One of my favorite shows at Cornerstone 2003 was put on by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. They do what is known as sacred steel. Their c-stone interview describes at as "the soulful sound of the electric lap-steel guitar" Yound Robert adds "a freshness and youthful verve to the genre".

For just pure emotion and energy this band was the top of my week at c-stone. And I wasn't alone - Jeff C., reported to be a member of the elite but elusive band Hip By Proxy, called the set "amazing!".

You can down load live recordings (mp3 format) from their site, or check out their on-line sampler. I'd say the music on the sampler is closer to what we heard at c-stone. The mp3s seem to be of a bit more compressed bit stream, but are well worth the time.

The only draw back for me is that Robert doesn't go much in the way of lyrical depth. But that's not the point, Sacred Steel as done by Rober Randolph is all about the emotion. Enjoy.

- Peace