There is lucky, there is being good enough to be in the right spot at the right time, and then there is also being smart enough to take full advantage of any breaks that come your way.
The guys in Steep Canyon Rangers – Woody Platt, Graham Sharp, Mike Guggino, Nicky Sanders, Barrett Smith and Mike Ashworth – realize they’ve been fortunate to do some pretty cool stuff. Things like performing regularly with actor/comedian/writer Steve Martin, appearing on shows like “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” NBC’s “Today” and NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series, which they did with Martin.
They also recently fulfilled a career wish by performing with their hometown symphony in Asheville, North Carolina, a show made even cooler when the guys in Boyz II Men joined them for “
“We were highly familiar with their music from our childhood, of course, also.”
If you go
* What: 3 Sisters Music Festival* When: Opens 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4; noon, Saturday, Oct. 5* Where: 21st Century Waterfront, Riverfront Parkway* Admission: Free* For more information: 423-265-0771* Online: http://www.3sistersbluegrass.com
Platt said the three groups did not record together in the same studio, but “it is so well mixed. You can hear the band, you can hear the symphony, you can hear the instruments.”
While the band continues to evolve and grow, Platt said it is, at its core, a traditional bluegrass band and that it will always remain one.
“When we started, we were a traditional bluegrass band trying so hard to have that sound and be accepted in that community. We didn’t envision what it would sound like today, but it works.”
That doesn’t mean it might not go back to its roots, either.
“We might strip it back and be an uber-traditional band again. That’s the cool thing about it.”
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 4
6 p.m. The New Dismembered Tennesseans
6:50 p.m. Mandolin Orange
8:10 p.m. Chatham County Line
9:30 p.m. The Travelin’ McCourys with guitarist/singer Peter Rowan honoring Bill Monroe
Saturday, Oct. 5
Noon. Mountain Cove Bluegrass band
1 p.m. Bluetastic Fangrass
2 p.m. Berklee College of Music Fiddlers
3 p.m. Fireside Collective
4:20 p.m. Lil’ Smokies
5:30 p.m. Dan Tyminski Bluegrass Band
7 p.m. Steep Canyon Rangers
8:30 p.m. Music Without Borders featuring The Kruger Brothers and The Gibson Brothers