Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
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Here’s the note I received about their stop in Columbus, down in Polk County, from the publicist for The Steel Wheels. I have only listened briefly to their album, which I downloaded off iTunes. I like what I hear:
I’m writing because one of our bands, The Steel Wheels from Virginia will be playing at the Chardonnay Rosso Concerts at the Green Creek Winery in Columbus, NC on 3/28. I was wondering if you might be interested in previewing the show.
The Steel Wheels are an Americana/Roots band that have garnered comparisons to The Avett Brothers, Langhorne Slim, and the Old Crow Medicine Show.
They also do a yearly tour on bicycles. Last year they played 7 dates in 7 days throughout the mountains of Virginia traveling exclusively on bicycles. They’re a great band playing some wonderful music. This year they have a bike tour of Michigan planned.
Here’s what they have to say about their new album, Red Wing:
Red Wing is a testament to the many forms roots music can take, from the catchy “Long Way to Go” to the gospel-inspired, folky-blues rollick of “Nothing You Can’t Lose,” a song that makes you want to stand up and say “Amen!” Red Wing is punctuated with instrumentals – nearly a lost art – including the luminous “Second of May,” composed by Lapp, and two fiddle tunes from Brubaker. Restless yet poignant harmonies in “Dance Me Around the Room” invite the listener to linger with the album. Also noteworthy is “Surround Me,” an a capella powerhouse that the band recently performed live on WDVX’s “Blue Plate Special” broadcast in Knoxville.
The Steel Wheels have built a following from the East Coast to the Midwest and beyond, appearing at Americana festivals such as the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festival, Floydfest, Folk Alliance, and Appalachian Uprising. Wagler and Lapp also regularly take a duo show to Ireland and have appeared with Peter Rowan at the ‘Ards International Guitar Festival.
