Wednesday, July 28, 2010

It’s Steve Martin, Rangers and banjos

Bluegrass concert touted as the ‘best on tour’


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

Courtesy photo Steve Martin will perform with The Steep Canyon Rangers at River Run with on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Giving the Wood River Valley a performance of some of the best bluegrass music touring the states today, the Sun Valley Center for the Arts will present Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers at River Run in Ketchum on Tuesday, Aug. 3. Tickets are $35 for Center members and $45 for non-members.

Martin needs little introduction. The Grammy and Emmy award-winning entertainer is most known for being a comedian, an actor and a talented writer, but he is also a gifted musician with a passion for the banjo.

While in western North Carolina, near Asheville, he met the Steep Canyon Rangers. Today, he tours the country playing with the band, and this summer's tour will end in Sun Valley.

"Sun Valley gets the most-polished show of the tour because we end there," said Steep Canyon Rangers band member Woody Platt. "We do 130 shows a year and 40 of them are with Steve."

The Rangers band members are Platt as lead singer and guitarist, mandolinist Mike Guggino, bassist Charles R. Humphrey III and banjo player Graham Sharp. The band is celebrating 10 years together. They have been playing major bluegrass festivals around the world and have recorded several albums, including their most recent CD, "Deep In The Shade."

"There are all kinds of wonderful bluegrass bands," Platt said. "But we have original style and our sound is truly unique. The sound we develop with Steve is different from our own."

Platt said Martin is original, very focused and open-minded. In addition, Platt said Martin has a stage presence and ability to entertain an audience that is a gift and the Rangers are part of the experience.

"There's no better person to learn to be on stage from than Steve," Platt said. "Our collaboration on songs, banjo instrumentals and writing, interpreting and arranging together is a great mixture of banjo music."

Martin and the Rangers will perform several styled banjo songs, including an a cappella piece in five parts.

"There is a lot of tradition in bluegrass and parts of it need to be preserved and held on to," Platt said. "There is a lot of respect from our generation of players and the original music and where it came from, but we want the young people to come out and enjoy it."

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com




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