On the evening of Sep. 28, the Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band, the Steep Canyon Rangers, performed at the Brooks Center of Performing Arts. The band followed an opening set by Tigertown Roots, Clemson’s own bluegrass ensemble.
The Steep Canyon Rangers are from Asheville, North Carolina, and are well known for their lyrical storytelling and frequent collaborations with comedian and banjo player Steve Martin.
The band consists of six members: Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin and vocals, Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums and vocals and Barrett Smith on guitar, bass and vocals.
The Rangers performed some of their most famous songs as well as new ones from their recent album titled “Morning Shift,” which reached No. 1 on the bluegrass Billboard chart. The Rangers even performed a new song for the first time in front of a large audience.
Opening the show, Tigertown Roots performed four songs, concluding with the Clemson alma mater. The ensemble consists of students, including freshmen Annabelle Huffman on banjo and Anna Johnson on fiddle, banjo and guitar; juniors Holden Parsons on guitar and Grant Blevins on mandolin and banjo; and graduate student Thoreau Kilbourne on bass and banjo.
Prior to the show, The Rangers hosted a workshop with Tigertown Roots and the Young Appalachian Musician’s program. In this workshop, Tigertown Roots and the YAM program were able to talk with the band as well as play some music.
“We all got to ask the Rangers some questions, and we just sat around and jammed for a little bit,” Blevins said.
The YAM program and Tigertown Roots hope to continue to spread bluegrass music in the Clemson and Pickens County areas.
Bluegrass music dates back to the 1600s when settlers in South Carolina and other Appalachian states began to sing about their lives and land. The Steep Canyon Rangers and Tigertown Roots performance transported the Brooks Center into the mountains and the audience to their ancestors.
“There is a thriving bluegrass scene at Clemson, and we are the next generation keeping it alive,” Huffman said.
The performance was dedicated to Dick Hall, a bluegrass music lover, and sponsored by his children.
The Tigertown Roots bluegrass ensemble will be performing at the Martin Acevedo Farm Days on Oct. 7 in Anderson. They will be on stage at 11 a.m., and there will be bluegrass performances all day, as well as food and shows.
