Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-06-26
Oklahoma City’s The Steppers are carving out their own lane as a fast-picking, hard-driving psychedelic string band with roots in jamgrass, folk, bluegrass, and Oklahoma grit. With their new album, The Lights Are Always On, the band leans further into traditional bluegrass drive while keeping the emotional storytelling, improvisational energy, and road-tested chemistry that have shaped their sound. Grateful Web caught up with The Steppers to talk about the new record, the Oklahoma music scene, “Told You,” and where the band is headed next.
GW: The Steppers are described as a fast-picking, hard-driving psychedelic string band from Oklahoma City. How do you describe the band to someone hearing you for the first time?
The Steppers: That is actually always a difficult conversation. We always just revert to calling ourselves jamgrass or psychedelic folk with an Oklahoma twang.
GW: Oklahoma is not always the first place people think of when they talk about modern jamgrass. How has Oklahoma City shaped the sound and identity of The Steppers?
The Steppers: Not at all! Really not even a huge jam scene much less to get down to the sub genre of jamgrass, the crowd that's here though has been very supportive! It's weird because it has shaped us, but in ways we can't really explain. We always felt we were just doing something of our own but the more we looked back into it, the Oklahoma just kept seeping out of us.
GW: Your new album, The Lights Are Always On, feels like a defining moment for the band. What made this record feel different from your earlier work?
The Steppers: Just the certainty behind the work, every song we felt sure of. Maybe some were rushed or took longer than expected but somehow it all came out the way we felt it needed to. You can hear the bluegrass really come out more which is exactly what we had hoped. We really all fell deeper in love with traditional bluegrass around this time and its really starting to come through in our work.
GW: You’ve said your past albums sounded more like songwriters with a string-band twist, while this one shows more drive and punch. What changed in the writing or recording process this time around?
The Steppers: Really having decided on recording as a full 5 piece helped a ton, knowing all the gaps would be filled allowed us to not feel the need to cram words or having any lingering extras. We were going to keep the energy rocking through and through. It's easy to do when you have phenomenal musicians like Kevin Foster on the banjo and Kasey Dillon on the fiddle.
GW: “Told You” is a pretty emotional first single. Can you talk about where that song came from and why it felt like the right introduction to the album?
The Steppers: “Told you” came from a late night argument with a partner, where that phrase just really stuck hard. It is an emotional single, we felt like it blended our old with our new so well that it was a smooth fresh take and a big step in the right direction for where we are going, and that's why it made the perfect single to lead this release.
GW: The band called “Told You” one of the most haunting phrases in any relationship. How do you balance personal storytelling with the high-energy, fast-picking side of the band?
The Steppers: Yeah it's one of those phrases that just really digs deep. The story came out so smoothly because of how fresh the situation was, it was written within an hour of the big fight. The song just happens to lend itself well to the picking side. I really had the ideas laid out very quickly after writing the progression and lyrics and after having Kasey and Kevin in the studio they really helped add some layers I couldn't be more proud of.
GW: The Lights Are Always On was written in a concentrated creative window. Were these songs built quickly, or had some of them been developing on the road for a while?
The Steppers: Some of them had been developing with bits or pieces but most of it did kind of just unfold, specifically around a trip to western North Carolina where we found ourselves cabin side for a bit waiting between gigs.
GW: You recorded the album as a full five-piece with banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass, and fiddle. How did expanding the instrumental lineup affect the sound of the record?
The Steppers: It really just filled the space in and really gave the music so much texture. Having the classic 5 piece in there really gave us the strength we were hoping for out of an album as important to us as ‘The Lights Are Always On.’ In an ideal world we would tour as a 5-piece and hope to get to that point some day.
GW: The tracklist has titles like “24 Hour America,” “Everyone’s A Criminal,” “Off The Rails,” and “Union Pacific Payroll.” Is there a larger thread or story running through the album?
The Steppers: There definitely is a story to be told. Mostly just over the state of the world and the state of ourselves. The darkness that has been hidden for so long is coming to light and the people who are supposed to look after us are right there in the middle of it. I feel like as the people we are all at our wits end and just ready to come out on the other side. We are all just trying to stay at the “Top End” of what we can be (pun lol)
GW: You’ve shared stages with bands like Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Del McCoury. What have you learned from watching those artists operate onstage?
The Steppers: Just to see the elite artistry alone is something that will always drive us to do better. We also always try to learn the most about what goes on off the stage for those guys as well. Trying to master the operation of being on the road is half the battle.
GW: Improvisation seems central to what The Steppers do. How do you decide when a song needs to stay tight and when it wants to open up?
The Steppers: I think it just kind of happens, you just come to a space when there feels like the song could be more than you can say and it just unfolds. A lot of our songs are written with energetic progressions and that leads to so many musical ideas and all it takes is one of us to pop the can open and we are off to the races.
GW: A lot of jamgrass bands are working with the same ingredients — bluegrass, rock, folk, funk, improvisation — but the best ones still find their own lane. What do you feel makes The Steppers distinct?
The Steppers: Yeah, I think how late we fell in love with traditional bluegrass has something to do with it. We came in on the jamgrass side and actually all 3 have pretty different musical tastes which yet again is another aspect that makes us unique. Then to fall in love with traditional bluegrass and roots music behind it all makes up a very different sound.
GW: You’ve played everywhere from bars and pizza parlors to festivals. How has that kind of relentless gigging shaped the chemistry between Jake, Theran, and Lawson?
The Steppers: I mean it's been everything, we started with a vision and we have just been chipping away every which way we know how. It's awesome all the love and support we have gotten along the way and we are just proud of where we came from and proud of where we are going.
GW: What does success look like for The Steppers at this point? Is it bigger stages, better records, deeper jams, stronger songs, or all of the above?
The Steppers: Definitely all the above, we already have even more fresh material written and itching for the next but as of now we just want to share our songs and meet new faces and really just see where this ole train can take us. We look forward to all the jams along the way.
GW: When people hear The Lights Are Always On from front to back, what do you hope they come away feeling about the band?
The Steppers: I hope they feel like they are a piece of what we have going on. Feel like a part of what we are. I hope they feel heard and understood and I hope they feel compelled to keep on steppin’ and doing their thing just the way that we have.
GW: Bonus: What is one song on the new album that you think best captures where The Steppers are headed next?
The Steppers: I think “Top End” is the best representation. We just want to be the absolute most we can be, in every way possible. We want to play the best we can, in the biggest rooms we can, dancing with our friends as much as we can, make more music when we can, and take these songs on the road as much as we can.
