The Steel Wheels

The Steel Wheels
Park View in Harrisonburg, Virginia
September 4, 2009
Background information
Origin Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia
Genres Roots, Americana, folk
Instruments Vocals, acoustic guitar, upright bass, mandolin, fiddle
Labels Independent
Website thesteelwheels.com
Members Trent Wagler
Jay Lapp
Brian Dickel
Eric Brubaker

The Steel Wheels are an American roots music, Americana group of folk musicians, based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. They released Wild As We Came Here in 2017.

Biography

The Steel Wheels are a roots and Americana band, writing and playing music in the closely related but unique styles of blues, bluegrass, old-time music, and fiddle music. Trent Wagler is lead vocalist and the band's primary songwriter. When asked how his Mennonite upbringing contributes to his music, he responds, "A sense of community. And harmony singing."[1]

Jay Lapp (mandolin, guitar, vocals) had been touring in several bands throughout the Midwest when he and Trent met in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The musical partnership formed, and it was the first incarnation of The Steel Wheels. Later, the two were joined by Brian Dickel (upright bass) and Eric Brubaker (fiddle), and The Steel Wheels were born.[2]

Trent Wagler (guitar) and Brian Dickel (stand-up bass) perform with The Steel Wheels February 6, 2009 at Little Grill Collective in Harrisonburg, Virginia

The Steel Wheels received seven nominations from The Independent Music Awards[3] in 2010. Their song "Nothing You Can't Lose" (from the album Red Wing) received the highest award of "Best Country Song" in the 10th Annual IMA Awards, and in the Vox Pop Awards. "Working on a Building" also won "Best Gospel Song" in the 10th Annual IMA Vox Pop Awards. Red Wing earned very high marks from critics and received airplay on radio stations across several markets. The album charted for 13 weeks on the Americana Music Association Top 40 radio charts, hitting No. 15.[4] It also made its way onto the EuroAmericana[5] charts, finding its way into the top 10. It was ranked number two across all independent releases charted by the Americana Music Association, and number 70 on the top 100 Americana albums of 2010[4]).

The Steel Wheels have appeared at numerous Americana festivals, including The Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival,[6] the Kerrville Folk Festival, FloydFest, the Albino Skunk Music Festival, the Smoky Hill River Fest, the Folk Alliance and Appalachian Uprising. Other notable venues they have played include the NPR Mountain Stage,[7] Eddie's Attic, the Ark, the Bluebird Café and the Calgary Folk Club. Trent Wagler and Jay Lapp have also played at the 'Ards International Guitar Festival in Ireland, with Peter Rowan.

Wild As We Came Here (2017)

The group brought in Sam Kassirer, known for his work with Josh Ritter and Lake Street Dive, to produce Wild as We Came Here in 2017. They recorded the album "in a week and a half" in the Fall of 2016 in Kassirer's "renovated farm house studio" in Maine.[1] For the new album the band augmented their sound with drums and keyboards, which "expanded their sonic palette, adding a singer-songwriter element to their string band sound."[1]

This change in instrumentation "contributes emotional textures that flesh out the deeper concerns in Trent Wagler's lyrics," while Eric Brubaker's fiddle is "a piece of inspired alchemy, as he almost single-handedly keeps the listener entrenched in the band's rural landscape even as the songs tackle weighty matters."[1]

The Wheels deliver ten singularly brilliant songs that form a cohesive document of life in western Virginia. Subjects as diverse as environmental activism and religious oppression are all firmly rooted in a mural of rural life. At their core these stories are connected to the natural, tangible world, and as such, their struggles take on an epic, spiritual dimension, one that we immediately identify with.

— No Depression

The "SpokeSongs" Bicycle Tour

In step with the feel of their music, taking tradition and history and giving it a modern flavor, The Steel Wheels conduct an annual tour called "SpokeSongs". Different from usual tours, this one is done entirely by bicycle. They average ten shows and travel around 500 miles, and transport all gear on their bikes. The first tour, in 2009, featured The Steel Wheels Duo (Wagler and Lapp) traveling through the Virginia countryside. In 2010, the duo moved the tour to Michigan. And in 2011, all four band members participated in the bicycle tour, again in Michigan. They maintain a blog about the tour on their website.[8] The Michigan-based company Tree Fort Bikes is assisting in the tour.[9]

Red Wing Music Festival

Since 2012, the group has hosted the Red Wing Roots Music Festival at Natural Chimneys Park in Mt. Solon, Virginia. The two main stages in "the music meadow" take advantage of the "perfect backdrop" provided by "limestone rock formations towering more than 120 feet above."[10]

The musical lineup for the sixth annual festival taking place July 13–15, 2018 includes: I'm With Her (Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan), John Moreland, Josh Ritter, The Judy Chops, Kuinka, The Secret Sisters, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Trampled By Turtles — in addition to The Steel Wheels themselves. Wagler says of the success of the festival so far:[10]

Last year we crossed over the threshold of five years together. I know there are those who have said the honeymoon could not last, that sooner or later we'll just be another grumpy old festival losing the luster or shine of yesteryear. But it's not that way with us, Red Wing. Every year you surprise me with something new, something that keeps it fresh.

Musical style

Imagine a blend of the passion of the Avett Brothers, the instrumentals of Old Crow Medicine Show, and then sprinkle in the backwoods feel of The Legendary Shack Shakers. In truth, attempting to compare The Steel Wheels to anyone is an injustice, since after one listen you can hear that they stand very well on their own perch."[11]

— John Walker, Americana Roots

There is purity and power in the sound of this band that few come close to tapping. Tight pickin', passionate energy, and Wagler's voice soars like an eagle. Their new album Red Wing captures the spirit of their great live performances."[12]

— Martin Anderson, WNCW Music Director

Shenandoah Valley's newest, and brightest, songwriting force.[13]

— Blueridge Outdoors Magazine

Honors, awards, and distinctions

Discography

  • Journal of a Barefoot Soldier (Dojo, 2005)
  • Blue Heaven (Dojo, 2006)
  • Adrienna Valentine (Dojo, 2008)
  • Red Wing (Independent, 2010)
  • Uncloudy Day (Independent, 2010]
  • The Steel Wheels, Live at Goose Creek (Goose Creek Music, 2011)
  • Lay Down, Lay Low (Independent, 2012)
  • No More Rain (Independent, 2013)
  • Leave Some Things Behind (Big Ring Records, 2015)
  • Wild as We Came Here (2017)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 McSpadden III, J.M. (2017-05-11). "The Steel Wheels Release the Best Album of Their Career". No Depression. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  2. ↑ "(2009). ''About the Band''. Retrieved July 15, 2011". The Steel Wheels. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  3. ↑ "The Independent Music Awards". The Independent Music Awards. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  4. 1 2 Americana Music /. "Americana Music Association". Americanamusic.org. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  5. ↑ "The Euro Americana Chart". Euroamericanachart.nl. November 6, 2007. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival". Bristolrhythm.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  7. ↑ "NPR Mountain Stage – Past Performers". Npr.org. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  8. ↑ thesteelwheels (July 11, 2011). "The SpokeSongs Bike Blog". Spokesongs.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  9. ↑ "Tree Fort Bikes". Blog.treefortbikes.com. March 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  10. 1 2 Calello, Monique (2018-02-23). "Red Wing Roots Music Festival announces full lineup". The News Leader. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  11. ↑ Geil, Gregg (March 2, 2010). "American Roots, Defining Americana Music". Americanaroots.com. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  12. ↑ "Anderson, Martin. WNCW Music Director". Wncw.org. Retrieved 2011-07-26.
  13. ↑ Blueridge Outdoors Magazine
  14. ↑ "The Steel Wheels: Americana, Made By Hand" by CLAIRE MARIE BLAUSTEIN, NPR: Song of the Day—May 10, 2012.
  15. ↑ Martens, Todd (October 9, 2012). "Stagecoach 2013: Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum top the lineup". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Stickshifts and Safetybelts" performed by the Steel Wheels #smallspaces
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