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"The Steel Wheels Lay Down, Lay Low is a perfect blend of harmony and strings that take you back to the old home place where it was a joy to be alive." -Larry Winters, KPFT Houston, TX ''Rain in The Valley' is flat-out spine-tingling brilliance!' -Michael Verity, mp3.com 'The Steel Wheels' newest, Lay Down Lay Low, showcases all of their talents: uplifting songs, a capella gospel, expertly played tunes, and quiet ballads. This continues in the tradition of Americana music from the heart and soul of Virginia, as well as, their own fine catalog of songs and tunes that have been captivating audiences here for years.' -Anne Williams, host of Acoustic Sunrise on WNRN, Charlottesville On the road and in the studio, The Steel Wheels are tapping into Americana traditions and creating fresh-sounding acoustic fervor. The band's new album Lay Down, Lay Low succeeds in capturing the fire-in-the-belly spirit of the band's mesmerizing live shows while fine-tuning carefully crafted lyrical stories that surprise the ear and linger in the heart. Like the Shenandoah Valley that the band calls home, Lay Down, Lay Low reveals both light and shadow, providing a musical landscape for songs that chronicle and celebrate what the band describes as "the good struggle." The chemistry of the musicians and a flare for honest storytelling roots the album in fertile ground. Acoustic instrumentation escorts the listener into a slow dance and on to a full-throttle ride, while lead vocals from Trent Wagler soar and find the perfect complement in supporting vocals from Jay Lapp, with bass player Brian Dickel and fiddler Eric Brubaker joining for soul-thrilling harmonies. Oliver Craven, who toured with The Steel Wheels in 2011, adds his fiddle and resonator guitar on several songs. For this hard-touring band, Lay Down, Lay Low is the worthy follow-up to Red Wing, which ranked in the Americana Music Association's Top 100 Americana Albums of the Year in 2010 after spending 13 weeks on the Top 40 radio charts and, notably, landing as the second highest ranked album of all independent releases that year. Red Wing also cracked the EuroAmericana Top 10 and Folk charts and racked up five Independent Music Awards nominations, winning Best Country Song. Lay Down, Lay Low establishes the staying power of The Steel Wheels on the Americana scene. Find the band at Merlefest 2012, at Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music in April and at festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada this year.
