Not newgrass. Not jamgrass. Just straight up, driving bluegrass. That defines the Steep Canyon Rangers, the North Carolina quintet who have spent the last eight years proving that it is still cool for young guys to pick it the way Bill Monroe used to pick it. The Steep Canyon Rangers began on the grounds of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where banjo player Graham Sharp, guitarist Woody Platt, and bass player Charles Humphrey would get together to jam.

Mandolinist Mike Guggino joined soon thereafter, and the band found themselves on the road in 1999. Since then, the band has traveled countless miles and performed hundreds of shows, recorded five albums (their most recent record, Lovin’ Pretty Women, will be released this month), seen the addition of California fiddler Nicky Sanders, and founded the Mountain Song Festival. Most importantly, the Steep Canyon Rangers have garnered the reputation as one of the finest young outfits in the bluegrass world. Their precise picking, spot-on harmonies, and dedication to the traditions of their craft earned the band the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year Award in 2006, an award that was well received by the band. “That was truly a special thing for us,” says Platt. “It meant a lot to us to be recognized by our peers.” The exposure given to the band through their IBMA success has also led to regular appearances on perhaps the most hallowed of all stages in acoustic music, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, former home of the Grand Ole Opry. The band’s third featured appearance was in July, and according to Platt, each performance is a milestone in the band’s career: “It is a great experience for us to be accepted into the Opry’s community.” Lovin’ Pretty Women, the band’s latest disc, is described by Platt as the band’s deepest record to date. “We didn’t really know what songs we were going to record on this record. We just let the songs evolve. The material on the record is more thought out and spontaneous, and sonically it sounds really big and strong.” True to form, Lovin’ Pretty Women highlights both the instrumental brilliance of each member and the band’s collective strength, a balance derived from attention to tradition. “No question about it,” says Platt, “we are a bluegrass band. It’s what we love.”

Catch SCR at Pickin’ in Parsons in Parsons, W.Va., on August 3rd, at the Rhythm and Roots Reunion in Bristol, Va., on September 14, and at the band’s own Mountain Song Festival in Brevard, N.C., where they will be joined by Del McCoury Band, Peter Rowan & Tony Rice, and Claire Lynch. -Dave Stallard