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Interview by Sam Katz | Photos by Dino Perrucci
07.21.01 | Central Park, NYC |
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Robert Randolph, pedal-steel virtuoso, and found out that he is as friendly and down to earth as he seems to be at his concerts. Most people have heard of Robert by now. If you haven't had the chance to catch him and his Family Band, maybe you've seen him performing with The WORD, a side-project featuring John Medeski and the North Mississippi All-Stars. Or maybe you've seen him sit in with your favorite performers, he's collaborated with so many people in such a short time. Is he overwhelmed at all by his success? Hell no! Is he loving every minute of it? You better believe it. If you haven't seen Robert play, do yourself a favor and get out there! You will certainly have a chance as Robert will soon be opening for the Dave Matthews Band, the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule.
Sam: First of all, how does it feel to be such a huge success in such a short time? Did you ever expect to become this big? How has it changed your life, your music and your way of thinking?
Robert: Actually, it feels great, I just haven't had the chance to sit back and realize how much has been going on. I mean so much has happened in so little time. Everything's been great though, it's been so great just meeting a bunch of new people and all the musicians, all the great guys. And I'm just still learning some stuff myself. Music has changed my life because it is my career now, so I have to think more music than I did before, just get to know a lot of these other musicians and get to listen to a lot of other music that's out there.
Sam: Now for a little history, your first gig in NY was at the Lakeside Lounge?
Robert: Yes, we played on a Tuesday night. And then 3 days later, on that Friday night, we opened a show for the North Mississippi All-Stars at the Bowery Ballroom. This was in September 2000. I met Medeski that night and I didn't know who he was or who the All-Stars were. But the All-Stars were great, I was amazed, I was like 'wow these guys are killing it, man.' We all discussed recording the Word album, and we actually did it less than a month later.
Did you ever expect to become this big so fast?
04.03.01 | Mercury Lounge, NYC |
Ahh, no, actually I didn't. To tell you the truth, I was basically forced out there. I never really tried to be a musician, I just was playing my instrument in church. I met a couple of guys and they basically pushed me out there, told me to just go for it. That's when I started to get serious about it, you know, open a couple of shows here and there. Then I left my job on May 1, 2001.
The first time I saw you play you blew my mind. You were opening for Derek Trucks at the Bowery. I caught the encore with you, Derek and Eric Krasno from Soulive. Now that was one of your first gigs, what was it like being up there on stage playing with guitarists as talented as these two? I'm wondering if this was one of first times you jammed with players so talented and what it felt like?
Yah I remember that show, that was actually the first time I met Derek and the first time I met Eric. At that time it was almost like... do you play sports? Well, it's like me bringing you to NYC and playing basketball at the rec or somewhere down in the hole. You have no idea you're playing with the greatest playground people, all you know is you're playing ball and you're trying your best to fit in. That's how it was. It was just like 'wow,' I don't know who these guys are, but these guys are awesome, you know what I mean? It was the same thing with Medeski, I met the guy and I played with the guy before I even knew who he was. Same with Derek, Warren Haynes, Stanley Jordan, all these people.
You say the pedal steel actually originated from your church. At what age did you first play that 13-string monster? And have you ever studied music?
09.22.01 | Stanhope House, NJ |
I first played the 13-string about two years ago. I used to have a 10-string before that. I could just tell that I wanted a 13-string because I thought that once I got a 13-string I would be able to do a lot of the jazz stuff, a lot of the rock stuff, a lot of the country stuff, and some of the traditional stuff that some of the sacred steel guys are doing. I could get all that with the 13-string, once I figured it out. I never studied music, I always hated music, was never a music guy. I was into sports and whatnot. I just used to hate music, it's something that just snuck up on me. I only started playing to be playing in church.
When did you move on from lap steel to pedal steel?
I started playing a lap steel when I was sixteen. Six months later I was given that 10-string pedal steel. I played that for about another four or five years, then I had another 10-string I played. I started playing this one about two years ago, I got this one right in the beginning of 1999.
So you just kind of picked up the lap steel and could just play it?
Yah, I mean it took me a while at first, then after talking to some of the guys at my church and getting a couple pointers and whatnot, where to play and how to try and get good notes out. Then I started practicing about four or five hours a day.
10.31.01 | Tobacco Road, NYC |
What was it like moving from the church to the bars? Were people upset with you?
It was a mixed reaction. Some people were for me going out and playing, some were not. Mixed reaction, still the same way today. Different beliefs, some people believe that you should only play in church and you shouldn't go out and play.
When did you decide, "Music is my life, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life and how I want to earn a living?"
It was a decision I made because there was a demand, people wanted to hear it. So I was like, you know what, if I can do it, let me go out and do it. Now is the time to do it while I have energy and time.
Things have obviously moved real quick in your career. Can you tell me something that sticks out from the past 1 ½ years or so? You know, something that really blew your mind?
There are a couple of things. Getting to talk to Phil Lesh is #1. It was at The Warren Haynes Christmas Jam. Warren invited me and there were all these guys there. Phil Lesh and Friends, guys from Widespread Panic, guys from Phish, and I had no idea who any of them were. When I first walked in downstairs I said, "I don't know who any of you guys are, half of you are famous, half of you are rich already, I'm Robert Randolph and I'm just gonna get me a drink first."
I got the chance to talk to Phil for about seven hours. I mean this guy is the ultimate legend and I'm just talking to him like he's nobody. Great guy, awesome guy. He felt like a little kid, explaining everything to me and whatnot, the whole history of the Grateful Dead and music and what you have to do on the road. Because you know, here's this guy, sixty something years old, and he's been on the road forty something years. And opening up for the All-Stars at the Bowery at that first show and then six, seven months later headlining the Bowery. That right there is the ultimate, just like #1 so far. I mean back when I headlined the Bowery I almost lost my mind, there were so many people there, to see us! That was great, another thing was playing the Gathering of the Vibes.
11.02.01 | Bowery Ballroom, NYC |
So that was the most people you've played in front of then?
Well, actually we went to Switzerland and we played at a blues festival in front of about 8000 people. But at the Gathering at the nighttime jam there was probably 20 or 30 thousand people there, for the Thirty Year Jam. The biggest highlight, to tell you the truth - we just got the news last night - we are opening up for the Dave Matthews Band in March and April. Dates all along the East Coast, like the Fleet Center and Madison Square Garden and all this stuff, and I almost lost my mind last night!
You're very popular among other musicians, you've played with some of the greats in such a short time. How do all these collaborations come about? Is your phone ringing off the hook?
Yah, I mean that's how its been. It's the sound of the instrument, a great beautiful sound. And a lot of people would like to have that sound played with them. It's not an imposition to play with other people as well. The phones are busy constantly, always ringing. Sometimes I'm like, oh gosh, but it's all fun, it's all great, everything.
Who have you enjoyed playing with the most? What's been your favorite collaboration thus far? Who would you say has taught you the most and who has been your biggest influence, among your peers?
03.23.01 | Tribeca Blues, NYC |
Derek Trucks, he's great. And playing at the Christmas Jam. And also Susan Tedeschi, we opened some shows with her and got to sit in with her and she's awesome, she's the greatest friggin' singer. I would say the All-Stars taught me a lot of stuff about shows and whatnot, Luther and Cody and them. Medeski is another one too, I learned a lot from him about playing and how to keep improvising.
Sticking with that subject, who is your favorite band among your peers and whose live show do you enjoy the most?
Oh man, you're really gonna put me out there! I would have to say either Soulive or the All-Stars.
How has it been playing out West? What are some differences between playing out West and playing in New York?
Well, there's just different vibes on both sides, East and West coast. It's like in New York at one time, in one night, in a 1-mile radius you've got like 100 other concerts going on, so you're in competition every night with somebody else. Where as towns like Boulder and Denver and San Francisco, the music scene out there is way different. The people out there are different, it's just different all around. To me the Southern crowd has been the rowdiest, they don't come and mess around and play, they just come to get rowdy.
They beat out the NYC Freaks?
I don't know, nobody beats out the Freaks. But the Southern crowds, they get rowdy.
Shifting gears, you recently released Live at the Wetlands independently. Would you say that has been your biggest accomplishment in your music career so far? How does it compare to releasing the WORD album?
Yes, actually that has been the biggest accomplishment, so far. I mean just doing that and how great it came out. It's always different because when your are on a major label you have to do stuff they're saying. If you put something out yourself, you know that this is all you and nobody else is making you change this and change that because they think it's not right or it doesn't sound good enough or whatnot. That's the difference between a major label and something that you have more control over yourself. The WORD album was great, it was fun playing with the All-Stars and Medeski. We just went there and just recorded for four straight days, about five hours a day. Things just clicked, everything just went. It was great.
The WORD is heading out West. Are you psyched? How does touring with The WORD compare to touring with the Family Band? Do you enjoy it more?
08.07.01 | Irving Plaza, NYC |
Yes I'm psyched! I'm looking forward to it. Do I enjoy it more? I'm going to have to say no. Only because if you were to ask the All-Stars and John Medeski that same question they would say no because... I mean, it's your own band, that's what you do. It's still great to travel with The WORD, but it's not better than traveling with my band. It's just different. When you're playing with the WORD, you're playing in front of more people, at bigger places. That's the thing about playing with the WORD.
What other instruments do you play?
I play the drums, on the bass I just mess around. I can play the guitar now, I've been starting to play. That's one of the things that we are going to do in one of our upcoming sets, the Family Band. We probably are going to do a whole acoustic set thing, and I'll probably play the acoustic guitar. And Danyell will probably play the acoustic guitar as well one night. Marcus plays the pedal steel now, he's been learning real fast. We'll have crazy family jams, or if a lot of the church folks are together someplace you'll see a lot of playing going on there man, it will be insane!
You've said you try to never play one of your songs the same way.
Yah, I mean for me it's hard to play it the same way anyway, I don't really know what I'm about to do next. It's all improv when we jam.
Are you the main songwriter and lyricist for the Family Band? And when can we expect a studio album?
Yes, Danyell writes some songs too, a lot of the songs we haven't played yet. A lot of my songs we haven't played yet either. We'll probably have a studio album by early or late spring. We'll probably have picked a label, one of the majors by then. We'll work something out with one of the labels, that's what the plan is.
Anything else you want to add Robert?
Thanks to all the JamBase people for helping us out and love and peace to everybody out there. And happy new year!
Sam Katz
JamBase | East Coast
Go See Live Music
Robert Randolph is currently on tour with The WORD. Find out where you can catch the miracle! The WORD tour dates.
Thanks to Dino Perrucci for the photos!
For more of Dino's stuff, visit DinoPerrucci.com
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