The GRAMMY® Award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers effortlessly walk the line between MerleFest favorites and concert hall regulars. They’re as danceable as the most progressive, party-oriented string band and equally at home adapting their songs for the symphony stage.
Under the baton of Maestra Jessica Morel, the Symphony and the Steep Canyon Rangers will present a concert featuring many of their hits, including selections from their brand new album Out in the Open as well as other hit albums Radio, Tell The Ones I Love, Nobody Knows You, and more!
Steep Canyon Rangers will take place at Reynolds Auditorium, 301 N. Hawthorne Road in Winston-Salem. Tickets range from $20– $67 and are available in advance by calling the Symphony Box Office at 336-464-0145 or online at WSsymphony.org.
With their newest album Out in the Open (which will be released on January 26, 2018), Steep Canyon Rangers affirm their place as one of the most versatile bands in contemporary American music. The GRAMMY® Award-winning sextet is comprised of Woody Platt (guitar), Graham Sharp (banjo), Barrett Smith (bass), Mike Guggino (mandolin), Nicky Sanders (fiddle), and Mike Ashworth (box kit). Together, they have spent nearly two decades bending and shaping the bluegrass aesthetic, wedding it to elements of pop, country, and folk rock to create something original. Out in the Open is the Rangers bravest excursion thus far, transcending bluegrass while also getting closest to the genre’s true form thanks to three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning producer Joe Henry’s traditional approach toward recording.
Since Steep Canyon Rangers came together in 2000, they have developed a remarkable catalogue of original music that links them to the past while also demonstrating their ambitious intent to bring string-based music into contemporary relevance.
In July 2017, Steep Canyon Rangers arrived at Fidelitorium Recordings, an intimate studio facility built, owned, and operated by legendary producer Mitch Easter. The band soon discovered that their producer—along with engineer/mixer Jason Richmond—intended to record all six members singing and playing in a room with no overdubs. The organic process allowed Steep Canyon Rangers to work fast, tracking a dozen songs in just three-and-a-half days. Steep Canyon Rangers are easily among the hardest working bands in any genre, pulling double duty on their own and as collaborators with Steve Martin.
Out in the Open is an undeniable milestone on the Rangers ongoing creative journey. As they approach their second decade, Steep Canyon Rangers are still moving forward, searching for new horizons and musical vistas. Visit steepcanyon.com for more information on current tour dates.
The Steep Canyon Rangers concert is sponsored by Season Presenting Sponsors BB&T and Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; Plugged-in Pops Series Presenting Sponsor BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina; Concert Sponsor Convergent Technologies; and the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County and the North Carolina Arts Council. Media Sponsors include Fairway Outdoor Advertising and WXII 12.
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
The Winston-Salem Symphony, one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, began its 71st season, which is Music Director Robert Moody’s Farewell Season, in September 2017. Under the baton of Maestro Moody, the season includes the Classics and Kicked-Back Classics series, Plugged-In Pops series, Discovery Concerts for Kids, annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, a concert featuring Winston-Salem Symphony and Youth Symphony musicians, holiday concerts, three youth orchestra ensembles, and a multitude of educational and community engagement programs. The Symphony is supported by Season Presenting Sponsors BB&T and Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A., as well as generous funding from the Arts Council of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, the North Carolina Arts Council, and other dedicated sponsors. For more information, visit WSsymphony.org.
# # #
