RiverWalk Blues Festival in Fort Lauderdale

[Miami-Ace]

Recently went to the big blues fest on the New River in Fort LiquourDale as some like to call it. Highlights of our Saturday spent blues groovin': The Robert Randolph Family Band, which was large-scale and rockin'. If you don't know Robert Randolph, he plays a lap steel guitar (correct teminology?) like no one I have ever heard. Stunning. He makes it cry and wail and played one long solo that sounded like a master of the Strat playing a psychedelic number. The whole thing is a big, complex act that comes off like an updated Earth, Wind and Fire ... except it has tons of guitar and some synth/keyboard stuff rather than horns. He's an amazing musician ... and a master showman. He had at least two dozen ladies/babes/girls from the audience up on the stage and when he yelled out, "Ladies, shake your hips," I assure you they did.

Also, particularly enjoyed one of my very favorite musicians, stellar bluesman Albert Castiglia, who played some energetic blues rock, much of if from his new album Keepin' On. It was some fun music.

All in all, it was a fine event

[Spudman***]

Cool. Did Robert play his Telecaster at all? He's such a great musician.

[Miami-Ace]

Actually, Castiglia did most of his playing on a Les Paul ... doing some heavy blues-rock cranking. Too tell the truth, I like it when Albert sticks to Teles and Strats because his precise, cleanly articulated playing comes through better (IMO) on a single-coil instrument rather than a roaring high-gain approach. Oh, well. There was, however, an extraordinary Tele performance by a young lead player for a new blues group the Bluestones .... the name plays two different ways. This kid was really wailing on the Tele, a Thinline ... and I was very impressed with his ability to cover a tremendous amount of musical territory with that guitar.

[Spudman***]

I meant Robert Randolph. When I saw him locally he played a Telecaster on a couple of songs.

[Bloozcat]

I went to the RiverWalk Blues Festival a few years ago. IIRC, it was called just the RiverWalk Music Festival then.

Anyway, it was a good music fest. I sorta lost track of when it's held each year. I'll have to watch for it next year.

[guitarhack]

Randolph normally plays a pedal steel.