Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers - 'Caroline' (Official Video) -

“The Long-Awaited Album,” Steve Martin’s long-awaited new album with the North Carolina group the Steep Canyon Rangers, is full of stories that mix humor and melancholy, whimsy and realism, rich characters and concrete details. And lots of banjos. That instrument—so dexterously, even acrobatically picked and strummed—proves just as crucial to relating these tales as the lyrics themselves, each chord and riff revealing depths to Martin’s narrators and to his musical talent. In the eight years since The Crow introduced him as an idiosyncratic bluegrass musician, as fluid in his technique as he is knowledgeable of its history, Martin has worked to refine his craft and push the form forward. Following 2011’s Rare Bird Alert, his first album to feature the Rangers, he recorded a pair of records with Edie Brickell, which earned the duo a Grammy for Best American Roots Songs for “Love Has Come for You.” In 2016, Bright Star, a musical based on the duo’s songs, debuted on Broadway and earned five Tony nominations.

Rather than a departure, Martin’s musical career is an extension of the storytelling impulse that drove his work as a comedian, an actor, a screenwriter, a playwright, an essayist, and a novelist. “I think those influences come into play in these songs, because when I’m writing lyrics, I’m always thinking, What happens next? Where does the story go from here?” Bluegrass music is, among many other things, a means to spin yarns, to tell tales, to ponder the felicities of the heart.

“The Long-Awaited Album” is full of love songs. Some, like the boisterous “Caroline,” are humorous; others, like “All Night Long,” are heavy with a gentle sadness. “There’s nothing richer than talking about romance and heartache,” Martin says. “It’s something everyone can identify with. I love to hear stories about people breaking up—why and how it happened, who said what. I’m fascinated by those stories, but most of these are very optimistic love songs.” Even the instrumental numbers on “The Long-Awaited Album” have the thrust of a narrative arc. “Bluegrass instrumentals conjure a place, especially the banjo,” Martin says. “The banjo especially is evocative of hills and dells and trees and joy.” That’s true of “Angelina the Barista,” a spry banjo ramble whose three-finger riffs conjure a well-trod dance floor somewhere in rural America—with just the slightest whiff of espresso in the air.

These songs have been percolating in Martin’s head for most of the 2010s, finding outlets at sound checks and live shows and band rehearsals. They began recording them piecemeal—no deadlines, no pressure—in cities around the country: Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, and Asheville, North Carolina, which the Rangers call home. At the helm was legendary producer Peter Asher, who has worked on classic albums by Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Neil Diamond, and many others; he also who produced Martin’s two albums with Brickell.“ The sessions went very quickly, because I’d say eighty percent of the tunes we had played onstage a lot,” says Martin. “We got to rehearse them while touring, so we worked pretty quickly in the studio. Because we knew the songs really well, we also knew how to change them up.”

With “The Long-Awaited Album” Martin continues to nudge the boundaries of the banjo, respectfully but irreverently, which has established him as one of the most popular—and, in fact, among the finest—roots musicians working today. Yet, he remains a humble student of the instrument, still learning new techniques and considering new tricks. “My taste has grown to more melodic and simpler, so that I can accommodate being twenty years behind people like Béla Fleck and Noam Pikelny. I’ve written almost one hundred songs now, and I can’t believe I get to work with this great band that helps me work them out, orchestrate them, and add so much interest to them.”

DIRECTOR
Brian Petchers

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Evan Brown

PRODUCER
Kimmy D'Ancona

PRODUCER
David Gelb

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Dan Kennedy

ANIMATION
Lawrence Becker

GAFFER NY
Anthony Santos (NY), Mike Handley (MN)

ART DIRECTOR
Chris Rowan

WARDROBE DESIGNER
Julie Mollo

WARDROBE ASSISTANT
Caya Cooper

HAIR/ MAKE-UP NY
Shideh Kafei

HAIR/ MAKE UP - MN
Tracey Tischler

MAKE UP ASSISTANT
Simona Talento

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Philip Greenwood, Jonathan Gordon, TJ Beagan

LABEL
Brooks Jones, Laurence Jacobs, Eliza Levy

LOCATIONS
Jewel Street Studios, Dream World Studios

CAST
Steep Canyon Rangers, Bill Hader, Cecily Strong, Eric Sands, Alexander Frankel, Shaune Sterling, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Laura Pryzbilla, Anissa Smith

[tangerine]

Damn I didn't know I needed a Steve Martin song with a Bill hader music video until now

[aarfan]

Who would ever want to leave Bill?! Lol

[jenniferwilson]

Steve Martin + the banjo make my ears so very happy.

[celineholzl]

Who would turn him down? Seriously he tried so hard😕 Bill is such a sweatheart

[raynellehenderson]

This is an absolutely great song by the great Steve Martin! Wonderful melody, unusual, and catchy. You won't regret listening to this. Martin is a genius.

[wafflelaffle]

I was in love with this song before, but now that I've seen the video and it has Bill Hader AND Cecily Strong in it well, I'm totally infatuated now. :)

[johnshinn]

I’m here because Phoebe Sanders did a cover of one of your songs. she’s very talented and could use a plug from you. You’ve always been a favorite. Thank you.

[Chixy]

I can't tell you how many times I listen to this a day. Steve Martin is just so incredibly talented and everything he puts out whether it be a film or a song, I just can't help but to love it completely.

[TheBradfordrich]

Only love could inspire something so brightly, delusionally, optimistic. LOVE IT! Plus, now it's in my head.

[juzzztine]

HOW could I have not seen this till now???!!!

[vanessam]

Poor Bill!!!! I will NEVER leave I love him!!!!❤😘🔥😍

[lenmanrivera]

Steve, you've still got it, Man.
Kudos.

[ms.maisieatyourservice]

For sure the best song ever written about a Caroline

[SentenceReplies]

I needed to hear this song at this exact moment. I hope you did too.

[arielanibalpastura]

Grande Esteban
... 😂😂😂....el GRAN ESTEBAN from mar del plata ARGENTINA.

[rositanikolof]

That's why Barry became a killer😮

[ashryan]

Happy birthday, Steve! 72 years young today and still releasing hilarious new music videos...who does that?!

[shernaburna]

This has given me a serious earworm. Love it!

[oneyedlucy]

What a talented nut! Just love Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers! Fantastic!

[kendrenten]

I love the awkward pics on the iPhone! One of many nice touches in this wonderful video and song.