Steep Canyon Rangers Announce “Next Act”

After 25 years of pushing bluegrass forward without losing sight of where it began, Steep Canyon Rangers are turning the page once again.

The GRAMMY® Award–winning North Carolina ensemble has released “Heart’s the Only Compass,” the latest preview from their upcoming album Next Act, due May 22 via Yep Roc Records. The track features longtime collaborator Steve Martin and leans into a reflective, soul-searching side of the band—one that embraces uncertainty, history, and the idea that no one ever truly has it all figured out.

Written by banjoist Graham Sharp, the song was inspired by stories of past generations and the fragile logic we apply to our own life paths. “When every daily choice feels monumental,” Sharp notes, “it’s comforting to realize the generations before us didn’t know what they were doing any more than we do. The best you can do is follow your heart.”

Next Act was recorded in Asheville at Echo Mountain Recording with Julian Dreyer and produced by Mike Ashworth alongside the band. The album marks a deliberate return to the Rangers’ bluegrass foundation—drawing from the music that first shaped them while continuing to evolve through thoughtful songwriting and adventurous arrangements. Guest appearances include Edie Brickell on “Halfway to Reno” and Celia Woodsmith of Della Mae on “Hard Times,” in addition to Martin’s contributions.

Previously released tracks from the album hint at its emotional and musical range. The title track, “Next Act,” serves as a statement of renewal and reinvention, pairing rich harmonies with roots-driven storytelling anchored by Aaron Burdett’s lead vocal. “Circling the Drain,” inspired in part by Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, brings a darker, more urgent energy, captured visually in a music video filmed in the band’s Asheville hometown.

In support of Next Act, Steep Canyon Rangers will hit the road for a 27-date tour running from February through June. The schedule includes select dates with Steve Martin & Martin Short, a special symphonic performance with the Nashville Symphony, and festival appearances at MerleFest, Kerrville Folk Festival, and RockyGrass, among others.

Formed in North Carolina and shaped by both the Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont, the Rangers—Graham Sharp, Mike Guggino, Aaron Burdett, Nicky Sanders, Mike Ashworth, and Barrett Smith—have long occupied a singular space in American roots music. Their sound honors traditional bluegrass while welcoming literary influence, contemporary themes, and regional storytelling.

Over the course of their career, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductees have released 14 studio albums, a live album, and three collaborative projects with Steve Martin, earning three GRAMMY® nominations and a win for Best Bluegrass Album in 2013 for Nobody Knows You. Most recently, 2024’s Live at Greenfield Lake debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart, tying Old Crow Medicine Show for the most chart-topping albums in the genre’s history.

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