The Steels Wheels with special guests Chatham County Line at The Blue Ridge Music Center
The Steel Wheels have long been at home in the creative space between tradition and innovation, informed by the familiar sounds of the Virginia mountains where the band was formed, but always moving forward with insightful lyrics and an evolving sound. In 2005, Jay Lapp (vocals, guitars, mandolin) and Eric Brubaker (vocals, fiddle) joined lead singer Trent Wagler (guitar, banjo) in forming the band as a vehicle for Wagler’s songwriting. They released several albums under Wagler’s moniker, before officially adopting the The Steel Wheels name with the 2010 release of Red Wing. Quickly staking their claim as independent upstarts in the burgeoning Americana scene, The Steel Wheels followed up this release with three more self-produced albums in the next five years, before joining forces with producer Sam Kassirer for Wild As We Came Here (2017) and Over The Trees (2019). Kevin Garcia (drums, percussion, keys) joined in 2017, bringing a new level of sonic depth and polish to the outfit.
The Steel Wheels have responded to this time of isolation and loss by seeking to connect with their audience in new ways. In 2020, unable to perform their rootsy brand of Americana for crowds in live settings, the musicians turned their creative powers to crafting songs for individuals. Produced in isolation in the band’s home studios, the Everyone a Song album is part of an ongoing project to collect the personal experiences of fans and forge them into that most enduring, yet ephemeral, format we call “song.” An accompanying podcast, We Made You a Song, explores the stories behind these songs, and the songwriting process itself. While each song was commissioned to honor a specific relationship or event—a birth, a wedding, a memory of home—the emotions evoked are universal.
https://www.thesteelwheels.com/
Come 2021, Chatham County Line will have been a staple of the North Carolina music scene for over two decades. Embracing the heart-worn songwriting and rough-hewn voice of leader Dave Wilson the band has graced stages all across the U.S. as well as Europe, Scandinavia, Ireland and the United Kingdom. With eight studio albums of original material to pull from, CCL has a sound all their own and a live show to match. Songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Dave Wilson pulls tunes out of an ether that is inspired by a shelf bending collection of vinyl records from the 1920’s to the 2020’s. One listen to their all covers release Sharing the Covers from 2019 will give you an idea of those inspirations, with songs from the likes of Wilco and Beck shared with those of John Lennon, Tom Petty and John Hartford.
With the recording of 2020s Yep Roc Records release Strange Fascination the band decided to push their sound a little bit more into the modern world and embrace the use of drums both in studio and onstage. “We’ve had drums on several albums, most notably Wildwood, and our audience always responded well to those tunes” says Dave Wilson. John Teer who rotates from Mandolin to Fiddle all while singing soaring harmony adds “We’ve done an Electric Holiday Tour for the past 12 years that features an expanded group of musicians on the stage so we’re no stranger to a backbeat.”
With 20 years behind and clear skies ahead, look for Dave Wilson (acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica), John Teer (mandolin, fiddle), and Greg Readling (Standup Bass, Pedal Steel) as well as North Carolina staple Dan Hall on drums to keep traveling the highways, byways and airways to share their special canon of songs with the world.
https://www.chathamcountyline.com/