Steep Canyon Rangers

It’s bluegrass as you haven’t heard it before. Since a group of students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill started Steep Canyon Rangers in 2000, the group has been expanding and redefining the parameters of bluegrass. The genre-defying band has brought elements of pop, country, folk and folk rock to music that is very much their own. In 2013, the group won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass album for their solo work, Nobody Knows You.

The band consists of Woody Platt on acoustic guitar and lead vocals; Graham Sharp on banjo and harmony vocals; Mike Guggino on mandolin and harmony vocals; Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals; Mike Ashworth on box kit, cajon and vocals; and Barrett Smith on upright bass. They began performing in festivals and recording. Their fame has spread since 2009, when they began collaborating with actor, comedian and banjo player Steve Martin, and their 2012 album with Martin, Rare Bird Alert, featuring guest appearances by Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks, was nominated for a Grammy. On July 4, 2011, Steep Canyon Rangers joined with Steve Martin for “A Capitol Fourth” on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. That same year, the group and Martin were jointly named Entertainers of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. In 2017, the group and Martin, with Edie Brickell, recorded The Long Awaited Album and joined Martin and Brickell on tour.