Martin was on British TV (BBC2) on Tuesday night also. He performed on Later Live, and will be on Later…with Jools Holland on Friday (13th) at 11.35 p.m. Video from that appearance will be available online.

Here is a taste of the Guardian review…

Dressed in a grey suit and tie, with his white hair and glasses, Martin looked like a doctor who was about to make an unpleasant prognosis. But instead he began with a barrage of self-deprecating jokes. Once he started playing, it became clear that he could hold his own against his impressive acoustic band, the Steep Canyon Rangers, both through his mastery of the claw-hammer banjo style, and – perhaps more surprisingly – his ability to write strong and varied material influenced by anyone from Scruggs to Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass.

The full review can be found on the broadsheet’s web site.

If you’ve ever wanted to be a music video producer, now’s your chance. Steve wants a music video for his tune Wally on the Run, so he’s holding a contest. You can create your own video to his song and enter to win $1000.

Since the song was written about Steve’s dog Wally, the video must contain one, or more, dogs. You can visit the contest page at DailyMotion.com for more details, and to watch some of the current entries. You’ll also find a link there to a page on Steve’s site where the track Wally on the Run may be downloaded for free during the contest timeframe.

The contest ends December 1, 2009, when Steve will choose the winner. 1st place will receive a cash prize of $1000, and presumably some promotion as the winner. 2nd place will receive $0.99.

Below is a short video from Steve explaining the contest.

This particular video features Doug McKelway interviewing John McEueun, who was instrumental in the production of Steve Martin’s newest CD, The Crow.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that Steve Martin will co-host this year’s (82nd) Academy Awards (otherwise known as the Oscars).

Martin has been getting a lot of press recently for his banjo playing. He was involved with the 2009 IBMA Awards Show in Nashville, performing with the Steep Canyon Rangers. He has also performed on the most prominent of TV’s late night talk shows.

It is unclear at this point if Steve will break out his banjo at the Academy Awards, but his co-host Alec Baldwin is certainly feeling the pressure.

“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

The announcement on the Academy’s website includes the following in their brief bio about Steve.

He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album “The Crow:  New Songs for the Five String Banjo.”

Perhaps Steve should receive an official appointment as a bluegrass ambassador?

Martin had a good week at IBMA earlier this month, being warmly embraced by the membership, and the audience at the IBMA Awards show.

There are two reviews of the show that may be of interest, starting with one from Casey Henry, who posted on The Murphy Method blog.

The whole show, from start to finish, was top-notch. Steve demonstrated his love and respect for the banjo and for bluegrass, while simultaneously managing to convey his excitement at actually getting to go on tour playing banjo. He also displayed a canny understanding of the bluegrass touring business: “If all goes according to plan, I’ll only lose $12,000.”

All the songs they performed were Steve’s originals, with the exception of the two that the Steep Canyon Rangers got to do solo: “Turn Up The Bottle” (from their new CD Deep In The Shade) and the a cappella “I Can’t Sit Down”, which the crowd absolutely loved.

Read Casey’s full review online.

CMT.com also has one by Calvin Gilbert.

Between songs, Martin delivered a generous helping of the humor he’s famous for, but music is at the forefront of the current tour showcasing material from his album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo.

Judging by his self-deprecating comments onstage, Martin obviously understands that some people may be skeptical of his desire to play bluegrass music. And who could blame them? Not to name names, but there’s a fairly lengthy list of movie stars who proclaim they would have been singers and musicians if only they hadn’t been sidetracked by Hollywood’s fame and fortune. They want to be taken seriously, but the unfortunate reality is that most of them record albums that leave you wondering if they ever had any serious musical chops to begin with.

It can also be read in full online.

The Goodtimes family of banjos are a budget-minded bunch, built by Deering in their shop near San Diego, CA. 12 different models are available, starting at just under $500.

We’re not sure which model(s) will be available at the Steve Martin concerts, or whether they are likely to hold collectible, limited-edition value over time.

You can find all the tour info online.

The song is Saga Of The Old West, one Martin wrote, which is included on his current banjo CD, The Crow. He also performed it with the Rangers on the IBMA Awards Show last Thursday night in Nashville.

The two acts are on tour for the next six weeks or so, with dates across the US, plus stops in Canada and the UK. Find the tour info online.

Click here to view the embedded video.

They are on tour together throughout October to promote Martin’s banjo CD, The Crow, plus the new Rebel release from SCR, Deep In The Shade, which hits tomorrow (10/6).

They will also be featured on Tuesday’s edition of The View, which airs on ABC at 11:00 a.m. (ET – 10:00 a.m. PT/CT).

You can find the show dates for Martin and The Rangers online.

We’ll have an interview with the band’s “utility infielder,” John McEuen,  as a part of our IBMA Red Carpet coverage, which will be posted over the course of this week and next. McEuen was at IBMA last week to help promote the band’s new CD, and Steve Martin’s banjo CD, The Crow, which he co-produced with Tony Trischka and Pete Wernick.

John plays banjo, fiddle, mandolin and resonator guitar with the band, and is their most direct connection to the bluegrass world.

You can hear audio samples from Speed Of Life on the Dirt Band web site, and here is a behind-the-scenes video from the tracking sessions.

Click here to view the embedded video.

At the Special Awards Luncheon we had the distinct pleasure of sharing a table with Rodney Dillard, his wife Beverly, and their children. What a delightful family, very gracious and enjoyable. I have the feeling we’ll be hearing from them this evening, but at the luncheon they sat and ate, and applauded enthusiastically for all the winners.

Speaking of winners…I tried to make some notes, so here’s what we have.

The award for Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project, went to Steve Martin for his CD, The Crow.

Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project was awarded to Greg Carr & Salli Ratts for their design of Steve Martin’s CD cover, The Crow.

This year’s Print Media Person of the Year is Roger Siminoff, for his work on Siminoff’s Luthiers Glossary, Banjo NewsLetter and Bluegrass Breakdown.

Our good friend, and co-hostess of this evening Red Carpet videos, Katey Daley, was named Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year for her work at WAMU’s Bluegrass Country in Washington, D.C.

Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival won the Bluegrass Event of the Year.

In addition to these Special Awards, four five Distinguished Achievement Awards were given as well.

Hylo Brown, Jody Rainwater, Dick Spottswood, Joe Wilson and Pati Crooker (Thomas Point Beach) were all recognized for their contributions to bluegrass music.

Here’s the Rangers talking about how they hooked up with Steve, and have ended up touring with him in support of CD.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the perfect timing department, the new Steep Canyon Rangers CD, Deep In The Shade will be released on Rebel Records this THursday, October 1.

Cindy was especially complimentary of Steve Martin, who will be lending his considerable star power to the event. She said that he has been very generous with his time, and while he offered to do anything in the show that she thought would be helpful, he had made a particular point of ensuring that he would not be getting stage time that should be going to “someone more deserving,” as he put it more than once.

One change this year is that our good buddy Ned Luberecki will be serving as backstage announcer, a job that Eddie Stubbs has handled for many a year. Eddie was unable to slip away from his WSM Thursday night duties this year, and Ned jumped at the chance to fill in.

Cindy also mentioned how proud she was to get some of the acts that haven’t performed on the show in some time back for 2009. Both Lonesome River Band and IIIrd Tyme Out return this year.

The show will open with a performance from Dale Ann Bradley, and will also include songs from Sierra Hull & Highway 111 and a very special “band duet” appearance from Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice and Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. on October 1. Sirius-XM subscribers can listen to the show live on Bluegrass Junction, and of course, The Bluegrass Blog will offer live blog coverage here in real time.

Inside the magazine is an interview with Martin conducted by fellow banjo picker Pete Wernick.

In addition to all their regular features, Managing Editor Sharon McGraw tells us that the new issue also has a special 20th Anniversary overview of the International Bluegrass Music Awards.

Sharon also invites all of our readers who will be at IBMA next week to swing by the BU booth in the exhibit hall for some special offers.

You can find subscription and single issue purchase info for Bluegrass Unlimited on their web site.

The project reunites the band with producer Ronnie Bowman and engineer Wyatt Rice with whom they collaborated on their 2007 album, Lovin’ Pretty Women.

Steep Canyon guitarist and lead vocalist Woody Platt tells us that it was a simple choice to go back to the well once again.

“It was great to pick up where we left off after finishing the Lovin’ Pretty Women record. We all had a better sense of what to expect from each other and it was easier to fall into an effective, productive routine. Our group learned so much and gained so much valuable experience the first time around with Ronnie and Wyatt… this session was more loose and spontaneous.”

To my ear, there is a greater maturity to this record, which I have noticed with each successive release from Steep Canyon Rangers -  something you don’t always find with an established, experienced group like this.

Woody seems to feel the same way.

“The new record again features songs written by the band members – mainly Graham Sharp and Charles Humphrey. I think the record has more depth from top to bottom and more diversity than anything we have recorded thus far as Steep Canyon Rangers. Tracks that stand out to me personally are: Have Mercy, I Thought That She Loved Me, Mountains Gonna Sing and Turn up the Bottle. Mountains Gonna Sing features Graham on finger style guitar, and has a different sound for us which I think will appeal to our fans, and maybe to a larger audience that might not be hard core bluegrass fans.”

Copies have not yet gone out to radio, but you should start hearing tracks from Deep In The Shade before much longer.

The guys will spend much of October touring with Steve Martin, in support of his banjo CD The Crow. They typically open the shows and then serve as Martin’s band for his portion of each evening’s entertainment. What a great way to launch a new release!

“We are truly flattered and excited to be playing the tour this fall with Steve. It is great to have the opportunity to play in such wonderful venues and to play Steve’s music. He really is an excellent banjo player and songwriter. The shows we have already played on LA and in NYC were a blast for SCR and went over very well–which I think lead to this upcoming tour.”

Look for Deep In The Shade on October 6, just after IBMA.

The 40 page book contains transcriptions for Steve’s opening breaks or primary solos on all 15 tunes, plus Tony Trischka’s harmony banjo parts for the title track and Wally on The Run. All the solos (3 finger and clawhammer) were transcribed by Trischka.

These banjo solos should be within the reach of most advanced beginners or intermediate pickers, and notes from Steve about playing each one are also included.

The book sells for $19.95 and is available wherever banjo instruction materials are sold, or directly from Homespun online. You can also pick up both the book and the CD for $29.95.

Homespun has recently begun to offer online distribution of their videos, starting with some older titles. Using software developed by Mod Machine, any of their titles offered for digital distribution can be downloaded for instant viewing on your computer. You’ll need to use this software any time you view the video, but you won’t need to be online to do so once it has downloaded to your computer.

They have 53 titles available for download at present and are adding new ones regularly.

Hosted as usual by Garrison Keillor the program will be broadcast live from The Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Also appearing on the program are Martin Sheen, Stuart Duncan and the PHC house band.

Showtime is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (EDT), but many affiliattes air the program at another time. Check the PHC station guide for air times across the country, or listen live online during the live broadcast Saturday at 6:00.

Saturday’s (5/30) edition of The Wall Street Journal contains an interview and concert review of Steve Martin’s May 27 show at the Rubin Museum in New York City with Steep Canyon Rangers.

Martin may have fostered his image as a wild and crazy guy on Saturday Night Live, but he is in fact very serious and thoughtful artist, more given to caution and reflection than impulse and abandon, something that Jim Fusili notes in his WSJ piece:

Supported by the Steep Canyon Rangers, Mr. Martin whipped up rousing bluegrass breakdowns and a cute tune about a boy racing to get to school. But during the best parts of the evening, he offered thoughtful readings of his delicate compositions, which are supple, never morose and rich with unexpected minor chords. By playing with tender restraint, he suggested a counterpoint to his familiar comedic persona. Though his face often was knit with concentration, it also glowed on occasion with tranquility, as if he’d found moments in which he lost himself within his music when expressing its layered emotions.

Unsurprisingly, Martin’s show isn’t afraid to use himself as the butt of a joke, and with enough truth in the bit to ensure that it hits home.

Though he incorporated the banjo into his comedy act as far back as the mid-’60s and originally released five of his compositions that appear on "The Crow" in 1981, on his album "The Steve Martin Brothers," the 70-minute show here was only Mr. Martin’s second full-fledged concert as a banjoist; he played a fund-raiser at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on May 11. He’s considering a tour, but he told me he’d make a decision after the three-show stand here and two sets Saturday night at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. After the sales bump from "Idol," the concerts fall somewhere between a road test and a labor of love; as he told the audience at the Rubin Museum, "If everything sells out . . . I will only lose $12,000."

You can read the full Journal article online.

The Bluegrass Blog congratulates Steve Martin for the success of his musical endeavors, and hopes to see many more similar efforts. For a man who has had such a powerful impact on comedy, film and stage drama, he deserves kudos for stepping out where his exploits are less well known.

But then, we also knew that his love for the banjo would win out.

Their are links to a few other reviews of the New York shows on the Steep Canyon Rangers web site, including this terrific photo gallery from Ryan Muir.

Following his appearance on the hit TV show American Idol, Martin’s new CD, The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, debuted at #106 on the Billboard 200.

Congratulations to Mr. Martin! And thanks for raising people’s awareness of banjo/bluegrass music.

Steve Martin will be performing with his banjo tonight on the American Idol finale program. He’ll be doing one of his songs from The Crow, officially released today (5/20) on Rounder Records.

The show airs at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) on Fox TV.

Steve will be featuring music from The Crow on television a few more times this next two weeks:

• May 25 – Ellen DeGeneres Show
• May 30 – Grand Ole Opry
• June 2 – Jimmy Fallon Show

Steve Martin on American Idol…  What’s next – Del McCoury on Dancing With The Stars?