The Steel Wheels keep moving. The Virginia-based Americana five-piece have released the ‘Cold Call’ EP, a four-song collection drawn from their self-titled ninth studio album, which is now available on streaming platforms as of March 13. The full LP was co-produced by D. James Goodwin (Goose, Bonny Light Horseman, I’m With Her), recorded at his Shenandoah Valley studio during a snowy Virginia winter in sessions the band describes as fluid, emotionally open, and alive.
“All of life is learning to lose,” says primary singer and songwriter Trent Wagler of the EP’s lead track. “Accepting that failure is a part of growth, death is a part of life, and dreams sometimes come true, but even those don’t last. Can the awareness of impending loss give us the motivation to tell everyone we know we love them?” That question sits at the heart of everything The Steel Wheels do best, harmony-driven folk rock that honors acoustic roots while reaching for something larger and more emotionally resonant.
The self-titled album follows their critically acclaimed 2024 LP ‘Sideways’, which drew praise from Billboard, No Depression, Relix, and The Bluegrass Situation. The band also performed an official showcase at this year’s Folk Alliance in New Orleans, and their Red Wing Roots Music Festival, founded in 2013, returns June 18 through 21 in Mount Solon, Virginia, with past lineups having featured Lucinda Williams, Billy Strings, and Dawes.
The 2026 tour runs from the Mountain West through the Northeast before closing out the summer festival season at Red Wing Roots and the Blue Ox Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Twenty years deep and playing with the confidence of a band that knows exactly who they are.
2026 Tour Dates:
March 24 – Boulder, CO – E-Town
March 26 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
March 27 – Denver, CO – Swallow Hill
March 28 – Wichita, KS – WAVE
April 24 – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theatre
April 25 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton
April 26 – Hagerstown, MD – Live at Hub City Vinyl
April 27 – Lancaster, PA – West Art
April 28 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Cafe Lena
April 29 – Turners Falls, MA – Shea Theatre
April 30 – Portsmouth, NH – 3S Artspace
May 1 – Plymouth, MA – The Spire
May 2 – Ithaca, NY – Hangar Theatre
May 3 – State College, PA – State Theatre
June 18-21 – Mount Solon, VA – Red Wing Roots Music Festival
June 26 – Eau Claire, WI – Blue Ox Festival