Steve Martin performed this past Sunday (10/11) at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the first stop in his Fall tour with Steep Canyon Rangers to promote his banjo CD, The Crow. John McEuen opened the show, which also included cameo appearances from Dan Tyminski, Rhonda Vincent and Earl Scruggs.

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.

Steve Martin may not have taken home the IBMA Banjo Player of the Year Award, but he is taking his own Deering Goodtime Banjo model with him on the road this month. Deering has created a special headstock brand for these banjos, which will only be offered for sale at Martin’s live appearances with Steep Canyon Rangers during their current tour.

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.

Video has been posted of Steve Martin and Steep Canyon Rangers performing last night (10/5) on The Late Show with David Letterman.

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.

Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers will be musical guests on tonight’s (10/5) edition of The Late Show with David Letterman. The show airs on CBS at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT).

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.