keeps TRYING. At various times he hired Albert Lee, Phil Collins, Doyle Bramhall II, the "real Derek"; I'll bet they charge more than union scale, but they just DON'T push the boss. McLaughlin's had the same problem ever since the 1999-2000 "Remember Shakti", everyone's AFRAID of him. Jeff Beck... why can't they ALL join the Grateful Dead?

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 28 May 2017 3:12 pm

.......or MAYBE RR just isn't your cup of meat......and that's ok.

But MAYBE a cool response, in that case, would be:

"That Robert Randolph. Not really my thing, but boy he's great at what he does, and it sure is nice to see someone have all that success on an instrument we all love."

But maybe that's just me.

Jon Alexander · Post by **Jon Alexander** » 28 May 2017 5:49 pm

Whether you like Robert Randolph,Susan Alcorn or Paul Franklin or any number of others left out,one should consider all of these masters an inspiration to pursue your individual excellence as to however your circumstances allow.There are not enough words to express appreciation of forum members contributions to the venues played and styles accomplished and their input on this forum.There are many players on this forum who have developed skills of their own and presented to the public that may never get the recognition one thinks should be deserved.Most of the world's population doesn't know who the three mentioned above are, much less whether they approve of their style.That's the way it is.So one plays for those that attend.

Mitch Ellis · Post by **Mitch Ellis** » 28 May 2017 7:50 pm

Brandon Schafer wrote:
I am sure I restrict myself by approaching the pedal steel from a more "traditional" standpoint.

Brandon,
You may be restricting yourself, but traditional country music on the pedal steel is not restricting at all. Emmons played some stuff YEARS ago that many top-shelf players have trouble playing today. And consider Tommy White and Paul Franklin. They're playing ninety miles an hour, picking this string at "this" precise point, while hitting that pedal or knee lever at "this" exact moment, all at the same time and making it look easy. Some of the kick-off's, lead rides, or turn-arounds in some of those slow, tear-jerking country songs require using multiple pedals AND knee-levers, while picking only certain strings, all at the same time. They can be very challenging to play and some players (probably most) never achieve them. If RR likes rock-n-roll and distortion on the pedal steel....fine. It's his, he can play what he wants to. But the things that I've heard him play, Emmons could play years ago literally with his eyes closed.

Mitch