Stringdusters pay tribute to Monroe
The GRAMMY-award winning quintet — Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [Dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle] and Travis Book [double bass] - have explored other musical avenues, but are bluegrass-based.
"Bill Monroe was, as far as I can remember, the first bluegrass music I owned," said Hall. "I asked my uncle for a Bill Monroe CD box set and got it as a birthday present when I turned 18. The sound coming out of my speakers blew my mind. It sounded like ancient acoustic heavy metal."
The new album, much like the Dusters' last studio effort, "Dust the Halls: An Acoustic Christmas Holiday!, was recorded at home. "Once we realized that we were going to be grounded for a good while, we found the best way for us to stay connected musically (as a band spread out around the country) would be to record remotely, each guy from his own home studio," said Falco.
"The silver lining of it was recording albums we always talked about, but didn't have the time to actually do because of our busy touring schedule," said Garrett. "The most important thing is for the art to continue, and we were very happy to be able to still create despite our different geographical locations."
Monroe was most widely known for his mandolin playing, but the mandolin does not appear once in the Dusters' album. "So, while the nature of Bill Monroe's bluegrass resides within the spirit of innovation, the Dusters took that same leap of faith in excluding Monroe's instrument in that they "followed a path to be innovators in the music created together," said Garrett, "along with exploiting the musical foundation we all share."
The track list is:
1. My Sweet Blue Eyed Darling
2. Dark as the Night
3. Sitting Alone in the Moonlight
4. Toy Heart
5. Old Dangerfield
6. Travelin Down this Lonesome Road
7. The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake
More news for The Infamous Stringdusters
- 03/18/22: Stringdusters. Douglas, Hull, Rowan play IBMA fest
- 02/18/22: McCoury, Stringdusters, Shovel & Rope are out today
- 11/04/21: Infamous Stringdusters head Toward the Fray
- 10/15/21: Dusters head "Toward the Fray"
- 06/29/21: Infamous Stringdusters' Garrett blazes path with "Wanderer's Compass"
- 01/26/18: Stringdusters form label, sign Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
- 01/13/17: Stringdusters, Hemby drop music
- 04/14/16: Stringdusters announce summer star
CD reviews for The Infamous Stringdusters
Like many modern bluegrass bands, the Infamous Stringdusters tend to tap tradition, but only as far as it helps navigate their way towards the mainstream. Granted, the basic accoutrements are there - as evidenced in the confluence of fiddles, banjos, resonator guitar, mandolin and high harmonies - but this band, like such storied contemporaries as the Steep Canyon Rangers, Town Mountain, Punch Brothers, the Sam Bush Band and the like, place more of an emphasis on melody than simply on their ...
The Infamous Stringdusters are keeping busy. Their third release of 2017, "Undercover Vol. 2," the second-half follow-up to 2015's "Vol. 1" is a five-track adventure that pays respect to a few of the band's favorite artists. From Marvin Gaye to The Cure, the 'Dusters once again push the limit of bluegrass. Long considered a progressive bluegrass band, The Infamous Stringdusters may have stumbled into something new, alternative bluegrass perhaps. ...
The Infamous Stringdusters have always been difficult to categorize. That's part of their charm. Part traditional bluegrass (leaning on sound bluegrass instrumentation, namely guitar, Dobro, banjo, fiddle and standup bass), part jam band (extended sets of songs in their live shows in which one song triggers another), and wholly original with a signature sound and energy that goes on without cease.
In the last year, The Infamous Stringdusters have released an album of duets with female ...
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