YOUR AD HERE »

The Steeldrivers brave severe weather to perform at Strings on Friday

Bluegrass band The Steeldrivers plays at Strings on Friday, March 15. (Courtesy photo)

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The Steeldrivers have made it across the country to Steamboat Springs for their Friday show, despite the week’s bomb cyclone, road closures and the mass grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts.

“We were in utter scramble mode for a while, reconfiguring flights,” said fiddler Tammy Rogers, laughing.

The Steeldrivers began casually playing together in 2005 and had become a committed band by 2007, when they signed with Rounder Records. From there, the Nashville-based group’s momentum only grew.

If you go

What: Strings presents The Steeldrivers
When: 7 p.m. Friday, March 15
Where: 900 Strings Road

The band earned a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album with their 2015 “The Muscle Shoals Recording” as well as several International Bluegrass Music Association nominations. The group is known for original songs with a gritty bluegrass sound and for outstanding individual musicianship in each of its members.

“The Steeldrivers bring so much energy,” said Strings’ Marketing Director Kristine Kilbourne. “Having just gone to WinterWonderGrass, when we see so many different genres of bluegrass, now we have The Steeldrivers bring what I think of when I think of Americana. They’re tried and true bluegrass.”

Along with Rogers, the group also features mandolinist Brent Truitt, bassist Mike Fleming, banjo player Richard Bailey, and most recently, as of a bit more than a year ago, vocalist and guitarist Kelvin Damrell. Multi-instrumentalist Mike Henderson and singer-guitarists Chris Stapleton and Gary Nichols have also done stretches with the band.

“I think because the other four of us have all been playing together for so long, it really didn’t feel like we had much of a down period at all,” Rogers said of Nichols’ departure and Damrell’s onboarding. “(Kelvin) very quickly assimilated into the band. We’ve just been kickin’ it and going.

“Our fans have been amazing, staying with us on this journey and just trusting that when they come to our show, they’re going to hear a great band and a great sound,” Rogers added.

“We’re staying true to form with our emphasis on songwriting,” she said. “(On Friday), we’ll definitely be playing some new songs, but everybody will still get to hear their favorites.”

To reach Julia Ben-Asher, call 970-871-4229 or email jbenasher@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @JuliaBenAsher.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Steamboat and Routt County make the Steamboat Pilot & Today’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.