Steep Canyon Rangers To Play Rams Head On Stage

Steep Canyon Rangers, an Asheville, North Carolina-based bluegrass group, is coming to Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis on July 14.

The band formed in 1999 at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where banjo player Graham Sharp and bassist Barrett Smith graduated. Thanks in part to actor Steve Martin, the now Grammy winning band, and regulars atop the Billboard charts, rose to fame. Martin, who has been a frequent collaborator with Steep Canyon Rangers as a banjo player, has helped the group expand its fanbase and increase television exposure. Steep Canyon Rangers are now one of the most recognizable modern names in bluegrass music.

Mike Guggino, mandolin player for Steep Canyon Rangers, shared how the band has learned from Martin about putting together a good show every night.

“He is a consummate professional who really emphasizes the details,” Guggino said. “Every note, every spoken line, has a purpose and the way you deliver it can change that meaning for the audience.”

Steep Canyon Rangers continue to tour without Martin, and the members expanded their genre into country, jam and Americana. They have received comparisons to 1960s-formed rock bands like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and The Band, as well as more recent groups, such as Zac Brown Band and The Infamous Stringdusters.

According to Guggino, the band loves playing at Rams Head On Stage, an intimate location they have played at several times over the years.

“The great thing about our band and our sound is that we can rock a big outdoor stage or charm a small listening room audience,” Guggino said.

While Steep Canyon Rangers is a bluegrass band at the core, the group also has drums, electric instrument sounds and harmonica in some songs.

“This might put us more in the Americana/folk category for some,” Guggino said.

The Grammy-nominated “North Carolina Songbook” is a recording of their live 2019 performance at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, featuring tunes from songwriters hailing from the Tarheel state, such as Thelonious Monk, Doc Watson and Ben E. King.

Guggino noted that the song from “North Carolina Songbook” the band plays the most live is "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor.

“I'm sure that would play nicely in that room,” Guggino said, adding that Steep Canyon Rangers will also perform songs from the group’s new album, scheduled to be released this fall.

Additionally, Steep Canyon Rangers always have portions of the show where they play around one microphone, old-timey style.

“These moments always fit really nicely in these settings like the Rams Head,” Guggiano said. “We also aren't afraid to rock it in a small room.”

Joining Guggino, Sharp and Smith are Mike Ashworth on drums, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and newest band member Aaron Burdett on the guitar.

This will be the first time Burdett will play at Rams Head On Stage.

Guggino is fired up for the audience to see Burdett perform, citing his energy onstage.

Tickets to the July 14 show are available for $46.50 each at www.steepcanyon.com/tour. Ages 21 and up are welcome. The show kicks off at 8:00pm, and doors open an hour earlier.