Love this band. Thanks for the heads up.

Ten minutes and counting...

Just a friendly reminder.

Heck of a dobro player.

Love this band. Thanks for the heads up.

Great musicians, but I am not a fan of the vocals and they don't have any songs that I really like. I appreciate the talent, but in my opinion they don't have the songs yet.

Spent time with the Dusters again the other night here in the High Country in Doc Watson Land, which I asked Andy about and more below;. Good crowd, good time;

http://www.wataugademocrat.com/mountaintimes/entertainment/return-of-the-infamous-stringdusters/article_ca0b1d5a-969f-11e4-ba06-f75fba0a5e99.html

Return of the Infamous Stringdusters

By Derek Halsey

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The Infamous Stringdusters have built up an impressive following since forming nearly 10 years ago.

They have become an excellent representation of their generation in the bluegrass and jamgrass worlds, successfully bridging the gap between the traditional and the open-minded branches of the roots music genre.

Each member of the band is very proficient on their respective instruments, and that combination makes for fresh-sounding albums of original music and a dynamic stage show.

The Infamous Stringdusters will perform at Appalachian State University’s Legends on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 9 p.m.

Tickets are $10 in advance for students and $14 at the door for students and the general public. Legends offers a BYOB drinking policy, limited to a six-pack with valid ID. More information can be found at http://legends.appstate.edu.

The band features Chris Pandolfi on banjo, Andy Falco on guitar, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Travis Book on upright bass and Andy Hall on dobro. The group has performed at Bonnaroo, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, MerleFest and other high-profile events.

Hall has been nominated twice for the International Bluegrass Music Association Dobro Player of the Year award, and his artistworks.com online instructional classes have successfully mentored hundreds of up-and-coming dobro players.

It has been about four years since the Infamous Stringdusters played in Boone, and while here, the group is planning to rent a house to spend some time together and write new songs in preparation for its next album. As the band matures, its views on touring have evolved.

“After eight or nine years of touring a lot, we were pretty mellow this past fall, and we took a quick little break from heavy touring,” Hall said. “A lot of the band members were doing some other gigs and this and that, and in 2015, we’re super psyched to get cranking. We’re doing a little bit of a different touring style than we’ve done in the past … a lot of two-night gigs, as opposed to moving this whole giant infrastructure every day. After so much touring, we are refining the way we like to do shows. We’re coming into 2015 feeling really refreshed.”

The Stringdusters have not visited Boone since the park bench statue of Doc Watson was christened on the corner of King and Depot streets. Watson means a lot to the Stringdusters, who all appreciate the late local legend’s genius.

“I was into Doc pretty early on in my playing,” Hall said. “When I started getting into bluegrass, I was listening to a lot of the older stuff, all of the classics, like Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, the Osborne Brothers and Doc Watson. I always played guitar, as that was my first instrument. I worked quite a bit at flatpicking guitar, although I’m not very good at it. But I enjoy it. One of the early songs that I used to sing in the first bluegrass band I was ever in was ‘All About You’ from the ‘Doc and Dawg’ album he did with David Grisman.

“And, of course, Doc was kind of traditional in some ways, but super progressive, too. You get Doc Watson and David Grisman together, and what a cool sound. Doc was the perfect combination of old school, but yet, in his time, he was progressive. So, we all certainly look up to him.”

Before Watson died in 2012, Hall was lucky enough to meet him just 30 miles or so down the road in North Wilkesboro.

“Doc always had such a cool vibe, and I always loved his song choices, and his guitar playing was unbelievable,” Hall said. “I met him a number of times at MerleFest. He was always super kind and very nice. I never had a chance to play with him, but I definitely hung out and chatted with him a few times. He was the type of guy that when you saw him, you’re like, ‘Whoa, there’s Doc Watson!’ It was a big deal. He had that presence.”