If you go
› What: Steep Canyon Rangers in concert.› When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14.› Where: Revelry Room, 41 Station St.› Admission: $18 in advance, $20 day of.› Phone: 423-521-2929.› Website: www.revelryroom.co.
Things are going pretty well for the guys in Steep Canyon Rangers these days. They ended 2016 with an appearance on "Prairie Home Companion" and then took a break for the holidays.
They are set to begin the new year with a new tour that includes a stop in Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 14, and if things go right, they'll be rolling up in a new tour bus. Lead singer and primary songwriter Graham Sharp says in addition to being a comfortable mode of transportation, the bus is also where he does much of his writing.
And, of course, the group is prepping for another tour and recording session with sometime member Steve Martin. The actor/writer/comedian/banjo player enlisted the group as his backing band in 2009.
Sharp says he initially wondered how the collaboration would play out but feels it has been positive all the way around.
"At first, we weren't sure if it would be one gig or two or five," he says. "At first, it didn't seem like a reality, but now it's been seven years or so.
"It's pretty seamless. We've got the Rangers and what we do, and then Steve comes in and plays and the vibe is different."
He says having a superstar join them onstage has meant bigger crowds and nicer venues, like Carnegie Hall.
"For us, we were a bluegrass band on the bluegrass circuit, so it was a big jump," he says.
Steep Canyon Rangers began in Chapel Hill, N.C., 15 years ago while Sharp, Woody Platt and Charles R. Humphrey III were students at the University of North Carolina. They were joined by Mike Guggino and original fiddler Lizzie Hamilton, who left in 2003. The current lineup includes Nicky Sanders and Mike Ashworth.
They've released nine studio albums and earned a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2013 for "Nobody Knows You." Their last CD, "Radio," was produced by Dobro wizard Jerry Douglas.
Douglas not only played a little on the 12-song recording, he played a big part in arranging the songs. Sharp says the band was perfectly happy to let him put his spin on their work.
"It was fun," Sharp says. "Jerry is a fun dude. Very gregarious. A very upbeat guy, and it doesn't hurt that he is the best Dobro player in the world. When you have a producer like that, it is important to leave them some room and not set anything in stone."
He says it will likely be summer before the group heads back into the studio to record new material. Meanwhile, they'll be practicing in their new "traveling rehearsal studio."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.