THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS  

November 20, 2009

Friday 9:45pm

Detail:

Stringdusters represent the cream of the crop of young bluegrass musicians. With Andy Hall on Resonator Guitar, Travis Book on bass, Chris Pandolfi on banjo, Jesse Cobb on mandolin, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle and Andy Falco on guitar, the band pulls together skill and experience well beyond their years. They boast a combined resume that includes collaborations with artists like Dolly Parton, Leftover Salmon, Earl Scruggs, Bering Strait, Ronnie Bowman and Levon Helm. Their Sugar Hill debut, Fork In The Road, was one of the most highly acclaimed bluegrass releases of 2007. It has been praised by fans of traditional bluegrass and newgrass alike, proving that the young Nashville-based band offers something for everyone. The disc features a diverse selection from the Stringdusters vast repertoire, with hard driving original instrumentals like 40 West along with more contemporary arrangements like Tragic Life The band has performed at some of the country’s biggest acoustic music festivals (including Telluride Bluegrass, Merlefest, Grey Fox, and many more) as well as large concert halls, intimate clubs, and everything in between.

Untangling the threads of the Infamous Stringdusters origin is nearly impossible, thanks to the breadth of professional associations and friendships that brought its members together in various combinations. Still, a few highlights are worth noting, from the joint tenure that Andy Hall, Jeremy Garrett and Jesse Cobb shared in three time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Ronnie Bowmans band, The Committee, to the initial encounter between Hall and Chris Pandolfi in Boston, where Hall had graduated from the Berklee School of Music not long before Pandolfi became the first student there admitted with the banjo as his principal instrument, to the lengthy search that resulted in Colorado jamgrass mainstay Travis Books joining the band, and the old friendships that led them to Andy Falco. Indeed, the six musicians resumes cut a swath across the bluegrass mainstream and beyond: