BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The Steel Wheels have long been at home in the creative space between tradition and innovation, informed by the haunting music of the Virginia mountains where the band was formed, but always moving forward. Quickly staking their claim as one of the best bands in the burgeoning Americana scene when they emerged in 2005, The Steel Wheels have since logged tens of thousands of miles on the road and scored a well-deserved reputation as a live act that gives its all at each and every performance. They headline the second Ray Massucco Concert Series show on Friday, April 7, at the Bellows Falls Opera House.
Opening the show is another well-loved and well-traveled veteran, singer songwriter Peter Mulvey. “One of the things that really distinguishes this show is the fact that I’ve never seen either act mail it in,” says Ezra Veitch of Ray’s the Roof Productions, organizers of the series. “Both Peter Mulvey and the Steel Wheels play like they mean it, because they do mean it.”
Stubbornly independent and committed to their vision, the Steel Wheels have cemented a tight bond with their devoted audience. Nowhere is this more evident than at the band’s annual Red Wing Roots Music Festival, a weekend-long celebration of music and community in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, not unlike Rockingham’s beloved Roots on the River, which was helmed by Ray Massucco from 2008 until 2019, and which the band headlined in 2016.
Massucco, a beloved local lawyer and indefatigable music supporter, passed away unexpectedly in September 2022. The Ray’s the Roof team of Veitch, Maridee Serebrov, Patrick Leblanc, Crystal Powers, and Charlie Hunter quickly came together to present a series of concerts at the opera house in his name. Next Stage Arts of Putney is co-presenting the series. Guitar wizard Chris Smither will appears with The Suitcase Junket on Sept. 23, with the final concert of the 2023 series on Nov. 5, featuring the Vermont Symphony Orchestra with vocalist Kat Wright.
They, and other friends, are also involved in organizing a Celebration of Life for Massucco that will be held on June 11 at the Rockingham Meeting House.
The Bellows Falls Opera House is located at 7 Village Square, Bellows Falls, Vt. Doors at 6:30 p.m., showtime at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and information at www.BellowsFallsOperaHouse.com, or call 802-387-0102. The Ray Massucco Concert Series is presented by Next Stage Arts and Ray’s The Roof Productions.