LENOIR, N.C. – I caught up with Barrett Smith of the Steep Canyon Rangers regarding the Western North Carolina-based band’s plans for 2025. In a phone conversation on Jan. 10, we discussed the music and values that guide them and keep them together, the importance of teaching and passing along Appalachian musical traditions – especially Bluegrass – and their upcoming concert in Yadkinville, N.C.

Smith, who plays upright bass and sings harmony vocals, joined the Steep Canyon Rangers in 2018. An engaging fellow, he says the band’s success can be attributed to their deeply shared values – and of course, their fans.

Regarding the Feb. 8 concert in Yadkinville, John Willingham, president of the Arts Council, said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome  the Steep Canyon Rangers to the Willingham Theater at the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center. Having them perform as part of our Gala event adds a special touch to this annual fundraising event. This will be their first appearance on our stage.”

In addition to the Gala, the Yadkin Cultural Arts Center is significantly involved in the Blue Ridge Music Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Though the show is sold out, Smith spoke to the importance that the Steep Canyon Rangers place in playing for such organizations. “Playing for cultural events, especially in North Carolina, is essential to us. Supporting any cultural event is important to us. The Blue Ridge Music Center is a place we go every year. We get to see old friends and make new ones. It is one of the most important venues to us in the world. Anything we can do to help with it, we’re thrilled to do.”

Though this is their first appearance on the stage of the 193-seat Willingham Theater, Smith says it sounds like their kind of place.

“We do all kinds of things. The size of venues we play really varies. I’m thinking of playing at the Hollywood Bowl in front of 17,000 people. It was incredible. But yea, we love small venues. A couple of years ago we had a fundraiser in Asheville and there were 30 people there. But that’s the history of the band. We started in small places. We all have had that experience. Whatever you lose in the excitement of a large audience, in a smaller venue you don’t have the crowd noise. You gain intimacy and see people’s faces react and react so quickly. Some bands might be bummed by a small venue. That’s not this band.”

The Yadkin Arts Council is a vital supporter of the Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) program. Smith was enthusiastic about that. “Oh man. That’s a big deal to us. We’ve done a lot for the JAM program in Transylvania and Buncombe counties. We call ourselves a Bluegrass band. But we have drums. That makes us more eclectic. Now, we are a Bluegrass band. We warm up with Flatt and Scruggs. We embrace this idea of being part of carrying this tradition along. It’s such important music culturally and historically. JAM is so important. That’s what our music is all about. Playing with and for people. Get in a circle picking. Get on a stage and play along. It’s great.”

Being on a stage is something they haven’t done in a while, so Smith is looking forward to that, and this year’s primary project – recording an album. Smith shared, “We’re coming off a holiday break so we haven’t performed on stage and haven’t been together as a full group for weeks, which is rare for us. We need to get back into the swing of things, but it won’t take long. We’ll work hard to put on a good show.”

He continued, “There’s an exciting undercurrent right now too. We’re in the middle of recording an album. Of course, we’re also always writing and playing together, but an album puts more pressure on it. Fun pressure. We’ll find ourselves talking specifics in a recording session. In December we had a recording session and will have one in March. Making a great album is where our focus is now.”

“There’s an exciting undercurrent right now too. We’re in the middle of recording an album. Of course, we’re also always writing and playing together, but an album puts more pressure on it. Fun pressure. … Making a great album is where our focus is now.”

Barrett Smith, Steep Canyon Rangers

The Steep Canyon Rangers are a quarter century old. Untold number of miles have been driven to reach their audiences. Clearly, a devoted, multi-generational fan base has affirmed and sustained their music. Asked what he believes keeps the band going and fans loyal, even through a few notable changes in personnel, Smith offered, “Sustainability is a major thing with this band.”

He explained, “Twenty five years is a long time. You don’t see many bands stay together in some form of success for that long. It’s rare. You can name a few and run out. For us, on our side it’s a real family. We all have families that are our families. It’s its own kind of family and operates that way. The bonds are really solid and really tight. We are best friends with a common goal.” While he acknowledged the well known departures and additions to the band, he said each new member, including himself, has been able to integrate not only musically, but also philosophically, into the band. He added that there have been no hard feelings and in each instance, the change turned out to be a good fit.

None of it would be happening, of course, if not for their fans. Smith offered, “We do what we can to keep the fans engaged. The main thing is that we are authentic. No show is the same. We try to really connect with the audience. It’s all about social human connection. The mission is a lot of things. One of the most important things that I feel good about this for a living is the human connection. Increasingly the world is not encouraging human connection. We are further isolated. People are staring at their screens in their bubble and not in the village seeing one another and connecting. People are becoming fearful. But that changes in a live music situation. This is the antidote for all musicians scared by AI. Real human connection. It’s on the molecular level. When two people get close to one another on stage and inspire each other with music, we care for one another. Let’s act like it. I feel like our audience is politically diverse. I’m hanging out with people that are largely being told to hate one another. Yet, I’m looking around at people that are enjoying time together.”

This region of Western North Carolina is part of the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina. Here, in Caldwell County, Doc Watson’s career was boosted and he reportedly earned his nickname from playing at the Hog Waller Market in Lenoir. At that time, it was common for musicians to gather together on each other’s porch in the evening or on weekends. In fact, it continues. Asked to describe how valuable such informal relationships are – even today – for the Steep Canyon Rangers as the members return to their communities when they’re not on the road, Smith simply exclaimed, “Vital!”

He explained, “If we were doing one without the other, we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing right now. The band has accomplished a lot and gone to so many places. But that doesn’t happen if we don’t pick with our buddies. If this wasn’t our job, we’d be hanging out. We love playing music together. We’d be doing it. There is this social aspect of it. That’s one of the things that is this style of music. You fall in love with it. I get obsessed by it. That’s what our band is. You can’t have one without the other for us.”

“When two people get close to one another on stage and inspire each other with music, we care for one another. Let’s act like it. I feel like our audience is politically diverse. I’m hanging out with people that are largely being told to hate one another. Yet, I’m looking around at people that are enjoying time together.”

Barrett Smith

Storytelling is also vital, acknowledges Smith. “On stage, just by presenting who we are, we are telling a story. Hey we’re a bunch of dudes who like playing together. We are good. We make each other laugh. Our audience makes us laugh.” He continued, “It’s all original music. There are stories being told in the songs. Aaron and Graham follow their muses. Then the band just wraps themselves around it. Stories are being told, big time.”

He continues, “The traditions just inherent in Bluegrass and old time music are the most important to us.” He explained, “There is a more social end of Bluegrass music. It’s just what we do. The tradition of improvisation within the Bluegrass structure. Harmony singing in Bluegrass is a tradition. We do it in a Bluegrass way and those are the traditions that we most want to preserve. As for instrumentation, purists don’t like drums. It departs from the tradition. We have not been bound to it. But we’ll always honor tradition. At some point in a concert, we will crowd around the mic and play like we’ve always done.”

He added, “Here we are in Western North Carolina playing the music in some form as it was handed down to us by tradition. And we’ll play it for the next generation who find it beautiful and interesting. So we keep doing it.”

As we concluded our conversation, I asked Smith, “Can you ever imagine not playing music?” He laughed for a moment and offered, “Yes. I can.” He paused and added, “It does not sound like a good idea to me.”

Fans of the Steep Canyon Rangers must certainly agree – about the whole crew.

© Michael M. Barrick, 2025