Article Contributed by Yep Roc Records
Published on 2026-04-14
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
GRAMMY Award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers release “Roll of the Dice,” the latest single from their forthcoming album Next Act, out May 22 on Yep Roc Records. The album is available for pre-order here.
Written by guitarist and vocalist Aaron Burdett, “Roll of the Dice” offers a reflective meditation on uncertainty and transition. Of the song he says, “In my early months of traveling with Steep Canyon Rangers I started this tune, which originally was fairly different from this final version. I was having a lot of complicated feelings. The song evolved into this version after Graham encouraged me to change the first verse to what we ended up recording. It's thematically broad and non-specific but I think everyone can connect with the feelings.”
Recorded by Julian Dreyer at Echo Mountain Recording, Asheville, NC, and produced by Mike Ashworth and the band, Next Act marks a return to their roots leaning into the bluegrass core that first brought the Rangers together more than 25 years ago. The album features guest appearances from Steve Martin, Edie Brickell, and Celia Woodsmith (Della Mae). Previously released tracks include: “Rumble Strips,” “Heart’s the Only Compass (feat. Steve Martin),” the title track, “Next Act,” and “Circling the Drain.”
In support of the album, the band will embark on an extensive tour across the U.S., with dates alongside Steve Martin & Martin Short, a special performance with the Nashville Symphony, and several festival appearances including MerleFest, Kerrville Folk Festival, and RockyGrass. Now in its 20th year, the annual Mountain Song Festival, curated by the band and spanning two days, returns this September. A complete list of dates is below and tickets are now available here.
Formed in North Carolina and shaped by both the Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont, Steep Canyon Rangers—Graham Sharp (banjo, vocals), Mike Guggino (mandolin/mandola, vocals), Aaron Burdett (guitar, vocals), Nicky Sanders (fiddle, vocals), Mike Ashworth (drums, dobro, guitar, vocals), and Barrett Smith (bass, guitar, vocals)—have spent more than a quarter-century defining a path that bridges bluegrass tradition with contemporary songwriting. From the beginning, the band has balanced a respect for bluegrass tradition with contemporary songwriting shaped by literary influence, regional storytelling, and lived experience.
Over the course of their career, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductees have released 14 studio albums, three collaborative albums with Steve Martin, and earned three GRAMMY nominations, including a win for Nobody Knows You (Best Bluegrass Album 2013). Their 2024 release Live at Greenfield Lake debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Albums Chart, tying Old Crow Medicine Show for the most Bluegrass chart-topping albums in the chart’s history.
Next Act Tracklisting:
1. Rumble Strips
2. Next Act
3. Circling the Drain
4. Heart’s the Only Compass (feat. Steve Martin)
5. Halfway to Reno (feat Edie Brickell)
6. Some Days
7. Sugar Lake
8. The Kindest Thing
9. Hard Times
10. Back of Beyond
11. Roll of the Dice
12. Stubborn Love
13. Babylon Stone
14. Hard Luck Kid
Steep Canyon Rangers Tour Dates
April 24 — Merlefest — Wilkesboro, NC
April 25–26 — KeyBank State Theatre — Cleveland, OH*
May 1–2 — Birdfest — Pinewood, SC
May 6 — Schermerhorn Symphony Center — Nashville, TN^
May 7 — Hendricks Live! — Plainfield, IN
May 8 — Stoughton Opera House — Stoughton, WI
May 9 — Old Town School of Folk — Chicago, IL — two shows
May 14 — The Perry Pavilion — Norfolk, VA
May 15 — Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival — Gettysburg, PA
May 16 — Jefferson Theatre — Charlottesville, VA
May 21 — Ham Amphitheater - Auburn University — Auburn, AL
May 23 — Kerrville Folk Festival — Kerrville, TX
May 28–29 — Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. — Mills River, NC
June 3 — The Burl — Lexington, KY
June 13 — The Blue Ridge Music Center — Galax, VA
June 14 — Mountain Stage — Charleston, WV
June 26 — Liberty Theater — Astoria, OR
June 27 — Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival — Sisters, OR
July 4 — Grassfire Festival — Garrettsville, OH
July 11 — 5PTS Outdoors at The Dog Bowl — Roanoke, VA
July 25 — RockyGrass Festival — Lyons, CO
August 21 — Stone Mountain Arts Center — Brownfield, ME
August 22 — The Opera House — Boothbay Harbor, ME
August 23 — Shalin Liu Performance Center — Rockport, MA
August 28 — Victory North — Savannah, GA
September 5 — The Outpost — Fayetteville, WV
September 11–12 — Mountain Song Festival — Brevard, NC
September 19 — DAR Constitution Hall — Washington, DC*
September 20 — Hershey Theatre — Hershey, PA*
October 6 — Wind Creek Event Center — Bethlehem, PA*
October 11 — Des Moines Civic Center — Des Moines, IA*
October 18 — Strawberry Music Festival — Grass Valley, CA
November 13 — Miller High Life Theatre — Milwaukee, WI*
November 14 — Orpheum Theatre — Minneapolis, MN*
* w/ Steve Martin & Martin Short
^ w/ Nashville Symphony
