After missing The Infamous Stringdusters at several festivals due to scheduling conflicts, we were finally able to watch them perform Tuesday May 19th at neighboring Jammin' Java. Wow, what a band; these guys can play - and there's an instrument for everyone: acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass, fiddle, dobro, and the banjo. This arrangement sure creates a unique sound. This is also an egalitarian band - during each song some members step forward to show off their talents while the others melt into the background. Add in extraordinary chemistry and you get one tight band. Every member is also comfortable engaging the audience between songs - with humor. Bassist Travis Book was definitely entertaining making fun of himself and the band with quips like "(Andy Hall) .. is the world's best dobro player..which isn't difficult since there's only 15 of them." The quote rings true however, Hall is the fastest dobro player we've seen. This evening the Stringdusters played a few covers and songs from their two previous CDs: The Infamous Stringdusters and Fork in the Road. The former is the first CD with guitarist Andy Falco and was produced by Tim O’Brien. They also played a couple of songs from banjo player Chris Pandolfi's latest CD, which was released that day. One of the best performances was the duo between Falco and mandolinist Jesse Cobb, who played a song that Flaco heard a recording from with Bill Monroe and Doc Watson. The two will tour together later in May and early June at a few select east coast venues.
For those in the Mid-Atlantic, The Infamous Stringdusters will be playing Friday May 29th at Delfest 2009 held at the Allegany County Fairgrounds. Go out and see this band. More photos are available at the MyJoog Facebook page.
No comments:
Post a Comment