While only in their 20s, the Steep Canyon Rangers play bluegrass similar to that being played by much more experienced and well-seasoned veterans. With production assistance of Mike Bub and label support of Rebel Records, these guys are climbing quickly to stardom. There’s always room for solid, young bands with traditional chops and original material. The band members have known each other for less than a decade, and they began performing about 1999, while students at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Their first album was an independent self-released project produced by Curtis Burch. The band’s debut on Rebel Records has the song, “Bluegrass Blues,” that tells about traveling down the road, wearing out their shoes, making music every night, and dealing with those blue, bluegrass blues. While more progressive material initially got them interested in bluegrass, they admit that they’re now going back to study the classic, traditional works of seminal bluegrass artists and bands.

Since their debut album, their lineup has added Californian Nicky Sanders (fiddle, vocals). The other band members are Woody Platt (guitar, vocals), Mike Guggino (mandolin, vocals), Graham Sharp (banjo, guitar, vocals), and Charles R. Humphrey III (bass). Playing full-time since 2001, the band’s been able to “cross-market,” representing the burgeoning bluegrass genre at venues and events that normally exclude this type of music. So, in a sense, the Rangers are ambassadors of bluegrass who are bringing a younger crowd to the music.

Graham Sharp, who penned seven songs on their latest album, One Dime at a Time, explains that “Inspiration comes from personal experiences. Sometimes such and such happens and it gets filed away in the form of a line or two. Maybe I’ll sit down then and there and try to flesh it out or sometimes it sits for awhile and I’ll come back to it with a little different perspective.

Read the Full Article in the print issue of Bluegrass Now, or call for a back issue.