words & photos by Chris La Putt

I spent all of Friday night checking out three very diverse and entertaining shows at Joe's Pub (literally three separate ticketed shows, one after each other). First up were the bluegrass band The Steep Canyon Rangers from North Carolina. They were quite a force to be reckoned with, even without their occasional band member and comedian Steve Martin who joined them the last time they were in New York City.

The quality of their harmonies were impressive, especially in "Sylvie", like a more simplistic Dirty Projectors, but not at all plain acapella style. As one reviewer
writes, "the Steep Canyon Rangers again demonstrate that a band can be musically innovative while reaching into the past. Like other younger bands, Steep Canyon Rangers straddle the blurred edges of traditional and progressive bluegrass; that they do so as successfully as they do is a testament to their continued and expanding appeal." The ended their set with a song dedicated to Tiger Woods entitled "Lovin' Pretty Women" which you can see in the video below along with more pictures and the recap of more of the night...

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