Tiny Desk Concert: Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers Perform Live

Apr 15, 2020 by apost team

Most people know him for his standup routines or his goofy roles in family-friendly, slapstick comedy movies like Cheaper By The Dozen and The Pink Panther, but Steve Martin is also a serious bluegrass musician. Accompanied by his band The Steep Canyon Rangers, Martin showed off that musical talent in NPR Music’s office as part of the radio show’s Tiny Desk Concert series back in 2017.

For those who don’t know, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series has become an internet phenomenon unto itself, featuring well-known artists like Coldplay and Taylor Swift to more underground outfits like Tune-Yards and Waxahatchee. As the name suggests, All Songs Considered hosts Bob Boilen and Stephen Thompson invite musicians into their office to play a mini-concert in front of NPR’s staff behind their desks. That’s what makes Tiny Desk Concerts great — not only does it showcase some lesser-known musicians, but the unique, casual format also makes for some interesting, unconventional performances. Sometimes musicians perform with stripped-down setups to match the format — maybe a keyboard and an acoustic guitar — but often times artists end up bringing an entire live band, which makes for an intimate if not cramped setting.

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Martin and his bluegrass band, The Steep Canyon Rangers, opted for the latter approach with seven musicians, including Martin, packed behind the office’s “tiny desk.” As you can imagine, with seven people, The Steep Canyon Rangers put out a lot of sound. Martin’s on the banjo, of course, but there’s also a fiddler, a percussionist, a guitarist, a mandolinist, a bassist and another banjo player — all grouped together in NPR Music’s cozy-but-chaotic office.

Martin and the band played tracks from what was at the time their new record, wittily titled The Long-Awaited Album. And one thing is clear — Martin can really play that Banjo. For their first song, the band plays the track So Familiar, which gives Martin the opportunity to show off his banjo-playing prowess with a killer solo. But just because Martin is in music mode, doesn’t mean he isn’t his normal goofy self. Throughout the set, the famous actor also kept the mood light, and it’s worth watching just to see him charm the Tiny Desk Concert audience.

According to NPR, Martin taught himself to play the banjo when he was just 17, noting that he had been influenced by folk artists like The Kingston Trio, The Dillards, Pete Seeger and Earl Scruggs.

"I can't tell you if it was hard," Martin told NPR, "because I didn't have anything to compare it with. I got some books — Earl Scruggs' book on how to play the banjo, [and] I got Pete Seeger's book. Another technique, once you got some fundamentals down, was to take 33 rpm records and slow them down to 16 and tune the banjo down — so it would be in the same tune — and pick it out note by note."

Since teaching himself, Martin has become somewhat of a banjo legend, even collaborating with the bluegrass legend himself, Earl Scruggs, back in 2001. Asked about his admiration for the banjo, Martin even went so far as to describe the instrument as magical.

"I just have an affection for it offstage and the sounds it can make,” he told NPR. “It's like listening to a mystery when you hear some people play. I just say, 'I have no idea how they do that.' It's magic, and it's beautiful."

To see what Martin means about the magic of the banjo, check out the entire Tiny Desk Concert performance. Even if you aren’t the biggest fan of bluegrass, the fiddle paired with Martin’s fast-paced strumming are bound to get you in a bluegrass mood.

What did you think of Steve Martin's banjo performance? Did you know that the actor was an accomplished bluegrass musician?