While the Virginia-based Steel Wheels play (mostly) acoustic instruments and have been categorized as a bluegrass band, there’s a rock edge to their work, especially on their last couple of albums, 2024’s Sideways and last year’s self-titled record. That isn’t surprising, given that their name comes from a 1989 Rolling Stones album. In their recent performance at The Hamilton Live, they delivered a slice of first-class Americana.
On April 25, the band’s set drew heavily on the latest album, opening with “Go Back.” Frontman Trent Wagler got a bit cheeky introducing “Easy,” telling the audience it’s about “how easy everything has gotten.” The same sense of humor was apparent on “Banjos for Everyone” — there’s a joke in the roots music community to the effect that a musician with one banjo had his car broken into, and he found two banjos in his car. Other songs from the LP included “Chase It All Away,” “Cold Call,” and “Who Wins the War.”
I particularly related to the story Trent told before “Keep on Dancing,” about his grandmother, who was very particular about the dishwasher. My parents constantly fought about this: my father couldn’t really figure it out, and stuff would come out looking unwashed. My mother would lose it with him for not learning how to do it correctly. This went on for decades. Either of them could’ve broken this cycle at any point in any number of ways, but they didn’t.
The set included the traditional “Cumberland Gap,” got political with “Where Will You Stand?” and “Til No One Is Free,” and addressed more personal topics with “Love You Like I Should.” “Red Wing,” “Rain In The Valley,” and “Breaking Like The Sun” saw the Steel Wheels putting their own unique on classic roots and bluegrass music. They also played “With It All Stripped Away” and the title cut from Sideways.
Watch the official music video for “Sideways” by The Steel Wheels on YouTube:
For the band’s encore, The Steel Wheels played “Rescue Me, Virginia.” I learned that Trent and I both grew up in the Midwest, him in Indiana and then Kansas, me in Kansas, then Ohio. Perhaps that’s why I sense and undercurrent of heartland rock here.
Maya de Vitry got the evening off to a terrific start with a set of excellent folk songs, played solo acoustic. Her set included some new material; she shared she has a new album coming out on July 24. She began with “How Bad I Want to Live,” followed by what she described as “a love song to a person, and to this beautiful planet, and to citrus, because I’m obsessed.” While’s she a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she’s lived in Nashville for the last 10 years, and she’s learned “you have to share the road with bachelorette parties.” She continued with “Nobody” and “Stacey In Her Wedding Gown,” which was inspired by her manager at the Nippers Corner Starbucks. Maya finished her set with “Traveler,” a song about her grandmother.
From the couple of new songs she played, de Vitry’s new album should be great, and I can’t wait to hear it. Her set fit nicely with the Steel Wheels, while providing enough contrast to keep things interesting. It’s surprising, given that the Steel Wheels are based near us, that I hadn’t seem them before, which is a shame, because they put on an excellent show. I can be picky about bluegrass, but the Steel Wheels take a fresh, engaging, approach to the genre.
Visit The Steel Wheels online for more music and tour dates!
