Sugar Maple Concert Series: Steam Machine

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. A shortlist of spectacular musicians perform with the band on banjo and bass, and when possible, mandolin.

Originally formed in Minneapolis 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. Smooth powerful fiddling, driving three finger banjo, front-of-the-beat rhythm backup combined into a “suspiciously entertaining” sound.

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 the country performing at diverse venues from roots music hubs to bluegrass and Americana festivals, and teaching workshops at traditional music epicenters across the country from the Augusta Heritage Center (WV) to Festival of American Fiddle Tunes (WA) with many others in between. 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. The project continues to be an evolving vehicle for playing music they love and honoring the brilliance left behind by musical heroes like Lyman Enloe, Cyril Stinnett and more. At home playing for both old time/bluegrass loving crowds and listeners new to these sounds, Steam Machine aspires to keep midwest influenced old time bluegrass music alive and well wherever they go.

They perform both as a trio (fiddle/banjo/guitar & vocals) and as often as possible as a four piece with bass. In 2018 they released their first album, self-titled Steam Machine. In spring 2023, AJ and Rina released a duo project, Sweet Bunch of Daisies. Both releases are available on bandcamp. A new full band record is in the works.