Steam Machine
Performing Saturday, June 29
Steam Machine is a Midwest based old time/bluegrass music project fronted by award winning Minneapolis fiddler AJ Srubas and Twin Cities old time music & dance instigator Rina Rossi on guitar. In-demand Minneapolis multi-instrumentalist David Robinson (High 48s) fills the banjo seat as often as possible, and a short list of talented bass players round out the band. Originally formed in 2017, Steam Machine brought to the national stage a midwest influenced string band aesthetic that didn’t draw such hard lines between bluegrass and old time music. Two time Appalachian String Band Music Festival (Clifftop) Traditional Band Contest finalists and Folk Alliance Midwest Official Showcase Artists, since 2018 they have been touring the region and country performing at diverse venues and teaching workshops at traditional music epicenters. At home in Minneapolis, they are heavily involved as organizers in many of the local community old time and bluegrass institutions. While not purists, Steam Machine does listen closely to the “old stuff” and strives to capture the essence of what makes these tunes and songs special, as they hear it.