Band To Headline IBMA Bluegrass Live! Festival in September

41-Date Tour Confirmed Through the Fall

Watch/share: “Live at Greenfield Lake” Album Trailer

GRAMMY Award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers announce the Aug. 30 release of “Live at Greenfield Lake,” the band’s first live album of original material, recorded at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sept. 29, 2023. 

The 16-track album is now available for pre-order on digital, CD and LP. Mixed and pressed at the state-of-the-art audiophile facilities of Citizen Vinyl in the band’s hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, lacquers were cut by renowned engineer Jeff Powell of Takeout Vinyl. Housed in a gatefold jacket, the first LP is pressed on deep purple color vinyl and the second on yellow color vinyl.

From the spellbinding, tender performances of “Recommend Me” and “Birds of Ohio” mixed with blistering, barnburning renditions of “Afterglow” and “Sunny Days,” “Live at Greenfield Lake” exhibits the wide breadth of styles and genres the band tackles in concert, and captures the magic of their onstage chemistry, demonstrating unparalleled harmonies, rich songwriting and unforgettable performances. 

“This particular Greenfield Lake Amphitheater show is an example of the kind of night that we all dream of as musicians: a beautiful setting, an enthusiastic crowd, and the band is absolutely on fire,” offers Ranger Aaron Burdett. “While these performances do happen, it’s tough to get all of those elements at once. It’s like catching lightning in a bottle. But we did it on Sept. 29 of 2023 and had the good fortune to get it all down on tape. Live SCR is the best SCR by far. Makes me happy and grateful every time I hear this recording.” 

Of the album, Beau Gunn, presenter/buyer at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, adds: “Two things are synonymous with North Carolina Music: one is Greenfield Lake Amphitheater and the other is Steep Canyon Rangers. The magic and music were definitely in the air that night and captured perfectly in this first-ever live release recorded at The Lake.” 

On May 17, the band will embark on a 41-date tour, beginning in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with Steve Martin and Martin Short. They will perform with the North Carolina Symphony on June 8 at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, North Carolina, return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre June 14 and the Ryman Auditorium June 20, and finish out the fall tour run with a return to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater Sept. 27 and will headline the IBMA Bluegrass Live! Festival at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina, Sept. 28. A complete list of dates is below; tickets are available here.

Torchbearers of Americana and bluegrass music, the Steep Canyon Rangers – Graham Sharp (banjo and vocals), Mike Guggino (mandolin, mandola and vocals), Aaron Burdett (guitar and vocals), Nicky Sanders (fiddle and vocals), Mike Ashworth (drums, dobro, guitar and vocals), and Barrett Smith (bass, guitar, and vocals) – have been making music for 25 years. Hailing from the Appalachian and Piedmont regions of North Carolina, over the past quarter-century, the North Carolina Hall of Fame inductees have gained recognition beyond the bluegrass world, with outlets like Rolling Stone recognizing them as “one of the most sought-after groups in Americana, bluegrass, and indie-folk.”

Over the band’s esteemed career, the three-time Grammy nominees have released 14 studio albums, three collaborative albums with actor and banjoist Steve Martin, been inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, and appeared on some of music’s biggest stages. In 2013, “Nobody Knows You” won the GRAMMY Award for Best Bluegrass Album, while 2012’s “Rare Bird Alert” and 2020’s “North Carolina Songbook” garnered nominations in the same category.

Steep Canyon Rangers: On Tour

May 17 – Wind Creek Event Center – Bethlehem, PA*

May 18 – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ*

May 31- Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN

June 1 – Ashe Bash – Jefferson, NC

June 6 – Live at the Garden – Memphis, TN#

June 7 -Salvage Station – Asheville, NC^

June 8 – Koka Booth Amphitheatre – Cary, NC%

June 14 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO*

June 15 – Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater – Vail, CO*

June 20 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN+

July 19 – Strings Music Festival – Steamboat Springs, CO

July 20 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO

July 21 – Breckenridge Riverwalk Center – Breckenridge, CO

July 25 – The Guild Theatre – Menlo Park, CA

July 26 – Blue Note Napa – Napa, CA

July 27 – Bartley Ranch Regional Park – Reno, NV

August 2 – Bluegrass & Brew – Fairborn, OH

August 3 – The Carter Family Fold – Hiltons, VA

August 16 – Hazel Ruby McQuain Park – Morgantown, WV

August 17 –  The Blue Ridge Music Center – Galax, VA

August 23 – The Beacon Theater – Hopewell, VA

August 24 – The Windjammer – Isle of Palms, SC

August 31 – The Grove – Glasgow, KY

September 1 – Weekend at the Cave Festival – Murphysboro, IL

September 6 – Mountain Song Festival – Brevard, NC

September 7 – Mountain Song Festival – Brevard, NC

September 13 – Pickin’ in the Pines Festival – Flagstaff, AZ

September 19 – Grand Ole Opry House – Nashville, TN*

September 20 – Louisville Palace Theatre – Louisville, KY*

September 21 – Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium – Spartanburg, SC*

September 27 – Greenfield Lake Amphitheater – Wilmington, NC

September 28 – IBMA Bluegrass Live! Festival – Raleigh, NC 

October 4 – Temple Theatre – Saginaw, MI*

October 5 – Rosemont Theatre – Rosemont, IL*

October 6 – Overture Center for the Arts – Madison, WI*

October 18 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor – Oxon Hill, MD*

October 19 – Tilles Center for the Performing Arts – Brookville, NY*

November 1 – Mershon Auditorium – Columbus, OH*

November 2 – Fox Theatre – Detroit, MI*

November 15 – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT*

November 16 – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT*

* with Steve Martin & Martin Short

# with Dierks Bentley

^ with Holler Choir

% with North Carolina Symphony

+ with Lindsay Lou