Pedal Steel on the Rock Block

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 23 Mar 2003 5:37 pm

last night I was fortunate enough to see two wonderfull steel shows right next door to each other. At the Sherlocke Holmes Pub I got to hear the wonderfully talented Gary Morris playing all kinds of non pedal slide guitars.His bluesy rock playing was especially tasteful. Afterwards I went next door to the sold out Exit Inn and saw Robert Randolph tear the house down. His tone has become so much better over the past year. He was using a Twin and a Peavey with a Fessy guitar. He played some of the fastest steel guitar I have ever heard and his intonation was superb. I think it is amazing how much Robert is starting to sound like a great blues rock guitarist. He also got his mentor, Calvin Cooke, up to jam. I'm so glad I got to see that. BTW Robert also played some great electric guitar. The lad is a star. No doubt about it.
BB

Gary Morse · Post by **Gary Morse** » 7 Apr 2003 8:53 pm

Bruce....sorry it took me so long to respond to this posting. I really appreciated reading your kind words regarding the cd release party/live gig at Sherlock Holmes that night. I also stepped next door and heard some of Robert Randolph's show and I agree with you completely. He is really gifted and is an exceptional talent. He has the potential to do so much for the future of pedal steel guitar. All of my playing years I have envisioned a day when steel guitar would be present in all genres of music and Robert Randolph has the potential to introduce it to a completely new generation.
By the way Bruce, I meant to point out that I spell my name MORSE. I don't want anyone showing up at my gigs expecting me to sing Wind Beneath My Wings!!!

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 7 Apr 2003 11:10 pm

Mr Randolph and the Family Band are playing at The Crystal Ballroom in Portland soon. If I'm not gigging I plan to go see them.

Saw a Sierra that's being custom made for him from a S14 to a S13 in their shop the other day.

EJL

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 8 Apr 2003 7:24 am

Eric, watch out. Randolph played here a couple of weeks ago, and WOMEN got on stage, dancing and wiggling. NOT farm animals, WOMEN!!! (mus of been from out of town)

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 8 Apr 2003 7:48 am

Gary MORSE is a monster player.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 8 Apr 2003 8:01 am

Lucky so-and-so. I only get the farm animals...

Bob Farlow · Post by **Bob Farlow** » 8 Apr 2003 8:04 am

At the Chattanooga show, Scotty mentioned the fact that he had contacted Robert Randolph about playing at St. Louis, but did not get him because he wanted $10,000 to do the show. Comments anyone?

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 8 Apr 2003 8:44 am

I'm going to see Robert this Friday night, and The Derailers sunday night!
I just saw that AATW will be here July 3rd!

Concerning Robert playing in St.Louis... Personnaly, I'd love it!... However, I don't think the general attendance could handle it. They would be requiered to get up out of their seats and do "The March"! (oh, the horror

)

Robert is really hot right now, playing huge Festivals, Madison Square Garden, ect...

I don't know why he would give Scotty such a price break, other than he is a really nice guy.
I'm certain he commands much greater remunerations at this point in his career.

Gary Lee Gimble · Post by **Gary Lee Gimble** » 8 Apr 2003 10:42 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> Lucky so-and-so. I only get the farm animals...
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A bubble bath and a fresh haircut might help!

[This message was edited by Gary Lee Gimble on 08 April 2003 at 11:43 AM.][This message was edited by Gary Lee Gimble on 08 April 2003 at 11:44 AM.]

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 8 Apr 2003 11:28 am

Yeah I gave a bubble bath and haircut to Bossie but she still likes to jump on stage and shimmy.

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 8 Apr 2003 3:42 pm

$10.000 for the show???for the gig at the steel convention?If he gets $10.000 I hope Buddy was getting ten times more,Randolph can be good and interesting but for me there is much better players out there.What a joke.I`m sure good ol` Scotty was disappointed.He is a great man who gived his whole life to steel guitar and to ask from him that kind of money only shows that Randolph doesn`t have a clue about steel guitar comunity.He can keep playing in his bedroom as far as I`m concern.

Bowie Martin · Post by **Bowie Martin** » 8 Apr 2003 3:57 pm

Bruce, Gary, and other great steelers; anyone - anyone out playing in Nashville where I might see them Thurs, Fri., April 17-18 in Nashville? I will be in town.

Bruce, heard you did a CD with the Derailers; is it out yet??

Gary, heard you at Opryland Hotel years ago playing with a trio; one of the most enjoyable experiences...steel playing all breaks and back ups; you did super...

Post by **Joey Ace** » 8 Apr 2003 4:08 pm

I didn't know "The Exit Inn" could pay $10K.

It might worth the money to see the crowd reaction at the ISGC.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 8 Apr 2003 7:29 pm

I'm surprised Robert didn't ask for $20K, given the amount of grief he has been given by many of his fellow steel players...

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 8 Apr 2003 7:37 pm

Now John!!!!

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » 8 Apr 2003 7:48 pm

Hehe.. I'm kinda with John Macy on this one.
If you wanna dislike him, you can get in line and pay the cover charge like everybody else.
-John

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 8 Apr 2003 9:22 pm

I was playing the small stage at Stubbs in Austin last week and Robert was on the main stage. Absolutely amazing show.

Robert plays for thousands and thousands of screaming, devoted new fans every week. Take it however you want but Robert is already a legend and is quickly becoming a superstar. Scotty's is primarily a classic country show that features the original steel players that created the genre. Even when the greats play something innovative the conventioneers get pretty restless for the most part.

Bob

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 9 Apr 2003 5:21 am

I agree Robert Randolph at Scotty's might not go over well.

I remember one of Paul Franklin's St. Louis sets in the late 80's. He brought a well rehearsed group of great players including Brent Mason and they played a set of what I would call Fusion oriented jazz (The Wiz, Spain, Tune 88 etc) Well, it was impossible to enjoy these great artists because of the continuous griping of about 5 old blue haired ladies behind me who wanted to get that garbage off the stage so they could hear some more nice Hawaiian music.

And THEY say it's the youth who have no respect!

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 9 Apr 2003 5:32 am

He can keep playing in his bedroom as far as I`m concern.

Robert plays for thousands and thousands of screaming, devoted new fans every week.

that's a purty dern large bedroom....

Jim Peter · Post by **Jim Peter** » 9 Apr 2003 9:03 am

"Randolph doesn`t have a clue about steel guitar comunity"

And what has the steel guitar community done for Robert Randolph?

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 9 Apr 2003 9:08 am

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 9 Apr 2003 9:30 am

http://www.robertrandolph.net/
You can listen to his Live at The Wetlands CD from his website and make your own call as to how it would fly at the ISGC.

Friday Night here in Portland!

[This message was edited by Pete Burak on 09 April 2003 at 11:13 AM.]

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 9 Apr 2003 10:32 am

Looks like some people want to keep steel guitar country. As for me--Go for it Robert! The steel can play it all and as far as Scotty's convention, I always thought it was for steel guitar players not just for country steel. Joe

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 9 Apr 2003 10:58 am

Well, I know this has been said before, but steel guitar shows and conventions, as much as I dearly love them, and love to perform at them, are essentially "preaching to the converted" (maybe that's why I love perform at them?). And the average age of the audience is increasing, not decreasing. Which means that we're not reaching a new generation of people/audience with these shows (though obviously there are some younger folks who do attend, and some younger steelers coming up). And, I think it also means that the crowd size will gradually dwindle over the next decade, to the point that some shows won't be able to hold it together financially, and will have to close and then there will be even fewer outlets for our beautiful instrument.

I think there are only two or three general solutions to this problem. One is to find a way to entice new audience segments to attend the existing shows. Bringing in Robert, or the Campbell Brothers, or Susan Alcorn, or anyone who has a truly different approach to the instrument would help do that, if properly promoted to reach the people who would enjoy this. The problem may be that these same individuals may not have any interest in sitting through the rest of the players, who are mostly playing country and western swing, if that is not their cup of tea. So a "traditional steel show" may not be the best route to go.

An alternative could be a "Nontraditional Steel Show". I've often thought about the idea of a steel show focused on "More Ways to Play" (borrowing a title from Curly Chalker), that includes, almost exclusively, players who are pushing the limits of steel guitar into other genres of music and other roles. It would take some major promotion to get something like this off the ground and build an audience for it. It might be possible, though, to have a "Nontraditional Night" tacked onto the front or back end of one of the regular steel shows, so that you could promote separately for that night, and hopefully entice a lot of new people to come for that evening's show, without presenting country and western swing during that evening's show.

Finally, the last alternative I can think of is to forget about trying to bring new audiences to steel shows, let the shows run their course as long as there are audiences for the music, and instead take the steel out to the new audiences. Well, this is exactly what Robert Randolph and the Campbell's are already doing. And doing in a very big way, as others have noted above. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that a pedal steel guitarist would be fronting a band at Madison Square Garden, to the screaming throng of thousands of young people, young women gyrating on stage, etc., etc. (Geez, if I had imagined that, I would have started much younger!

) Personally, I'm grateful to Robert for presenting one future (note I did not say "the future") for pedal steel guitar and keeping it alive and growing with brand new audiences, and making it a very "cool", "hip" instrument with young people. Frankly, in my mind, that's much more important than having him play at the "Traditional Steel Shows" to people who are already familiar with steel and would probably prefer to hear it played in other styles of music.

Bottom line for me: You go, Robert!

(End of rant)

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 9 Apr 2003 11:03 am

Robert Randolph has alot of gall asking for $10,000 to play at the ISGA. Especially when he's half the talent of most steel players playing there. I think he's up to pedal number two on his steel.