Saturday, February 4, 2017

Steep Canyon Rangers / WNCW

Tonight, my wife and I went to Dayton's historic Victoria Theatre to see the Steep Canyon Rangers.  I know zilch about bluegrass music and had no idea what to expect as we took our seats way up in the balcony.  I did a quick Wikipedia search on the band before the show and found out that they were Grammy winners and frequent collaborators with comic Steve Martin who is an accomplished banjo player.  Apparently, SCR are considered non-traditional bluegrass (because they have a percussionist?)  I don't care...they had me hooked from the first note--in no small part to the fact that they opened with the super catchy title track to their 2015 album Radio.  This nostalgic tune looks back to a time when discovering new music on the radio was exciting enough to make you want to call a friend to say "look what I found!"  It evens name checks Casey Kasem who was heard after "riding home from Sunday school."  American Top 40 aired on Sunday mornings where I lived too so I totally relate.  The concert was great from start to finish including a fantastic encore of The Band's "The Weight".







88.7 FM WNCW is a public radio station owned by Isothermal Community College in Spindale, North Carolina.  Steep Canyon Rangers, from nearby Asheville, NC, have performed live at WNCW's Studio B and multiple members have been guest DJs on the station.

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