The Steel Wheels are an Americana/bluegrass band that hails from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. They play Carnegie Hall on April 7, 2017.
For tickets call (304) 645-7917 or go to Carnegie Hall WV website
Photographer, Sandlin Gaither
The Steel Wheels have captured audiences across the country with their heady brew of original soulful mountain music and their deep commitment to roots and community. Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, this dynamic four-piece string band marries old-time musical traditions with their own innovative sound and lifestyle, generating a truly magnetic revival.
The Steel Wheels are gearing up to release a new record titled Wild As We Came Here, produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive, Elephant Revival), available May 5th!
Wild As We Came Here is a significant leap for the band, which started its journey in 2004. Wagler, Dickel, and Brubaker studied at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about an hour from Charlottesville. (All four members of the band grew up in Mennonite families.) Wagler and Dickel were in a punk/alternative band until acoustic music lured them in.
Wagler soon started crafting songs and learned flat-picking. Dickel took classes on building guitars. They briefly played as a duo before Brubaker joined on fiddle. Lapp eventually came on board after getting to know the band from the local folk circuit. In 2010, following a variety of EPs and LPs, the ensemble officially branded itself as The Steel Wheels, a tip of the hat to steam-powered trains, industrial progress, and the buggies of their Mennonite lineage.
Then as now, The Steel Wheels’ style weaves through Americana and bluegrass music, folk and old-time music, and the acoustic poetry of the finest singer-songwriters. By incorporating percussion and keyboards into the sessions for the first time, Wild As We Came Here adds new textures to their catalog, as themes of discovery, perseverance, and yes, a bit of wildness, run throughout the collection.
Get your tickets now! I'll see you tomorrow night at Carnegie Hall for an evening of soulful mountain music!
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