Steep Canyon Rangers are Asheville, North Carolina’s GRAMMY winners, perennial Billboard chart-toppers, and frequent collaborators of the renowned banjoist (and occasional comedian) Steve Martin.

Steep Canyon Rangers re-signed with Yep Roc Records in 2019. “It feels like coming home,” says Sharp of the partnership. “The Yep Roc family was among the first to welcome Steep Canyon Rangers when we were just pups. As we’ve grown, so have they. We’re incredibly excited for the future and all the music it holds.”

Steep Canyon Rangers released three albums in 2020, all on Yep Roc Records. The Grammy-Nominated North Carolina Songbook is a recording of their live 2019 performance at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, NC, in which they performed a selection of songs by North Carolina songwriters (Ola Belle Reed, Doc Watson, James Taylor, Ben E. King, and others). Be Still Moses — perhaps their most singular musical partnership to date – has the band teaming with Philadelphia soul legends Boyz II Men and their hometown Asheville Symphony to completely overhaul the Rangers’ original “Be Still Moses,” which was first recorded on their 2007 breakout album Lovin’ Pretty Women. The album includes re-imagined versions of Steep Canyon’s previously released original songs performed with an orchestra. Their most recent release of all original music, Arm In Arm came out in October of 2020.

‘Every song on Arm in Arm captures the North Carolina group’s innovative spirit, weaving in jazz, gospel, folk, and even rock phrases, creating an intimate and intricate sound that challenges, cajoles, and comforts.’ -No Depression

The Rangers are made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals, Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals, and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, and vocals. 

Steep Canyon Rangers have been on a journey that is uniquely their own. The band started in college at UNC-Chapel Hill, then dove head first into bluegrass in its most traditional form, and over the years have risen to the top of the bluegrass genre headlining top festivals such as Merlefest and Grey Fox Bluegrass. Only to then be discovered by Steve Martin, famous actor and banjo player. Martin has taken the Rangers on over a decade long tour introducing them to hundreds of thousands of new fans and giving them prime time TV exposure. This has helped SCR become the most recognizable modern name in bluegrass music. The band has continued to tour extensively on their own, without Martin, and have expanded their genre into country, jam and Americana. The Rangers are big players in the bluegrass/country and Americana scene today. They are often compared to predecessors The Band, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and the modern Zac Brown Band.

Seth Walker

Seth Walker’s new album, I Hope I Know is a beacon of light, each of its ten songs shining forth with what so many have come to love about Walker and his soulful Americana: diverse influences, contemplative lyrics, that signature blue tone on the guitar, and movement both geographic and spiritual. It’s his 11th recording to date and continues a long-running collaboration with producer Jano Rix.

Perhaps best described as Walker’s ’round-midnight album, I Hope I Know was written in the midst of a breakup as he relocated from his home in Nashville, TN to Asheville, NC, and endured the inherent struggles caused by the pandemic. Its tempos are slower and tonality darker than on previous work. In Walker’s words, he had to just “sit with it.” The music’s creation embodied trying and failing without forcing anything: not time, not the songwriting or its grooves, not a sense of control, not even his own healing. He credits the practice of “search and surrender,” a quest for new meaning in things he may never fully understand. Taken in its totality, it’s a beautiful reckoning with heartbreak, moving across states and coming to terms with the uncertainty of the future.

Effective Monday, March 21, 2022, Harvester Performance Center will no longer require proof of vaccination or a negative test result to attend our shows. In addition, we will no longer require masks to be worn during performances. 

The Harvester may still implement COVID precautions such as masking and entry requirements on a per-show basis when requested by the artist. When special protocols apply, we will clearly indicate them on the show’s ticket page so that guests can be prepared when they arrive. 

In addition, if you feel ill, are running a fever or displaying other symptoms, or have been exposed to COVID-19, please refrain from attending Harvester events. This helps us keep other guests, staff, volunteers and performers safe and healthy. 

We are pleased to be able to update our precautions as the CDC revises its own guidelines. We will continue to monitor public health guidance and may adjust our protocols as conditions change. For the latest information, visit the FAQ page on our website and the ticket pages for the events you wish to attend.

If you have questions about our protocols or the requirements for a specific show, please contact our box office at 540-484-8277 or info@harvester-music.com. 

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to welcoming you to the Harvester!