Rangers bring banjo smiles

Photo by Contributed photo

Contributed photo Steep Canyon Rangers does bluegrass right on its latest CD, "Nobody Knows You."

It's summer now, and that means green trees, shady country lanes, long afternoons of fishing and the smell of freshly mowed grass from shady front porches.

Oh, and bluegrass music.

Speaking of bluegrass music, the BrownChicken BrownCow Stringband made a strong impression on acoustic music fans when the talented young West Virginia pickers brought their hot and innovative "new traditional" bluegrass to the Iron Horse Pub in March. They promised to return, and they will when they settle in Saturday night for a second go-round at the Iron Horse Pub.

If you can't make it to the BrownChicken BrownCow show, the group's three albums are available at its website, and they're all good reasons to become BrownChicken fans.

And any of these other new releases will help set a bluegrass mood.

"Nobody Knows You" by Steep Canyon Rangers

Banjo-picking comedic legend Steve Martin could have gotten any top bluegrass outfit to be his backup band in the studio and on the road, but he chose the Steep Canyon Rangers. The Rangers' new album, "Nobody Knows But You," again showcases the distinctive spark that drew Martin to the group.

While the Rangers work within the traditional bluegrass mold as invented by Bill Monroe, they don't let strict traditionalism confine them, often breaking out on songs like "Between Midnight and the Dawn" before returning to the rollicking banjo-driven fun on tunes such as "As I Go" and "Ungrateful One."

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Rangers bring banjo smiles