August 4th, 2005

[CLICK to Download a Soundclip of "Bluegrass Blues"]

March 27, 2005

March 17, 2005

November 3, 2004

Platt prepares for next year's election
The votes are counted and the results are confirmed: It looks like Woody has lost his bid to be Transylvania County's next ambassador to Jamaica. The good news is that he and the Steep Canyon Rangers have been playing a whole lot of bluegrass music to great crowds all over the southeast! We wrapped up our season with some exciting shows and would like to thank everyone who made the past run of festivals such a success!

IBMA features Humphrey in songwriter's showcase
The Rangers played a whirlwind run of hotel room showcases at the IBMA convention in Louisville; chances to catch up with a lot of friends from all over and play for a lots of good folks keeping extremely late hours.  Our bass player, Charles Humphrey, performed as a featured showcase songwriter at this year's IBMA convention. His song, "Bluegrass Blues", debuted at #23 this month on Bluegrass Unlimited's National Bluegrass Survey.

Bluegrass band of gold
Sometime later in October, our banjo player got married to a wonderful girl, and they honeymooned. And now as we're gearing up to begin another record, there's been a rash of great reviews coming in from magazines like No Depression, Bluegrass Unlimited, and CMT. We've just come off a great batch of shows with our good buddies Open Road, one of our favorites, including stops in Nashville, TN and Asheville, NC. We're getting ready to head south for some time in sunny Florida, so if it's cold where you are come join us and warm your winter with some hot bluegrass.

September 3, 2004

Steep Canyon hits #1 on Roots Bluegrass Chart!
So many roads. We've been crisscrossing the country for the last few weeks, breaking in Nicky to a life in the van with the Rangers, and it's paying off. The self-titled record just hit #1 on the Roots Bluegrass Chart; that's based on national and international airplay, so if you're not hearing it, call your DJ and ask why not! 

Our first ever show in NYC was about as good as it could be - packed house, rowdy crowd, and a little celebration in the city afterward. Another great show followed at the high school in Harvard MA thanks to the generosity and hard work of Connie and Buzz Gagniabin. Our shows have been as exciting as they have been varied, playing for tons of new audiences and seeing lots of old friends. 

Ranger boys pull all-nighter & storm stage at FloydFest 2004
Graham & Nicky drove that night all the way to Virginia for our 11am time slot at FloydFest 2004. As the band took the stage, the rain peeled back and the Rangers dove headfirst into a set of blistering bluegrass originals, drawing a crowd of a few hundred out of their tents and down to the dirt dance floor.

Three days later in Colorado, the Rangers are guests at Granny's in Carbondale and catching trout on the Roaring Fork. Woody took Nicky on his first fishing trip ever, and the non-swimming fiddle player clung for his life to the master fly-fisherman, catching only a 7-inch trout and a nasty hook in the index finger.

The Boulder Theater may be the best room of it's type anywhere and we thank all the folks for coming out and having a good time with us on a Friday night. Along the way we picked up some groupies/stragglers, took'em to Durango and then on to New Mexico and there encountered some serious fun.  The Santa Fe festival will not soon be forgotten by the SCR boys; it's hard to imagine two sets of music more rewarding than those and to everybody there who saw us for the first time, we'll be back. To those out there who have never seen us, bring it on. And to those who see us cruising down the highway, give us a wide berth. Until the next time-  love peace and hair grease, SCR

July 19, 2004

"Steep Canyon Rangers" self-titled CD moves up on Americana Chart
The Ranger boys just wrapped up a big month out supporting the self-titled release, which moved up 7 spots in the Americana Music Assoc. chart to #30 this week! We started off at the Willow Oak Music Park and had the a big weekend with some of the best bluegrass fans and bands around. We played four sets in between the pounds of barbecue, thanks to David Sparrow and the Roxboro crowd. 

Rangers welcome Nicky Sanders as full-time fiddler
Most recently the band spent a weekend in Montana. The trip was the band's first with Nicky Sanders from San Francisco on the fiddle, and what a fine job he did! We were housed royally by Terry and Jane Inderland and wish to thank everyone from the Yellowstone Bluegrass Association! It's always great to play for new crowds, and the Bitterroot Bluegrass Festival was what you might call a frenzy, especially the Friday night jam with our buddies Open Road, John Reischman, and of course Ralph Lewis and all his boys.  Special thanks to Renee and Mark for making the trip such a huge success! Less successful was our flight out of Billings, so we had an extra night to kill.  Mike and his money were extremely well-received by everyone at the Crystal Lounge poker table. That's it for now, stay tuned and we'll keep you posted.                   
Graham & SCR 

June 21, 2004

"Steep Canyon Rangers" Self-Titled CD hits #7
Rangers heard on satellite radio!
The self-titled album on Rebel Records is being heard across the country on local and satellite radio stations and is up to #7 on the Roots Music bluegrass chart in only it's second week! Tune in to your XM radio service to hear a piece of the album!

June 1, 2004

The New Self-Titled CD "Steep Canyon Rangers" is HERE!!
It's an exiting week here in Rangerland.  Our self-titled CD was just released on Monday, and we've been out on the road trying to get the word out.  The release party in Asheville was indeed a party (special thanks to the ultra-entertaining Bob Carlin for joining us) and we'd like to thank everybody for coming out and dancing the night away with us.  The day before found us at the first annual Old-Time Festival at Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom in Indiana; it was great to catch up with the folks we met at last years bluegrass festival and twenty years from now we'll be able to say we were there when... Apologies to the Indiana deer population, and thanks for the dent in the bumper.  One of our favorite festivals was just last weekend at Bass Mountain, NC.  We spent many nights and mornings pickin' there on the hill so it's always a rush to climb up on the stage between our favorite bands.  It was especially fun to catch a set by Larry Cordle and LST.  We'll be playing festivals, clubs, theaters, and record stores from Boston to Santa Fe, LaGrange to Montana in what looks like a busy summer from here in the eye of the storm, so come find us when you can and enjoy the season. 
SCR

The SCR boys have been stretching their legs out for the upcoming festival season.  The last months have taken us to from the Rockies to the Gulf Coast in what's been a wonderful beginning to the year.  Among the highlights was a Saturday set at the Suwannee SpringFest under the big oak trees.  It's always a thrill to play shows with so many of our heroes, including Vassar, Del, Bela, and Tony Rice. If you haven't been to Springfest yet... go.  March also included our first show at the Down Home in Johnson City, TN, the home of a lot of great bluegrass through the years, and if a crowd were ever to get any livelier than that night, we may require some chicken wire. 

We headed south again in April for  Two Rivers in Leaksville, MS where our two days included a physical round of musical chairs to 'St. Anne's Reel' sandwiched between four sets to a great bluegrass crowd. Thanks especially to all our friends, old and new, for the hospitality there and to Butch for the great sound!  February found us in playing nine shows in Colorado, with one day off for skiing/recuperation.  We teamed up with Open Road for some great shows, including a night at the Boulder Theater with our friends Shanti Groove included.  Granny's home in Carbondale may go down as the best stop of any tour ever; between the company, the fishing, the food, and the puzzles we did a radio show on KDNK and played for a tightly packed and very warm crowd at Steve's Guitars. Then off to Durango, a great bluegrass town, and one last blast at the Abbey Theater before heading home.

The in-between has seen the completion of our self-titled release on Rebel records.  Included among the 13 songs are twelve written by the band.  June 1 can't come too soon as we're very excited about this album. We sure do miss being stuck with you all day in the studio, Jerry Brown. We've also been writing and playing a fresh bunch of songs and will be traveling to New Mexico, Montana, the Northeast and all points between in the near future, so come see us when you can.

January 15, 2004

Steep Canyon Rangers sign with Rebel Records!
The Steep Canyon Rangers are proud to announce their recent signing with Rebel Records; the storied bluegrass label that includes recordings by the most famous bluegrass musicians in history such as: Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley, Doyle Lawson, The Country Gentlemen, IIIrd Tyme Out, Larry Sparks, The Lonesome River Band, The Lilly Brothers, and many others. The entire band feels honored to be in the company of these legends of Bluegrass.

Recording on this inaugural Rebel release began the Monday following the IBMA Convention and Awards show. The initial tracks sound tremendous and the self-titled Rebel Records debut "Steep Canyon Rangers" will appear in stores this spring. A full national tour will follow the release of the band’s much-anticipated 3rd CD.

The Rangers Perform with Doc Watson

1100 people standing on their feet roared in appreciation as The Steep Canyon Rangers left the stage last Friday night after opening for their long time hero Doc Watson at The Carolina Theatre in Durham, NC. A half of an hour was barely enough for the assembled crowd that simply kept asking for more! The sound, the venue, and the production were all top notch for this special event! We look forward to future shows at The Carolina Theatre where our Raleigh/Durham fan base continues to grow after regular performances at The Pour House, this summer’s benefit for North Carolina Special Olympics with The Del McCoury Band in October, and our performance last weekend with Acoustic Syndicate at The Lincoln Theater.

Official IBMA Showcase – High Noon in Louisville

We came, we saw, we spread a little bluegrass joy! The Steep Canyon Rangers performed six showcases at The International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual Convention & Awards show over a 36-hour period. Sleep was not part of the schedule this year as The Rangers answered the call from our many friends in the bluegrass world. In addition to performances for our new label Rebel Records, The California Bluegrass Association, Capital City Promotions, The Western States Bluegrass Alliance, and The Magnolia State Bluegrass Association, the Rangers tore the house down in front of 1000 IBMA members during their slot at the official IBMA showcase brunch at high noon on October 1st at The Galt House. We gained a bunch of new fans that week and we want to send out a big thanks to the folks at the IBMA for doing such a super job promoting the past, present, and future of bluegrass music.

November 16, 2003

Rangers perform shows with Doc Watson & Acoustic Syndicate
After a stellar performance with Doc Watson just the week before, The Steep Canyon Rangers joined their friends from The North State, Acoustic Syndicate, for two smokin'’ shows at home. This past Thursday, all the boys got together to deliver this down home North Carolina combination - with gusto - to the faithful at Legends Night Club on the campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Everybody liked it so much that the gang packed up their gear and headed on down the road to do it all over again the next night at The Lincoln Theater in Raleigh. Having left Boone about midnight on Thursday, The Rangers delivered two blistering midday sets at the inaugural Carolina Road Bluegrass Festival and then raced over to The Lincoln Theater to perform with our friends in The Syndicate that night. Another one -two punch was highlighted as Mike, Graham, and Charles joined Acoustic Syndicate on stage during their final set to send the crowd home with a rollicking medley of traditional and not so traditional North Carolina home cooking.

September 10, 2003

Rangers schedule for '04 filling up fast
Yes it’s true. The Steep Canyon Rangers already have (30) shows on the books for 2004! And this year, the band will cover the entire country promoting their highly anticipated first release on Rebel Records!

Highlights include performances with The Lonesome River Band, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, and IIIrd Tyme Out, as well as a western tour this February routing through Colorado and California.

June 9, 2003

Rangers to perform in 2003 IBMA showcase!
The Rangers are just back from an early spring tour stop in Colorado. We had a great show at the Boulder Theatre and at the Durango Meltdown Bluegrass Festival in Durango. Colorado treats us very, very well.....Thank you!

We are very proud to have been accepted to do an official IBMA (international bluegrass music association) showcase in Louisville KY--over the week of October 1-4 2003. This is a big deal and we will be in great company there at IBMA.

Next week we head to Indiana to perform at Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Festival--one of the biggest bluegrass festivals in the country. It is an honor to be performing there with Doyle Lawson and many others that day.
Checkout: www.beanblossom.com

December 8, 2002

Steep Canyon Rangers feature in "Bluegrass Unlimited"
The article is on page 58 of the magazine and is entitled: Steep Canyon Rangers - Young and On The Way, it can be purchased on-line at: www.bluegrassmusic.com

Rangers to perform on Woodsongs Radio
SCR will be on Woodsongs Radio www.woodsongs.com, hosted by Michael Johnathon, Jan. 20th at 6:45PM Eastern. The show will feature the Rangers and Jim Lauderdale. The Rangers will play at least 3 songs live but the concert will continue once the nationwide audience is taken off the air. Seats are $5 for the general public and free for Woodsongs Partners but they are limited so get'em quick. Tickets are available on the website or at this number: (859) 252-8888

October 20, 2002

Hard Travelin'
Last week was a busy one for the Rangers. We traveled to Louisville, KY for four days of the IBMAs early in the week and drove straight into Black Mountain, NC for three performances at the Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF), over the weekend. The LEAF has been going on for years and takes place each fall and spring. The organizers strive to present various forms of music, arts and activities each year, this one was no exception.

The band played at a beautiful site on the side of the lake both Friday night and early Saturday afternoon. A dinner performance in the main hall on Saturday evening capped the band's time at the LEAF. Sunday the band was back in Chapel-Hill for a special church performance.

September 9, 2002

Steep Canyon Rangers Take 1st Place Honors at N.C. Mountain State Fair!
The Steep Canyon Rangers swept the bluegrass division of the Mountain Music Contest this weekend at the 2002 N.C. Mountain State Fair, winning the overall competition as well as first place in every category they entered…Best Banjo, Best Fiddle, Best Guitar, Best Upright Bass and Best Mandolin.