Graham Sharp, banjo man with the Steep Canyon Rangers, has a new solo single this month, a song called Watertown which he says has been kicking around for a while. It features Sharp on low-tuned banjo, which perfectly fits his distinctive low-pitched voice.
The song is something of a downer, in that it’s all about Graham being in Watertown, CT when he preferred to be at home in western North Carolina. But it’s hard to record a sad-sounding bluegrass track, no matter the theme of the lyrics.
He explained a bit about how this one came to be.
“This is one I wrote several years ago, and it never quite found a home with the Rangers, but I dusted it off for some of the solo shows I started doing a few years back, and it’s proven to be a favorite. I wrote it on a cold, rainy day while we were on tour with Steve Martin and I was missing being in North Carolina. I play this on my Gold Tone Missing Link banjo to give it that nice, dark edge.”
Watertown will be part of a new record Graham is working on, which he tells is will be “bluegrass(ish)” in nature. Helping out on the track are Ryan Stigmon on guitar, Drew Matulich on mandolin, Casey Driessen on fiddle, and Mike Ashworth on bass and percussion.
It’s a bit of fun, despite the lyric darkness. Have a listen…
Watertown is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
