The Steel Wheels are an Americana Roots Folk Rock band based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

This article contains text that is written in a promotional tone. (November 2021)

The Steel Wheels
The Jefferson Theater on February 16, 2019 Charlottesville, Virginia
Background information
Origin	Harrisonburg, Virginia
Genres	Americana, Folk, Bluegrass, Rock
Occupation(s)	Studio and Touring Band
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mountain Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, Upright Bass, Electric Bass, Drums, Percussion, Keyboards
Years active	2006 to currently active
Labels	Big Ring Records
Members	Trent Wagler Jay Lapp Eric Brubaker Kevin Joaquin Garcia
Past members	Brian Dickel
Website	thesteelwheels.com

Biography

Songwriter and lead singer Trent Wagler conceived of a project entitled Distance Together, an avenue for fans of the band to commission works and send musical greetings to their loved ones. The initiative sparked a songwriting process, with Wagler setting the personal stories of fans to song and verse.^{[citation needed]} The project has been documented in an accompanying podcast, We Made You a Song, on NPR. Each episode dives into the creation of a single song on the album, serving as an in-depth audio liner note. Wagler interviews the band as well as the actual subjects of each song to give a look into the creative process and what it means for someone to have their experience distilled into melody and rhyme.

The Steel Wheel release albums under their own label, Big Ring Records. During the first few months of the pandemic and cessation of all touring, The Steel Wheels recorded over 120 songs in their isolated studios. ^{[citation needed]}

Trent Wagler is lead vocalist, mountain banjo player, guitarist and the band's primary songwriter. Jay Lapp plays mandolin, guitar, electric guitar and sings. Eric Brubaker plays fiddle and sings. Kevin Joaquin Garcia plays drums, hand percussion and keyboards. Former member Brian Dickel plays Bass and sings. Brian has accepted ownership of Huss & Dalton Guitars and has since amicably left the band. Derek Kratzer joined The Steel Wheels on stage and in the studio starting September of 2021.[1]

Red Wing Roots Music Festival

Since 2012, the group has hosted the Red Wing Roots Music Festival at Natural Chimneys Park in Mt. Solon, Virginia.[2]

Musical style

The Steel Wheels perform an exciting and original take on folk, folk rock and Appalachian roots music with a modern twist. Their records and performances are dynamic and varied from beautiful heartbreaking songs to wild instrumental frenzy.^{[citation needed]}

Honors, awards, and distinctions

The Steel Wheels received seven nominations from The Independent Music Awards[3] in 2010. Their song "Nothing You Can't Lose" (from the album Red Wing) received the award of "Best Country Song" in the 10th Annual IMA Awards and in the Vox Pop Awards. "Working on a Building" won "Best Gospel Song" in the 10th Annual IMA Vox Pop Awards. Red Wing earned very high marks from critics and received airplay on radio stations across several markets.^{[citation needed]} The album charted for 13 weeks on the Americana Music Association Top 40 radio charts, hitting No. 15.[4] It also made its way onto the EuroAmericana[5] charts, finding its way into the top 10. It was ranked number two across all independent releases charted by the Americana Music Association, and number 70 on the top 100 Americana albums of 2010.[4]

• Their "Rain in the Valley" was chosen as NPR's Song of the Day for May 10, 2012.[6]
• The group appeared opening day at the Stagecoach Festival 2013 in Indio, California.[7]

Discography

Albums

• Journal of a Barefoot Soldier Trent Wagler Released: June 6, 2005 Label: Dojo Records
• Blue Heaven Trent Wagler and The Steel Wheels Released: October 13, 2006 Label: Big Ring Records
• Adrienna Valentine Trent Wagler & Jay Lapp Released: March 13, 2008 Label: Dojo Records
• Red Wing The Steel Wheels Released: February 15, 2010 Label: Big Ring Records
• Uncloudy Day Trent Wagler & Jay Lapp Released: May 10, 2010 Label: Independent
• Lay Down, Lay Low Released: March 5, 2012 Label: Big Ring Records
• No More Rain Released: April 16, 2013 Label: Big Ring Records
• Leave Some Things Behind Released: April 14, 2015 Label: Big Ring Records
• Wild as We Came Here Released: May 5, 2017 Label: Big Ring Records
• Over the Trees Released: July 12, 2019 Label: Big Ring Records
• Everyone a Song Volume One Released: November 1, 2020 Label: Big Ring Records
• Everyone a Song Volume Two To Be Released: November 1, 2021: Big Ring Records

Live albums

• The Steel Wheels, Live at Goose Creek (Goose Creek Music, 2011)
• The Steel Wheels, Live at The Station Inn Volume I (Big Ring Records, 2018)
• The Steel Wheels, Live at The Jefferson Theater Volume II (Big Ring Records, 2018)

Singles

• "The Coo Coo Bird b/w Architect's Daughter" + "With It All Stripped Away" Released: 2017 Label: Need To Know
• "Working on a Building" + "Red Rocking Chair" Released: 2018 Label: Big Ring Records
• "When to Say Goodnight" + "Underground" Released: 2020 Label: Big Ring Records

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Steel Wheels.

• Official website
• Red Wing Roots Music Festival official site