Steam Machine

bluegrass

Steam Machine is a Midwest old-time and bluegrass string band formed in Minneapolis in 2017 and fronted by fiddler AJ Srubas and guitarist Rina Rossi, both of whom sing. The group performs as a trio or as a four-piece with bass, filling the banjo and bass chairs from a rotating cast of collaborators. Their approach draws on old-time and bluegrass repertoire without policing the line between the two, and the sound is built on forceful fiddling, driving three-finger banjo and rhythm playing that sits ahead of the beat. They released a self-titled debut album in 2018, and Srubas and Rossi issued a duo record, Sweet Bunch of Daisies, in 2023. The band has twice reached the finals of the Traditional Band Contest at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Clifftop, West Virginia, one of the more competitive proving grounds in old-time music, and has been an official showcase artist at Folk Alliance Midwest. Teaching is a regular part of their work: they have led instruction at the Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia and at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington. They tour nationally through roots music venues, bluegrass festivals and Americana rooms, and also play for square dances and contra dances, where the band's front-of-the-beat rhythm is functional rather than stylistic.

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