After supporting one bluegrass music veteran on several dates recently, Rebel recording artists Steep Canyon Rangers will be appearing with banjo player-cum-actor Steve Martin on the west coast at Club Nokia in Los Angeles next Monday, May 11.

The show to benefit Los Angeles Public Library begins at 8:00pm.

Later in the month they will all be appearing at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City for three already sold-out shows May 27 and 28.

According to lead singer and guitarist Woody Platt, the sets will be comprised mostly of songs off of Martin’s much-praised new album The Crow, with the band backing him up. The Steep Canyon Rangers, who have recently finished recording, for their next album (due for release in the Fall), will probably also get the chance to showcase a few of their own tunes at each show.

These dates are not the first that the Rangers and Steve Martin have done together. They first collaborated at the Mountain Song Festival in Brevard, North Carolina, an event the band organizes every year to benefit the local Boys and Girls Club. Martin later made a cameo appearance at a Steep Canyon Rangers’ gig in New York City this past winter.

Platt has this to say about the Steep Canyon Rangers appreciation of Steve Martin’s musical talents ‚Ķ‚Ķ

“Playing music with Steve has been a fun experience and an honor for our band. The music on The Crow is great and we have really enjoyed the challenge of learning his material.”

Meanwhile…

Rounder Records has announced the forthcoming release of a deluxe version of Steve Martin’s CD, The Crow.

This limited edition release, available on June 16, of The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo, will feature three bonus tracks plus a pop-up penguin!

The extra tracks are instrumental versions of Late For School and Calico Train, and The Slow Crow.