| PRESS QUOTES | |||
| "Their latest album, Simple Tunes for Troubled Times, is possessed with a consistently delightful spirit of musical adventure that, as well as bringing elements of old-time, country, cajun, blues and various roots styles to the table, manage to instill everything they do with an attractive and accessible cool.
Singing about real concerns... it's more knowing that know-all, while the upbeat melodies... can't fail to raise a smile. Quite possibly your next favorite American roots act." Rock and Reel Magazine - England | |||
| "They're a song band, in the strictest sense: all that creative energy and instrumental prowess are harnessed to the exacting discipline of delivering the song, and "Simple Tunes for Troubled Times" duly bursts with musical ideas, like blossoms on a spring tree." Lansing State Journal - Lansing, MI | |||
| "All is not early 20th century daydream on "Simple Tunes for Troubled Times"; there's no doubt that this is a modern production, and there's just enough contemporary Band-esque hesitating beauty on this record to hold the attention of the Pitchfork/Spin/Magnet crowd amidst the derby hats and steamboats and tramps." Whatzup - Heartland Art, Entertainment and Recreation - April, 2008 | |||
| "Looking for a soundtrack for rural America? Steppin’ In It provides one. The lyrics paint sobering pictures of shutdown factories on rundown streets, but the music never sags, capturing the spirit of hope and better times to come. There’ll be a tear in your eye, but your foot’ll be tapping" Performing Songwriter Magazine - Nashville, TN | |||
| "We've been hearing tales recently about a Lansing, Michigan based folk-rockin', sweet jazz, bluegrass, old-time swingin' quartet with some serious buzz. We took one listen and were hooked, as you will be when you hear
Steppin' In It at work. In the Words of Sally Van Meter, producer of their latest release - Hidden In The Lowlands they are 'what would happen if Hank Williams joined forces with Wayne The Train Hancock and a folk band featuring Tom Waits'. Intrigued yet? Well, you will be...they accomplish the seemingly impossible task of making the most traditional sounds contemporary, blending hillbilly rackets with blues rhythms and European folk. It's like subtle musical alchemy. They may claim to just be steppin' in it, but we think they're knee deep in the future of bluegrass." Telluride Bluegrass Festival - Telluride, CO | |||
| "The flurry of old-timey sounds makes Last Winter In The Copper Country a fun ride for dabblers, with bits of folk, lots of bluegrass, and mildly utilized chunks of cajun and calypso all stirred together." The Onion - Madison, Wisconsin | |||
| "Combining originals and traditionals, old-time music with zydeco and blues, Michigan’s Steppin’ In It play some of the liveliest and most rocking acoustic roots music around. On their second release, Last Winter in the Copper Country, they balance hillbilly, Cajun, European folk and blues music with stunning and sensitive musicianship." Performing Songwriter Magazine - Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| "This excellent roots oriented Michigan quartet has become a staple of folk societies and festivals, and their acoustic renditions of bluegrass, old-timey country, blues, cajun dance tunes and Texas swing are chock full of poignant work on dobro, harmonica, guitar and fiddle. Their energy level never lacks." The Isthmus - Madison, Wisconsin | |||
| "Steppin’ In It offer a great deal of variety on Last Winter and that is the beauty of the recording. It features strong original tunes performed well with a program that offers a great deal of variety. Music to ward off the cold." Sing Out Magazine - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | |||
| "Young and old filled the dance floor during an infectious mix of folk, calypso, bluegrass, cajun and blues." The State News - East Lansing, Michigan | |||
| "This album, their second, captures their energy and the breadth of their versatility, and makes us wonder where this hybrid of covers, genre salutes and originals will take them." The Colorado Daily - Denver, Colorado | |||
| "The mixture of fun and seriousness is something plenty of bands could learn from" Vintage Guitar Magazine - Bismark, ND | |||
| "Steppin' In It is one of those rare iconoclastic bands which seem to defy all conventional wisdom in that they manage to pack a dance floor with an up dated form of old-time string music." The Kalamazoo Express - Kalamazoo, MI | |||
| "I caught Steppin' In It and the place was packed. We're talking groupies here, serious ones, who respond (one might assume) to a rather palpable sexiness at play here. These shiny-tressed young gents are seriously adorable. People crowd the dance floor at Steppin' in It shows. Anyone who's worried about the future of traditional/roots music and its place in a society that watches shows like American Idol can rest assured: things are in very good hands." The Ann Arbor Observer - Ann Arbor, MI | |||
| "Steppin' In It makes a triumphant stride forward on their sophomore release, reaching even deeper into their influences to showcase a sound that us at once both traditional and innovative. A band with this much collective talent will not remain unknown for long…" Doug Neal, WDBM - East Lansing, Michigan | |||