Robert Randolph said the time for his music finally has come.
The blues-rock jammer rolls into the MSU Auditorium tonight, and Randolph said music fans are ready to hear something different.
Robert Randolph & the Family Band features Randolph playing the pedal steel as his weapon of choice, which is a kind of slide guitar played while the instrument is lying horizontally.
That's quite a contrast from the electric guitar - typically a rock 'n' roll frontman's best friend.
"Since John Mayer, everything has to be John Mayer-ish," Randolph told The State News on Wednesday via telephone from Illinois. "Whereas we fall outside of that norm. Most of our success comes from us presenting something musically different from what they're doing. We're just rockin' out and jammin'. It's cool."
Randolph said record companies tend to capitalize on whoever's hot and want to create more artists like those who are popular. But the fans are tired of that, Randolph said.
"The success we've been having has been coming from that," he said.
And people are taking notice of his band's rock, blues and R&B formula.
The group is two weeks into its tour and has sold out several venues. It also released its "Unclassified" album in August to much critical acclaim, and it has a music video for "I Need More Love" getting airplay on MTV2 and VH1.
The biggest challenge on the tour thus far for the band has been adjusting from the warm weather of New Orleans to the chillier climate of Illinois, Randolph said. He added that he expects a great crowd in East Lansing because he knows Michiganians love their rock music.
"(Concert-goers) can expect to be musically moved and taken to a new high," Randolph said. "It's positive and upbeat."
Randolph started spreading the word of great music when he was growing up in New Jersey. As a teenager, he performed gospel music at his church. One thing led to another, and Randolph then was playing clubs and, finally, opening for major acts such as The Allman Brothers Band and Dave Matthews Band.
Randolph also has toured and recorded with the North Mississippi Allstars, but he now headlines his own act. Los Lonely Boys will open tonight's show, which is sponsored by the Residence Halls Association and POP Entertainment.
Once the current tour wraps up, Randolph said he might travel with O.A.R. and The Red Hot Chili Peppers on a winter tour of the West Coast.
Meanwhile, Randolph is ready for MSU, even though he said he is a University of Michigan fan. He hopes his band can keep on churning out songs and tour dates in the Midwest.
"We're gaining so many new fans," he said. "We're gonna keep letting the word spread."
