Lee Boys

Even the holiest among us don't expect to grab a piece of religion while hanging at the local dive bar. Then again, it's not good to make assumptions like that if you haven't heard the music of the gospel-y yet funky church band the Lee Boys. Fronted by affable lead guitarist Alvin Lee, these six Miami-based men are a power combo and gurus when it comes to playing sacred steel and knowing the highly coveted secrets of working lap and pedal steel guitar. They learned to play the instruments, made popular by Aubrey Ghent and more recently Robert Randolph, growing up in the House of God church in their hometown of Perrine, Florida. They're known for rocking audiences with a heavy blend of blues, jazz, funk and soul, all wrapped into a gospel blanket, and they're not shy about singing Christian lyrics regardless of the venue. On the summer festival circuit, both hippies and stoners show them lots of love, but so do well-respected acts such as the North Mississippi All Stars and Medeski, Martin & Wood. The Lee Boys have a well-deserved reputation for fearlessly taking on audiences of all kinds, and Saturday plan to fill the Continental with the spirit of blues and rock and roll. It might sound like a stretch, but they don't call these guys the Holy Rollers for nothing.