Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers (Part #2)

Adjusting his baseball cap, Graham Sharp leans forward and takes another sip of coffee. It’s late morning at the Tastee Diner in West Asheville. The constant traffic buzzes by the small restaurant bordering Haywood Road.
Banjoist/singer for the Grammy-winning Steep Canyon Rangers, Sharp is part of one of the marquee acts in string music today. The Western North Carolina group isn’t bluegrass. It isn’t Americana. It’s isn’t folk or indie, either. It’s all of the above, which is something Sharp and his bandmates have purposely set out to present to the listener.
With the acclaimed 2018 album, “Out in the Open,” the sextet painted a clearer picture of where they’re headed - anywhere they want, to be honest. The songs felt a little more laid back and free-flowing than in past releases, where the musicians simply went wherever the creative energy of the lyrics took their instruments while recording live in the studio - a signature approach of “serving the song” that remains at the core of the Rangers unique sound and steadfast attitude.
And this year marks a decade that the Rangers have collaborated with the legendary Steve Martin. The comedian, actor and musician has traveled the globe with the Rangers backing his variety show alongside fellow funny man Martin Short. Between sold-out performances seemingly every night to national television appearances, it feels like the Rangers are only getting started as the ensemble approaches 20 years together.
(Interview conducted by Garret K. Woodward, Arts & Entertainment Editor for The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living magazine, at the Tastee Diner in Asheville, North Carolina, on Dec. 19, 2018.)