Next Act

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Next Act is the 15th studio album from North Carolina's Grammy Award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers — Graham Sharp (banjo), Mike Guggino (mandola), Aaron Burdett (guitar/lead vocals) , Nicky Sanders (fiddle/vocals), Mike Ashworth (percussion/dobro/vocals), and Barrett Smith (bass) — released May 22, 2026 on Yep Roc Records, coinciding with the band's 25th anniversary. Recorded by Julian Dreyer at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, North Carolina and produced by Ashworth and the band, the 14-track, 53-minute album represents a deliberate and confident return to the bluegrass foundations that first shaped them, approached with the emotional range earned across more than two decades of collective evolution. As Homegrown Music Network describes it, founding member Graham Sharp delivers some of his most compelling songwriting to date, while the recent addition of powerhouse vocalist Aaron Burdett brings a new emotional depth to the group's harmonies. The album also features special guest appearances from frequent collaborator Steve Martin on banjo for "Heart's the Only Compass," Edie Brickell on harmony vocals for the road song "Halfway to Reno," and Della Mae's Celia Woodsmith on "Hard Times."Thematically, Next Act ranges across sentimental reflection, restless wanderlust, and generational continuity, with Bluegrass Today highlighting the album's emotional breadth — from the sentimental title track and "Hard Luck Kid" to the riveting resolve of "Heart's the Only Compass," "Babylon Stone," and "Roll of the Dice," through to the poignant introspection of "Sugar Lake," "Back of Beyond," and "Stubborn Love." No Depression praises the album's "compelling songwriting, strong vocals, and instrumentals that, when played live, seem to channel instruments not even present on stage," while Folk Alley notes the band's "ceaseless instrumental creativity, their intuitive ability to find the sounds between the notes, and their inventive lyricism." The record is live and immediate in feel, with Americana UK noting that "the mix allows you to be immersed in the whole experience" — a fitting testament to a band at their most deliberate and fully present. Show more