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Charlie Filippo talks about the Robert Randolph & The Family Band Fan Zone

In June of 2000, Jeff Longua took in the first ever performance of Robert Randolph & the Family Band at the Lakeside Lounge in New York City. A few months later he became hooked when he watched RRFB blow the roof off Maxwell’s in Hoboken, NJ. Longua thought so much of this new, high octane, jamband, that he approached RRFB’s then manager Gary Waldman and asked him for a job. When Waldman hired him, Longua became witness to the rise of one of Rolling Stone’s recently named top 100 guitarists of all time. Longua became responsible for everything from driving band members to shows and letting them crash on his living room floor, to recruiting street team members, and he eventually handled all duties as the administrator for RRFB’s website. Even though he is no longer affiliated with the band after RRFB changed management companies in 2005, he still keeps in touch with the group’s members and progress.

So it would only be natural for Longua to create a website to keep RRFB’s fans informed with all things RRFB. The recent launch of the Robert Randolph & The Family Band Fan Zone is intended to give RRFB fans all the latest information on the band, tour dates, television appearances, and a place for fans to get together and proclaim their loyalty to the ever growing RRFB phenomena. Longua has also added content that is no longer available on RRFB’s main page to give new fans of the band a historical view of the band’s rise and past achievements. Longua continues to add content on a daily basis and hopes the site will become the ultimate meeting place for RRFB fans. The site also ties into the RRFB message board and allows visitors to sign up for RRFB’s street team. Visitors can link to the latest reviews of Randolph’s recent release, Colorblind, and also link to the band members’ my space accounts.

Unlike other fan based websites, Longua is able to offer a unique perspective due to his closeness with the band during those formative years. He was there when RRFB played in front of a few hundred people at the Stanhope House and when the band opened for DMB in a packed Madison Square Garden. In the future Longua will display the original memorabilia collected from the initial tours. He will also add a poster gallery, lyric page, and a private messaging system. There are no membership fees for users and Longua welcomes any content contributions and suggestions from fellow fans. He continues to work on a ‘Stories from the Road’ section that will feature behind the scenes vignettes from the band’s early days. Fan friendly and easy to navigate, RRFB fans will enjoy this alternative site to follow one of their favorite bands.