Robert Randolph and the Family Band

Our second annual reunion weekend concert features Robert Randolph and the Family Band as we welcome our friends, neighbors, and Virginia Tech alumni who are home for the weekend. Many musicians claim that they “grew up in the church,” but for renowned pedal steel guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Robert Randolph, that is literally the case. By the early 2000s Randolph had begun applying his dazzling steel guitar technique to secular music, and from that grew the Family Band. The group’s sound was so different than anything else around that they were soon packing New York City clubs. Their first album, 2002’s Live at the Wetlands, was recorded at the now defunct jam band haven, and was followed by four studio albums and another live set, each widening the band’s audience—they’ve long been regulars on the festival circuit—and broadening their stylistic range as well.