While Hiltons, Va. — home of the legendary Carter Family, is a long way from Washington, D.C., the format — including resultant bluegrass — has a special place in the D.C. area, which is likely why bluegrass performers Steel Wheels of Harrisonburg, Va., are so warmly welcomed here. Yet, frontman Trent Wagler is quick to point out Steel Wheels isn’t all old-time sound.
“We’re not just playing traditional music,” Wagler told the Huntsville (Ala.) Times. “We’re adding a rock twist to an old medium.”
Fair enough. Though Wagler is a Mennonite whose Amish grandfather secretly formed a string band on the side and the other members of the Blue Ridge Mountains-based band have deeply placed old-time musical roots that prompt them to keep a “sense of heritage” when they’re writing, recording or playing, the four members are very much part of modern times.
Consider that last year, when Wagler and bandmate, multi-instrumentalist Jay Lapp, decided to do a short tour as a duo, they opted to forego a tour bus or van and bicycle to their shows. They traveled about 300 miles pulling their equipment with them, made seven stops and hope to make the bicycle concert tour an annual event.
They’ll likely have that chance. After five years together, the band’s music sound like a well oiled machine. Although there are modern nods in the mix — certainly in their recordings that include “Red Wing” and the just-released “Uncloudy Day” — the sound is perhaps best classified as bluegrass/Americana. Concerts are filled with plenty of sing-a-longs and fiddle tunes, both of which add to the old-time musical spirit.
Think of Adrienne Young and Little Sadie mixed with modern sounds from Avett Brothes and the Old Crow Medicine Show and you have an idea of what Steel Wheels is all about.
Perhaps Tina Owens of Acoustic Cafe summed up the group’s sound the best by calling them “Songs that recall a more familiar time and yet sound fresh and creative.”
