Headline: Steep Canyon Rangers Release “Circling The Drain” And Map 2026 Tour With Steve Martin
Tags: Steep Canyon Rangers, Graham Sharp, Mike Guggino, Aaron Burdett, Nicky Sanders, Mike Ashworth, Barrett Smith, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Harvester Performance Center, Wright Auditorium, Manship Theatre, Shaw Center for the Arts, Chickie Wah Wah, Main Street Crossing, Highland Park United Methodist Church, The Majestic Empire Foundation, Bass Concert Hall, Weinberg Center for the Arts, Avalon Theatre, Miller High Life Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, Montalvo Arts Center, Freight & Salvage, Lobero Theatre, Clark Center for the Performing Arts, Belly Up Tavern, DAR Constitution Hall, Hershey Theatre, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Red Clay Music Foundry, Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Parker Arts Culture & Events Center, Johnny Mercer Theatre, BJCC Concert Hall, KeyBank State Theatre, Stoughton Opera House, Ham Amphitheater, Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co,
Blog Post: The North Carolina sextet keeps moving at full throttle, recently dropping “Circling The Drain” alongside their mellow counterpart “Next Act” while mapping out an ambitious 2026 touring schedule. Steep Canyon Rangers have locked in dates from January through May that stretch from Virginia down to Texas, sweep across California, and loop back through the Southeast before wrapping up at home. The band reunites with Steve Martin and Martin Short for multiple stops on their comedy and music stage show, hitting theaters in San Antonio, Austin, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and several other cities throughout the spring.
“Circling The Drain” opens with the line “feeling strong as a speeding train flying full steam ahead,” setting an energetic pace that matches the Rangers’ relentless work ethic over the past two decades. The track arrived alongside “Next Act,” which takes a more understated approach with layered harmonies and a smooth groove. These releases deliver the kind of tight musicianship and vocal blend that earned the band their Grammy win for ‘Nobody Knows You’ back in 2013 and subsequent nominations for ‘Rare Bird Alert’ and ‘North Carolina Songbook.’
Barrett Smith notes that 2026 shapes up as an exciting year for the group, with their touring calendar filling up with favorite festivals and venues. The lineup of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin and mandola, Aaron Burdett on guitar, Nicky Sanders on fiddle, Mike Ashworth on drums and dobro, and Smith on bass brings the same chemistry that has powered 14 studio albums and three collaborative records with Steve Martin. The Rangers kick things off January 16 at Rocky Mount’s Harvester Performance Center before heading to Greenville, then down through Louisiana with stops at Baton Rouge’s Manship Theatre and New Orleans’ Chickie Wah Wah.
The spring run includes a five-day California stretch hitting Montalvo Arts Center, Freight & Salvage, Lobero Theatre, Clark Center for the Performing Arts, and Belly Up Tavern before circling back east for a Nashville appearance at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The tour closes out May 29 at the Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Mills River, North Carolina, bringing the three-time Grammy nominees back to their home state after months on the road carrying the Carolina sound from coast to coast.
Steep Canyon Rangers 2026 Tour:
January 16 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
January 17 – Greenville, NC – Wright Auditorium
January 22 – Baton Rouge, LA – Manship Theatre: Shaw Center for the Arts
January 23 – New Orleans, LA – Chickie Wah Wah
January 24 – Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing
January 25 – Dallas, TX – Highland Park United Methodist Church
January 29 – San Antonio, TX – The Majestic Empire Foundation **
January 30 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall **
January 31 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall **
February 20 – Frederick, MD – Weinberg Center for the Arts
February 21 – Easton, MD – Avalon Theatre
February 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre **
February 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre **
March 4 – Saratoga, CA – Montalvo Arts Center
March 5 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage
March 6 – Santa Barbara, CA – Lobero Theatre
March 7 – Arroyo Grande, CA – Clark Center for the Performing Arts
March 8 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
March 13 – Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall **
March 14 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre **
March 20 – Live Oak, FL – Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park
March 21 – Duluth, GA – Red Clay Music Foundry
March 22 – Nashville, TN – Schermerhorn Symphony Center
March 26 – Parker, CO – Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center
April 11 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre **
April 12 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall **
April 25 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre **
April 26 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre **
May 8 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
May 21 – Auburn, AL – Ham Amphitheater – Auburn University
May 29 – Mills River, NC – Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Steep Canyon Rangers 2026 Tour
January 16 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
January 17 – Greenville, NC – Wright Auditorium
January 22 – Baton Rouge, LA – Manship Theatre: Shaw Center for the Arts
January 23 – New Orleans, LA – Chickie Wah Wah
January 24 – Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing
January 25 – Dallas, TX – Highland Park United Methodist Church
January 29 – San Antonio, TX – The Majestic Empire Foundation **
January 30 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall **
January 31 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall **
February 20 – Frederick, MD – Weinberg Center for the Arts
February 21 – Easton, MD – Avalon Theatre
February 27 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre **
February 28 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre **
March 4 – Saratoga, CA – Montalvo Arts Center
March 5 – Berkeley, CA – Freight & Salvage
March 6 – Santa Barbara, CA – Lobero Theatre
March 7 – Arroyo Grande, CA – Clark Center for the Performing Arts
March 8 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
March 13 – Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall **
March 14 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre **
March 20 – Live Oak, FL – Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park
March 21 – Duluth, GA – Red Clay Music Foundry
March 22 – Nashville, TN – Schermerhorn Symphony Center
March 26 – Parker, CO – Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center
April 11 – Savannah, GA – Johnny Mercer Theatre **
April 12 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall **
April 25 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre **
April 26 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre **
May 8 – Stoughton, WI – Stoughton Opera House
May 21 – Auburn, AL – Ham Amphitheater – Auburn University
May 29 – Mills River, NC – Amphitheater at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
** with Steve Martin & Martin Short