Steam Machine is a Minneapolis-based old time/bluegrass 'supergroup' fronted by award winning fiddler AJ Srubas and Twin Cities old time music & dance instigator Rina Rossi on guitar. A shortlist of spectacular musicians round out the band on banjo and bass. 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 performing at diverse venues from roots music hubs to bluegrass and Americana festivals and teaching workshops at traditional music epicenters across the country, collecting ribbons along the way. 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 while honoring the brilliance left behind by musical heroes like Lyman Enloe, Cyril Stinnett and more. 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.

$15 cover.