Graham Sharp is an award-winning musician from the Asheville-based Steep Canyon Rangers. He’s a principal songwriter and banjo player in that IBMA and Grammy winning band but he’s spent the last year working on a solo album, “Truer Picture” is a decidedly singer-songwriter affair with Graham playing guitar and banjo and singing more intimate songs. While the Steep Canyon Rangers were (along with everyone else) on hiatus, Graham took the opportunity to write and record this batch of songs. “Truer Picture” will be released on 7/9 but we got a preview of a few songs from this new collection. We started the segment off with the Rangers hit “Radio” and then the title cut from Grahams 2021 release.

Our conversation covers some of the early days while the band members were at UNC Chapel Hill, their work with Steve Martin, and their upcoming Artist in Residence role in this year’s Freshgrass Festival at Mass MOCA on September 24-26. Mostly our conversation centers on Graham’s songwriting and his inspirations including John Hartford. We talk about his local roots in Asheville NC including his neighbor Anya Hinkle whom he wrote and played on her new release. We finish the segment with Graham describing the origin of his new song, “My Neighborhood”.