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"True bluegrass, when done well, is a thing of art and the Steep Canyon Rangers are the genre's current Rembrandt."-Examiner.com 9/15/12

When the time came for the Steep Canyon Rangers to record the follow-up to 2012's Nobody Knows You, they headed north to Woodstock, NY, to Levon Helm's famed studio with Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell and engineer Justin Guip. This was a departure for the band, and they gave Campbell full control over the recording rather than act as their own co-producer.

Over the months before they started to record Tell The Ones I Love, they sent him several dozen new songs to consider. And while the Steep Canyon Rangers were certainly open to recording songs by other composers, or to dip into traditional material, Campbell ultimately had them record all original tunes, based both on the strength of the songs and the band's arrangements. This seems fitting for a band whose stellar reputation is based on performing original material, and who had just won the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Award for Nobody Knows You. There's a backstory here, too: last year, the band played Levon's Midnight Ramble, and impressed Helm enough that he invited them to come back and record at the barn. Unfortunately, that didn't happen before his untimely passing, but they still felt his joyful, creative spark and subtle influence while working in his studio.

The band wanted Tell The Ones I Love to reflect the spirit of their concerts—an original, freewheeling, high-energy approach to bluegrass that rests mainly on the songwriting of Graham Sharp and Charles Humphrey. They recorded the album almost entirely live, using few overdubs. "We wanted it to be different from our last album," explained banjo player Graham Sharp, "and create something more raw and immediate." Guitarist Woody Platt added that they headed into recording with "more confidence and momentum" from both their Grammy win and their unrelenting touring schedule.

These days, it's hard to talk about the Steep Canyon Rangers without mentioning Steve Martin. After meeting at a party and clicking immediately, Martin invited the band to tour and record with him. 2011's collaboration Rare Bird Alert was nominated for a Grammy, and later that year, they won IBMA's Entertainer of the Year Award. They average about 50 dates a year together, touring as Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, and most recently with the addition of special guest Edie Brickell. What has emerged is a real collaboration of seven consummate musicians—creating music that they are passionate about, and blending it with humor to form a sophisticated show. They are proud that it has exposed legions of new fans to the bluegrass genre. These collaborations have stretched the Steep Canyon Rangers musically, and definitely broadened their horizons and experiences, which include recent appearances on Austin City Limits, the Late Show with David Letterman, and the Today Show, and performances at Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, MerleFest, Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit, as well as their own Mountain Song festival and Mountain Song at Sea cruise.

The release of Tell the Ones I Love finds the Steep Canyon Rangers in a unique situation, and one they don't take lightly: "It took a lot of work for us to nose our way into the bluegrass world and become a de facto representative," Sharp acknowledges, "and we think it's a real responsibility." With this new record, "we can be a bridge between the bluegrass crowd and a wider audience that may not be die-hard bluegrass fans." Yet.