New Album: Next Act

Out now

Steep Canyon Rangers arrive at a moment of renewal and reaffirmation with Next Act, their 15th studio album. The record represents a conscious tightening of focus: a return to the bluegrass foundations that first bound the band together, approached with the confidence and emotional range earned through years of collective evolution. It is an affirmation that bluegrass still contains endless expressive possibility. Next Act finds the Rangers sounding deeply at home in their own musical language, drawing strength from tradition while continuing to write new chapters within it.

Recorded byJulian Dryer, mixed by Derek Studt, and produced by Mike Ashworth and Steep Canyon Rangers, the album features the group’s hallmark musicianship. Taken as a whole, Next Act affirms Steep Canyon Rangers’ belief that bluegrass is a living tradition capable of holding modern stories and emotional nuance. By returning to their roots, the band reclaims the music that first shaped them and demonstrates that growth does not always mean expansion, sometimes it means listening more closely.

Steep Canyon Rangers are Graham Sharp (banjo, vocals), Mike Guggino (mandolin/mandola, vocals), Aaron Burdett (guitar, vocals), Nicky Sanders (fiddle, vocals), Mike Ashworth (drums, dobro, guitar, vocals), and Barrett Smith (bass, guitar, vocals).