The SteelDrivers

The SteelDrivers

 Only Nashville could give birth to a band like the SteelDrivers: a group of seasoned veterans –each distinguished in his or her own right, each valued in the town’s commercial community –who are seizing an opportunity to follow their hearts to their souls’ reward. In doing so, they are braiding their bluegrass roots with new threads of their own design, bringing together country, soul, blues, and other contemporary influences to create an unapologetic hybrid that is old as the hills but fresh as the morningdew. This is new music with the old feeling. SteelDrivers fan Vince Gill describes the band’s fusion as simply "an incredible combination."

Specializing in a unique mix of what might be called bluegrass soul, the SteelDrivers have become one of the biggest names in progressive bluegrass after making their debut in 2005. While there's a strong traditional streak in the SteelDrivers' sound, they bring a passion to their delivery that adds a distinctive flavor, and they're not afraid of adding a forceful gritto the music.The SteelDrivers have been nominated for five Grammys, including one in 2025 for Best Bluegrass Album, the Americana Music Association’s New Artist of the Year and was IBMA’s 2009 Emerging Artist of The Year. In 2015, “The Muscle Shoals Recordings” won the Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Recording.The quintet signed with Sun Records in 2025 and released Grammy Nominated album “Outrun” to great critical acclaim. The SteelDrivers are: Richard Bailey (banjo), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), Mike Fleming (bass), Brent Truitt(mandolin) and Matt Dame(Guitar)

Opener: TANASI 

“To me, TANASI is Appalachian music without guardrails — a sound that’s a culmination of our ever-evolving, unconventional paths, shaped by unpredictable winds, formed by unexpected hands, and forged together with joyful, emergent strength.”

TANASI is a worldgrass trio rooted in Appalachian string band tradition while moving freely and respectfully through global musical landscapes. Featuring the pioneering slide work of Billy Cardine alongside the luminous, tightly interwoven harmonies of Anya Hinkle and Mary Lucey, the trio creates music shaped not by boundaries of genre, but by decades of listening, travel, and shared experience.

In 2026, TANASI brings this distinctive sound to major U.S. festival stages including RockyGrass, Strawberry, and Red Wing Roots festivals, with additional appearances to be announced, as they introduce audiences to their self-titled debut album, TANASI, releasing May 2026.

The album reflects a life lived in motion. Long before forming as a trio, its members were independently immersed in musical traditions spanning Appalachia, Africa, Asia, India, Hawai’i and beyond — learning directly from musicians, teaching, collaborating, and discovering the deep connective sinews between rhythm, melody, and human expression. Rather than blending styles for novelty, TANASI reveals natural meeting points across traditions, where music feels shared rather than borrowed.

“At a moment when it feels like our country is looking dangerously inward,” says Hinkle, “this music feels like a reminder of how big the world really is. The breadth of musical styles that exist across borders and cultures is what makes life rich.”

That expansiveness runs throughout the album. Tracks draw inspiration from Nigerian polyrhythms, South African slide guitar melodies learned firsthand, and beloved Nepali folk songs absorbed during tours and collaborations abroad. At the same time, the record holds close to home — with original bluegrass instrumentals, Appalachian storytelling songs, and a powerful reading of “Many Rivers to Cross” that took on new resonance following Hurricane Helene’s impact on western North Carolina.

For Lucey, place remains central. “It’s a gift to learn Appalachian music among the laurels, creeks, and hollers where it was shaped,” she says, “and to have learned directly from first-generation mountain musicians who taught us how to stay in the pocket and honor the melodies.”

Behind the music is a trio dynamic built on trust and balance. “The same way a key needs certain cuts and angles to open a door,” Cardine explains, “this trio somehow has the right variables in place to make both art and work function. And then there’s the music, too.”

Cardine’s approach to global traditions is grounded in humility and curiosity. “That musical magic exists everywhere,” he says. “Each culture has found its own way to create it, and I love learning from that brilliance and sharing in what makes it happen.”

Individually, the members of TANASI bring internationally recognized careers into the group. Cardine is widely regarded as one of the most adventurous voices in modern slide guitar; Lucey is a foundational figure in contemporary string band music through her work with The Biscuit Burners and Uncle Earl; and Hinkle is an award-winning songwriter whose solo work has drawn international acclaim.

In 2025, TANASI was named a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts USArtists International Grant, recognizing the trio’s commitment to cross-cultural artistic exchange. Together, TANASI offers music that travels widely while remaining deeply rooted — a meeting place where traditions intersect, rhythms overlap, and connection leads the way.