Oskar Blues, Steep Canyon Rangers concert dates benefit the CAN’d Aid Foundation

A partnership between popular North Carolina-based bluegrass band, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Oskar Blues Brewery is rollin’ on with a series of summer events and concerts benefiting the CAN’d Aid Foundation, including a concert at the Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons, Colorado, on July 27.

Fans can get an inside look at the band and partnership in a new video (click to watch above). The Steep Canyon Rangers and CAN’d Aid Director, Diana Ralston, discuss the budding friendship, craft beer and doing good, while the band does some pickin’ next to the canning line in Brevard, N.C.

As “TUNES” ambassadors, Woody Platt of Steep Canyon Rangers and Edie Brickell, a vocalist and songwriter, wrote the duet, “A Test of Time.” All proceeds of the single, written on a tour bus while in the belly of a ferry, benefit the Oskar Blues CAN’d Aid Foundation. Digital copies are available online here, and physical copies are available for purchase here.

The relationship between Oskar Blues and Steep Canyon Rangers started in the late ’90s, when the band met Oskar Blues Soul Founder Dale Katechis during a trek to RockyGrass Festival in Lyons. They camped in Katechis’ yard, and he invited them to perform at the original Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons. When the Steep Canyon Rangers started Mountain Song Festival to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Transylvania County, Oskar Blues signed on as the beer sponsor and has since become the exclusive beer of Mountain Song, which takes place Sept. 11-13 at Brevard Music Center.

“Partnering with Oskar Blues is exciting,” Platt says. “We’ve personally known Dale and have considered him a good friend for well over 10 years. Now that he and Oskar Blues have a brewery in our hometown of Brevard, N.C., this pairing is a perfect fit.”

Upcoming partnership events

• June 20: Telluride Bluegrass & NightGrass at Sheridan Opera House, Telluride, Colo. (SOLD OUT).
• June 30: Brevard Music Center (Brevard, N.C.) w/ Brevard Sinfonia, an all-student orchestra & benefit for CAN’d Aid.
• July 27: CAN’d Aid Benefit Concert & Beer Dinner at intimate Oskar Blues Grill & Brew in Lyons, Colo., following the RockyGrass Festival.
• Sept. 10: Steep Canyon 50K Ultramarathon Relay & Hullabaloo Concert & Race at Oskar Blues REEB Ranch near Brevard, N.C.