Article Contributed by Yep Roc Records
Published on February 3, 2026
Steep Canyon Rangers Announce Next Act, out May 22
Today, GRAMMY Award-winning bluegrass and Americana ensemble Steep Canyon Rangers reveal “Heart’s the Only Compass (feat. Steve Martin),” the third track unveiled from their forthcoming 15th studio album, Next Act, out May 22 on Yep Roc Records. The album is available for pre-order here: https://steepcanyonrangers.lnk.to/nextact.
Of “Heart’s the Only Compass,” songwriter Graham Sharp offers: “It’s natural to look back at history, especially our personal history, and feel like things turned out in a way that makes perfect sense. After hearing some stories of my grandparents’ younger days and seeing people around me learning about their family history through DNA tests, it struck me just how much of a crapshoot it is. When every daily choice seems monumental, it feels good to think that the generations before us didn’t know what they were doing anymore than we do. And the best you can do is follow your heart.”
Recorded by Julian Dreyer at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, North Carolina, and produced by Mike Ashworth and Steep Canyon Rangers, Next Act represents a return to the band’s bluegrass roots—reclaiming the music that first shaped them, drawing strength from tradition while continuing to write new chapters within it. The album features guest appearances by the aforementioned Steve Martin and Edie Brickell on “Halfway to Reno,” and Celia Woodsmith of Della Mae on “Hard Times.”
The album’s previously released title track, “Next Act,” stands as a stirring anthem of reinvention, showcasing the Rangers’ signature blend of bluegrass and Americana with rootsy storytelling, rich, harmony-laden arrangements, and soulful musicianship anchored by Aaron Burdett’s commanding lead vocal.
“Circling the Drain,” also previously released, highlights the band’s signature mix of high-energy precision and instrumental brilliance. Inspired in part by Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Demon Copperhead, Sharp’s songwriting channels a sense of precarity and forward momentum, with an opening that immediately establishes danger and unease. The Rangers’ music video for the track was filmed in the band’s hometown of Asheville and captured by Fiasco Media and IamAvl, offering a snapshot of the Rangers in their element.
In support of Next Act, the band will embark on a 27-date tour run spanning February through June, bringing their bluegrass sound to theaters, festivals, and performing arts centers across the country. The run includes a series of dates with Steve Martin & Martin Short, a symphonic evening with the Nashville Symphony, and festival appearances including MerleFest, Kerrville Folk Festival, and RockyGrass. Tickets and tour information are available here: https://www.steepcanyon.com/tour.
Formed in North Carolina and shaped equally by 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 long occupied a singular space in American roots music. From their earliest recordings, the band demonstrated an unusual ability to honor traditional bluegrass forms while allowing contemporary songwriting, literary influence, and regional storytelling to seep naturally into the music.
Over their 25-year career, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductees have released 14 studio albums, a live album, three collaborative albums with Steve Martin, and earned three-time GRAMMY nominations—including a win for Best Bluegrass Album for Nobody Knows You in 2013, while 2012’s Rare Bird Alert and 2020’s North Carolina Songbook garnered a nomination in the same category. Their first live album of original material, 2024’s Live at Greenfield Lake set a Billboard milestone, earning the Rangers their latest No. 1 on the Bluegrass Albums Chart, tying Old Crow Medicine Show for the most Bluegrass chart-topping albums in 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
February 20 – Weinberg Center for the Arts – Frederick, MD
February 21 – Avalon Theatre – Easton, MD
February 27 – Miller High Life Theatre – Milwaukee, WI*
February 28 – Orpheum Theatre – Minneapolis, MN*
March 4 – Montalvo Arts Center – Saratoga, CA
March 5 – The Freight – Berkeley, CA
March 6 – Lobero Theatre – Santa Barbara, CA
March 7 – Clark Center for the Performing Arts – Arroyo Grande, CA
March 8 – Belly Up – Solana Beach, CA
March 13 – DAR Constitution Hall – Washington, DC*
March 14 – Hershey Theatre – Hershey, PA*
March 20 – suwanee spring reunion 2026 – Live Oak, FL**
March 21 – Red Clay Music Foundry – Duluth, GA
March 26 – Parker Arts, Culture & Events – Parker, CO
March 27 – Phil Long Music Hall – Colorado Springs, CO
April 11 – Johnny Mercer Theatre – Savannah, GA*
April 12 – BJCC Concert Hall – Birmingham, AL*
April 24 – Merlefest – Wilkesboro, NC
April 25-26 – KeyBank State Theatre – Cleveland, OH*
May 6 – Schermerhorn Symphony Center – Nashville, TN^
May 7 – Hendricks Live! – Plainfield, IN
May 8 – Stoughton Opera House – Stoughton, WI
May 21 – Ham Amphitheater – Auburn University – Auburn, AL
May 23 – Kerrville Folk Festival – Kerrville, TX
May 29 – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Mills River, NC
June 26 – Big Ponderoo Music + Art Festival – Sisters, OR
July 26-27 – RockyGrass – Lyons, CO
* w/ Steve Martin & Martin Short
^ w/ Nashville Symphony
** w/ Larkin Poe, Jon Stickley Trio, Peter Rowan
