It’s certainly true that the Grateful Dead were never a bluegrass band, starting with the fact that their lineup had not just one drummer, but two. And yet it also can’t be denied that the group’s musical DNA has a wide streak of bluegrass deep within, both in terms of licks and improvisational flair.
In large part, that’s due to the late Jerry Garcia – “Captain Trips” – who started out as a banjo player before finding his most famous calling as the Grateful Dead’s lead guitarist. Before that, Garcia played in folk circles for years, and his many extracurricular collaborators included David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Don Reno, Chubby Wise and other titans of the genre. More than a quarter-century before O Brother, Where Art Thou? took bluegrass to the top of the charts, Garcia’s 1973 side project, Old & In the Way, stood as the top-selling bluegrass album of all time.
Garcia and the Dead’s bluegrass bona fides are solid indeed, as shown by artifacts like the Pickin’ on the Grateful Dead series (not to mention Grass Is Dead, a tribute act). But maybe the strongest testament to the strength of the Dead’s bluegrass-adjacent side is what other artists have made of their catalog. Countless bluegrass musicians have covered Dead songs in ways that would appeal to even the staunchest chair-snapping purists. Here are some of the best.
“Friend of the Devil” – The Travelin’ McCourys (2019)
This rounder’s tale is the granddaddy of ’em all, a bluegrass staple from almost the moment it appeared on the Dead’s 1970 proto-Americana classic, American Beauty. Long a picking-circle staple at festivals, it’s been covered by everybody from Tony Rice to Elvis Costello. But here is a fantastic cover by one of the finest family bands in all of bluegrass, captured onstage at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in 2019. In contrast to the manic pace of the original, this version proceeds at more of an elegant glide. But it’s still got plenty of get-up-and-go, with killer solos over walking bass and a great Ronnie McCoury lead vocal.
“Dire Wolf” – Molly Tuttle (2022)
Among the most acclaimed young artists in bluegrass, Molly Tuttle is a two-time Guitar Player of the Year winner from the International Bluegrass Music Association. She also won IBMA’s Album of the Year trophy for 2022’s Crooked Tree, which included the 1970 Workingman’s Dead standard “Dire Wolf” as a bonus track. Equal parts folk fable and murder ballad, it’s something like “Little Red Riding Hood” with an unhappy ending. And Tuttle’s vocal is even more striking than her guitar-playing.
“Wharf Rat” – Billy Strings (2020)
Possibly even more acclaimed as a guitarist is William “Billy Strings” Apostol, another IBMA Awards fixture (and multiple Entertainer of the Year winner) who is frequently likened to Doc Watson. But few guitarists have ever conjured up Garcia’s sound, spirit, and all-around vibe as effectively as Strings. A song about a lost soul in a seaside town, “Wharf Rat” first came out on the Dead’s eponymous 1971 live album. Strings’ 2020 live version from the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, is amazing, as Strings doesn’t sing it so much as inhabit it. The money shot is his guitar solo that begins just after the five-minute mark.
“Scarlet Begonias” – The Infamous Stringdusters (2020)
Gambling is one of the Dead’s recurrent tropes and “Scarlet Begonias” gives it a playful spin with a loping guitar riff. The original dates back to 1974’s From the Mars Hotel and it’s been widely covered in oddball styles by the likes of electronic duo Thievery Corporation and the ska band Sublime. But “Scarlet Begonias” has never had it so well as in this excellent bluegrass version by The Infamous Stringdusters, shot onstage at Seattle’s Showbox just ahead of the pandemic in early 2020.
“Ripple” – Dale Ann Bradley (2019)
More often than not, vocals tended to be the Dead’s weak link. But that is not a problem for Kentucky Music Hall of Famer and five-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Dale Ann Bradley. The elegiac “Ripple” began life as the B-side to the “Truckin’” single and was also a show-stopper on the Dead’s 1981 acoustic live album, Reckoning. Bradley covered it on her 2019 LP, The Hard Way, with Tina Adair providing truly lovely vocal harmonies.
“Uncle John’s Band” – Fireside Collective (2022)
One of the Dead’s folksiest numbers, “Uncle John’s Band” kicked off Workingman’s Dead at an easy-going amble – a clear departure from the psychedelic excursions of the Dead’s earliest work. This live version by the young Asheville, North Carolina, band Fireside Collective reimagines “Uncle John’s Band” as sprawling jam-band fodder.
“Cassidy” – Greensky Bluegrass (2007)
“Cassidy” first appeared on-record as a Bob Weir solo tune on his 1972 side-project album, Ace, but it’s been on multiple Dead live albums over the years. It’s always been something of an enigma, inspired by a young girl as well as Neal Cassady. Michigan jamgrass ensemble Greensky Bluegrass gets to its beat-poet heart on this version from 2007’s Live at Bell’s.
“Tennessee Jed” – Front Country (2018)
A frequent theme for the Dead was being in motion, whether traveling toward something or running away from it. So it follows that homesickness would be an aspect of their music, perhaps most overtly on this wistful song from the double-live LP, Europe ’72. California’s Front Country put “Tennessee Jed” through its paces in this 2018 version from their “Kitchen Covers” series.
“Touch of Grey” – Love Canon (2014)
If the Dead wasn’t a bluegrass band, they most definitely weren’t a pop band, either. But the group had occasional brushes with the Hot 100, most famously with the 1970 statement of purpose “Truckin’” and its “what a long strange trip it’s been” tagline (even though the group had only been together about five years by then). “Truckin’” stalled out at No. 64 and was later eclipsed by its 1987 sequel “Touch of Grey” – an actual Top 10 hit with its bittersweet conclusion, “We will get by, we will survive.”
From Charlottesville, Virginia, Love Canon strips away the ’80s pop keyboards and covers the song well as straight-up bluegrass on 2014’s “Dead Covers Project.”
Photo Credit: Old & In the Way, courtesy of Acoustic Disc.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As we count down the days to holiday and family gatherings, our to-do lists stack up, getting longer and longer.
Not sure what to get the musicians, roots artists, and music lovers in your life this year? Never fear! Together with our BGS team, our partners, and our friends and neighbors, we’ve compiled a holiday gift guide that will hopefully put a sizable dent in your shopping list.
Below, check out essential festivals, tried-and-tested gear, superlative instruments, exciting and engaging books and albums, and perfectly on-theme trinkets for all the music obsessed giftees in your life! Maybe your loved one needs a music museum membership? Or perhaps they’re starting up a brand new musical hobby. Know someone who can’t get enough of music and the outdoors? We’ve got ideas for them, too.
The holiday season is the perfect time of year for the love and joy of roots music and we hope, with our 2024 Holiday Guide, you’ll be able to have a cheerful and dreamy December and a delightful new year – with a bumpin’ bluegrass, country, and Americana soundtrack.
For Getting Into the Holiday Spirit
Dust the Halls: An Acoustic Christmas Holiday (Signed, only 25 available) – $35.99
The Infamous Stringdusters have announced a new color variant for Dust the Halls: An Acoustic Christmas Holiday, releasing on vinyl via Americana Vibes. This is the eighth studio album from the GRAMMY-winning band, who put their signature acoustic bluegrass twist on timeless holiday classics. Recorded remotely during the 2020 pandemic, the record showcases the Stringdusters’ unmatched ability to collaborate from afar, weaving together intricate arrangements and harmonies that make each track sparkle with warmth and cheer.
Musical Instrument Museum Holiday Ornaments – $12 & up
Our friends at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, have the most adorable and festive collection of instrument and music-themed holiday ornaments available at their museum gift shop and online. Choose from treble clefs, banjos, violins, bongos, bagpipes, acoustic guitars – with and without cutaways! – and so much more. Maybe throw in a MIM membership as well, to receive 20% off most purchases. Anddd because this is a museum with a mission worth supporting, as they highlight all musical genres and traditions, from classical to bluegrass, folk, Americana, and beyond.
Unwrap the gift of music this holiday season: Save 10% on Deering Goodtime Deco Banjos! Looking for the perfect present for the aspiring musician on your list? Look no further than Deering Goodtime Deco Banjos. Our Goodtime banjos are the #1 choice of banjo teachers for beginners! Use this special BGS discount code below to save 10%.
More than just a beginner’s instrument, the Goodtime banjo is crafted with high-quality materials and American-made construction, ensuring it will last for years to come. Plus, its light weight makes it ideal for travel, jam sessions, and impromptu gatherings – perfect for creating lasting musical memories together.
Use this discount code to save 10% on Goodtime Deco banjos! BGS24HOLIDAYBANJO10 (Offer valid 11/29/24 to 12/31/24)
Peghead Nation is celebrating its 10th Anniversary of teaching the world to play bluegrass, old-time, swing, Irish music, and other roots music styles – and we’re just getting started! With 75 streaming video courses and live workshops taught by the best instructors and players in the acoustic music community, you can learn guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, Dobro, ukulele, bass, and voice, no matter where you are in your musical journey.
Join us in any course now and get your first month free with the promo code BGS10. Or, save on gift subscriptions for your musical friends and family members. We can’t wait to hear the music you’ll make!
On Banjo: Recollections, Licks, and Solos by Ben Eldridge with Randy Barnett – $39.95
Just getting started on banjo? You picked the correct new hobby. Now you can select the perfect instruction book to get you up to speed. The late Ben Eldridge, a legendary five-string banjo innovator, combines memoir, instruction, tablature, and more in his excellent book, On Banjo – written with Randy Barnett and featuring a forward by Béla Fleck. It’s a perfect compendium for beginners and veterans alike, filled with stories, memories, and plenty of Eldridge’s idiosyncratic and mind-bending licks and solos. Build your banjo picking on a solid foundation with this book!
With its stainless steel, self-centering design, D’Addario’s Cradle Capo ensures even tension across the fretboard. Its adjustable micrometer lets you dial in the perfect pressure, while allowing the freedom for quick transitions and the ability to stay on the guitar, even when not in use.
Order one for yourself or surprise a friend this holiday season with the perfect gift for every bluegrass guitarist!
Noted for their power and immediate, responsive voice, Preston Thompson Guitars pay tribute to the best American-made instruments from the 1930s. Master guitar luthier Preston Thompson started with a small team of highly skilled craftsman to produce custom acoustic guitars that have the look, playing feel, and above all, the sound of the best instruments from that original golden era of guitar making.
Thompson Guitars are built strong and light with time-tested designs and construction methods, providing a lifetime of enjoyment. Our instruments are handmade every step of the way, from the finest woods available.
Check on their website for possible ready to ship models available – a rarity for this custom shop! BGS readers can receive an exclusive 10% discount on all custom orders placed before January 31, 2025 using the code THOMPSON10.
Audigo’s wireless, social media- and content capture-ready mics are seemingly everywhere these days. And for good reason! With their easy-to-use app, you can record multi-track audio and video at the highest qualities, recording from multiple Audigo mics simultaneously to one iPhone.
Audigo makes the kind of rapid content creation necessary for all levels of artists and bands at this point in time infinitely easier and strikingly seamless. Ready to make the plunge into vertical video content? Ready to shoot your own music videos? With Audigo, you can. And you won’t have to sacrifice quality.
Acoustic and roots musicians know that your hearing is worth protecting! Keep your own ears – or those of your professional touring loved one – cared for over the long haul with a pair of Loop Earplugs. Stylish and functional with a futuristic look, Loop Earplugs have received glowing reviews from consumer outlets like NYT‘s Wirecutter and offer a range of options, features, and styles. Whether you’re a casual concert goer or you spend each night on stage camped out in front of a drum kit, Loop has earplugs for you.
Take care of your ears now, so you never miss a single pluck or twang of your jam sessions down the line.
Handcrafted in Japan, the FS9 M concert-style acoustic guitar offers extraordinary projection and produces an open, clean sound with mid-focused warm tones at any volume — ideal for singer-songwriters who play subtle arpeggios or fingerstyle.
The FS9 M features an Adirondack spruce top, “modified V” bolt-on neck, scalloped Adirondack X bracing pattern, 25-inch scale, African mahogany back/sides, and a beautiful, gloss nitrocellulose finish. Traditional Japanese details include a washi paper label, rope purfling and inlay on the rosette, and Kumiki woodworking-inspired fret markers.
Calton Cases set the standard for professional, flight-ready, peace-of-mind instrument cases – for all kinds of players, genres, and styles. We love the wide range of colors – especially the glitter options! – and options, and that you can secure your precious axes no matter what you play or travel with. From gear and electric guitars to mandocellos and bouzoukis, professional touring musicians can rest easy whether there’s space in the overhead bins or not.
If you have a professional touring musician in your life, ease their travel anxiety this holiday season with a superlative Calton Case.
Officially licensed handmade flags by Oxford Pennant in Buffalo, New York! John Prine, Willie Nelson, Jason Isbell, Turnpike Troubadours and many more artist collaborations available here.
We’ve loved every time we’ve gotten to collaboratewith Oxford Pennant over the years and we can’t recommend their fine work highly enough. From the stages of Newport Folk Festival to our own closets, mantelpieces, and walls, Oxford Pennant fits just about everywhere – especially wrapped up with ribbons and bows for the music lover in your life who already has everything!
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: No one is producing bluegrass festivals like the Earl Scruggs Music Festival in Mill Spring, North Carolina. We’ve partnered with the event each year since its debut in 2022 and they continue to raise the bar for roots music festivals year over year. Held at the luxurious grounds of the Tryon International Equestrian Center in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, ESMF is just minutes away from where Scruggs himself grew up and established his unique playing style. Scruggs’ surviving family members play a big role in the festival, too, which is a partnership between the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC, the Equestrian Center, and WNCW.
We can’t wait to return to ESMF in 2025 for another weekend of bluegrass, country, Americana, and more – with amazing food, beautiful views, and gorgeous, well-maintained grounds. From tent camping to tiny-cabin glamping, from food truck barbeque to gourmet, wood-fired Italian food, from Twisted Pine to Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, Earl Scruggs Music Festival has something for everyone.
Taylor Rushing x BGS Mercantile Graphic Tee Collab – $32
We are so excited to launch a brand new merch collab on the BGS Mercantile featuring art and design by the one and only Taylor Rushing of NOT BAD Illustration. We’ve gotta say, these designs are not bad!
Our two brand new, exclusive additions to the BGS Mercantile feature bespoke designs by Rushing that celebrate the launch of our new vertical and email newsletter, Good Country. Wear your love for good country music of all varieties on your sleeve– er, or on your chest. We love these timeless, simple illustrations printed on cozy, comfortable tees. Pre-order now for holiday delivery and be one of the very first BGS fans to own the new, limited edition designs. All while testifying your commitment to Good Country and NOT BAD country.
Okay, so you have a music lover in your life that already has everything? Why not gift them a membership to two first-class music museums in Nashville, Tennessee? The next time they visit Music City, they’ll have the inside access of a true local.
We can’t recommend the National Museum of African American Music ($60 for an annual individual membership) and the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum ($65 for an annual individual membership) highly enough! These two incredible institutions – who often collaborate and co-produce programming and events – tell detailed, thoughtful, and nuanced stories central to Nashville, and to country, pop, and African American musics. Between the two, you can gain an incredibly holistic viewpoint of American popular music and the many threads woven throughout its traditions.
With a gift of a museum membership, you’re giving something that will keep on giving. Knowledge, expertise, insight, culture, community, and so much more come hand-in-hand with a membership to each of these fine institutions.
Plus, the Country Music Hall of Fame is currently running a special membership discount! Between November 4 and January 2, the museum is offering new members will get $5 off Troubadour Individual and individual-level memberships and $10 off Troubadour Dual and family-level memberships! Now’s your chance to save a bit of money and support the museum’s mission, too.
New this year from BGS contributor, freelance writer, and author Steacy Easton, White Limozeen is part of the essential and exhaustive 33 1/3 series from Bloomsbury. Easton is the perfect thinker to take on Dolly Parton’s White Limozeen, an album that joined her catalog at a critical juncture in her career. The book is certainly well-timed, releasing at a time when Parton’s current career continues to raise the ceiling time and time again for her own success, while reaching points of ubiquity and mainstream recognition she may have never considered possible – certainly not at the time of White Limozeen‘s making.
The book is an easy (while dense and informed) read that examines canon, mythos, the construction of image and self, and so much more. Pick it up now for a perfect holiday gift for the Parton acolyte or new initiate on your list.
Keep your eye out for our full 2024 music books guide coming to BGS soon, too!
For the Outdoor Festival Enthusiast
WinterWonderGrass – $249 & up
WinterWonderGrass enters its 12th year in Colorado, remaining true to the deep community it has built while celebrating the music and connections that bring us all together. In a world where many small, independent festivals have disappeared, this festival is committed to honoring bluegrass legends while embracing fresh new talent and filling their community’s cup.
WinterWonderGrass is part music festival, part beer festival, and part family reunion. The event boasts four stages, three of which are under huge heated tents, a robust kid’s zone, local food trucks, a VIP area, and a coffee bar. Plus, two hours of free beer, wine, spirits, and non-alcoholic tastings from 2:00 – 4:00 pm daily.
Join the festival in Steamboat Springs from February 28 to March 2, 2025! This year’s lineup features an incredible array of artists, including Trampled by Turtles, The California Honeydrops, Kitchen Dwellers, Leftover Salmon, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Sam Bush Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Brothers Comatose, Lindsay Lou, Mountain Grass Unit, and more
Enter the WinterWonderGrass holiday giveaway for a chance to win WWG VIP tickets, ski passes, Mountain Top Dinner passes, tickets to all late nights, and more! Enter to win here.
Camp Snap Screen-Free Digital Camera – $59.99 & up
An essential accessory we bring along to nearly every music festival, conference, and event we attend, Camp Snap’s screen-free film-style digital cameras bring back joy and mystique to point-and-shooting. Don’t take our word for it, either, you can check out our Camp Snap shots from our cruise with Cayamo earlier this year.
If you’re stumped brainstorming gift ideas for the music lover who already has each and every thing you can imagine, why not get them a Camp Snap? The photos are charming, high quality, with plenty of personality. And they bring back some intention and deliberation to the usual social media grind. It’s like a disposable camera, but not! Like shooting Polaroids, but with an exciting period of suspense and anticipation. With sync capabilities via USB-C or SD card, it’s a breeze to use. Bring Camp Snap to your next festival or show!
When you go to as many festivals, concerts, and music events as we do – or as the average outdoor festival enthusiast – you daydream a lot about the perfect pack. We happen to love Kelty, and their fabulous array of fanny packs, belt bags, backpacks, and beyond. From arduous and involved backpacking trips to quick jaunts to the farmers’ market, Kelty has something for every application.
We know our Kelty Packs would be right at home at WinterWonderGrass or Earl Scruggs Music Festival, both. They’re perfect for a carry-on bag, too! Plus, don’t miss their selection of tents, sleeping bags, camp chairs, and more to finish outfitting your festival campsite.
This content brought to you in partnership with BGS sponsors Americana Vibes, Yamaha Guitars, Deering Banjos, Thompson Guitars, D’Addario, WinterWonderGrass, Earl Scruggs Music Festival, Peghead Nation, and Oxford Pennant.
It’s hard to imagine Billy Strings as anything other than the glass-shattering guitar virtuoso he’s become. Over a decade, he’s flipped, rearranged, and altogether transformed bluegrass music. He leads with instinct, allowing the music to speak on a much deeper level than many of his contemporaries. Four albums deep into his career, in addition to a live album and several collaborative projects, Strings immerses himself in the tradition of string music while bringing a fresh, exciting perspective to the classic structures of flatpickin’.
Our November 2024 Artist of the Month, Strings continues cementing his legacy by stretching boundaries and pushing progressively forward. With a foot firmly rooted in the past, always feeling ripped from another era, the musician remains intently focused on breathing life into the genre for modern audiences. As much as he’s built upon his growing solo catalog, he’s also known to frequent other artists’ work and inject his unique charms into their shared musical performances.
Strings has remained committed to bluegrass and jamgrass through the last 10 years and more, while often stepping outside these tight genre boxes for some playful excursions. From appearing on a Dierks Bentley song to teaming up with a rap juggernaut-turned-country-star Post Malone, the Michigan native keeps an open musical mind and heart. He’s an unstoppable force, always willing to try something new.
Below, we’ve put together nine of Billy Strings’ best features, both on his own projects and on others’ releases, too.
“Things to Do” with Zach Top
Zach Top recently released a three-track collaborative EP with Billy Strings as an Apple Music exclusive. “Things to Do” sees the duo injecting the track with a healthy helping of pep. The pair swaps off verses, each bringing their strengths to the performance.
“Girl, it just ain’t right / You’re burning up my daylight,” they sing. On a wide stretch of musical canvas, Top and Strings paint with vitality and urgency. The special release also includes a cover of Ricky Skaggs’ 1983 classic “Don’t Cheat in Our Hometown” and “Bad Luck,” another Top original, which appeared on his 2024 studio album Cold Beer and Country Music.
“California Sober” featuring Willie Nelson
On the eve of Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday, the country legend hopped aboard “California Sober” with Billy Strings. The rollicking track celebrates weed in moderation, finding the pair giving up late-night parties and weekend binges for a chiller sort of high.
In classic Nelson fashion, dusty strings give an air of a traveling tune and barreling down the highway at 100 miles an hour. The one-off collab single (written by Strings, Aaron Allen, and Jon Weisberger) demonstrates someone maturing and realizing that some vices should be left in the past. But regardless, the duo still cheekily admits: “the devil on my shoulder always wins.”
“M-E-X-I-C-O” with Post Malone
Post Malone dove head first into country music with the release of 2024’s F-1 Trillion. Featuring everyone from Dolly Parton and Tim McGraw to Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson, the collaborative set made quite a splash – seeing the rapper swerve into modern country with his own special twist. “M-E-X-I-C-O” is a certified barn-burner, among the project’s standout moments. Credit should be given generously to Billy Strings, who infuses his twangy, finger-pickin’ bluegrass style into the explosive, toe-tapping experience.
“The Great Divide” with Luke Combs
“The Great Divide” arrived in 2021 as a cautionary tale during troubling sociopolitical times.
“We’re striking matches on the TV / Setting fires on our phones,” warns Combs in the opening line. The singer fuels those flames throughout the song, sending smoke signals as things methodically escalate. “We’re all so far, far apart now / It’s as deep as it is wide / We’re about to fall apart now,” the lyrics burst like dynamite.
The song isn’t all doom and gloom, though. Later on, the lyrics detail how many strangers love one another despite glaring differences. Several years later, the song rings even more eerily poignant than ever before.
“Dooley’s Farm” with Molly Tuttle
A long-time fan of The Dillards’ classic, “Dooley,” Molly Tuttle updates the story to reflect an elderly man’s penchant for growing weed. “Dooley’s Farm” is a slower ditty, unlike the giddy-up pace of the Dillards’ song, and darker in tone and feel.
Strings lends his voice for spooky backing vocals, poking through the track like a ghost in the night. Their performance is found on Tuttle’s 2022 album, Crooked Tree.
“You can hide by day, but the night will find you / They caught Dooley in the moonlight,” whispers Tuttle over the gentle cry of a fiddle.
“Too Stoned to Cry” with Margo Price
Margo Price had been wanting to record “Too Stoned to Cry” for years, ever since hearing its writer Andrew Combs perform the lonesome ballad. Working with Beau Bedford, she convinced the producer to put his magical touch on the song. When it came to enlisting a duet partner, Price turned to Billy Strings, who turns in a sinewy and evocative lead performance.
“There’s whiskey and wine and pills for the pain / Fast, easy women and a little cocaine,” they sing, their voices tangling like barbed wire. With its frayed, tired edges, the song proves to be an ample showcase for both singers’ talents. It’s as classic as you can possibly get these days.
“I Will Not Go Down” with Amythyst Kiah
On her 2024 album Still + Bright, Amythyst Kiah reaches into the depths of her songcraft for a cinematic stunner. With Billy Strings in tow, “I Will Not Go Down” pounds with alarming emotional urgency. Taking cues from such film staples as Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lord of the Rings, Kiah mounts an expedition across space and time, metaphorically speaking, as she slays dragons and seeks life’s simple truths. Strings supplies a startlingly resonant knit of guitar work that punctuates Kiah’s flame-throwing vocals.
“Muscle Car” with Andy Hall
Two musical forces collide for a bedeviling five-minute epic on “Muscle Car.” With no vocal line, the composition here sizzles and pops, as it transmits its very own story through the power of instruments.
Andy Hall’s 2023 album, Squareneck Soul, delivers a torrential downpour of raw storytelling. Hall (of the Infamous Stringdusters) expertly offers up rip-roaring string work, matched with his companions’ equally engaging performances. The track also features Sierra Hull (mandolin), Wes Corbett (banjo), and Travis Book (bass), who all band together for one of the decade’s finest bluegrass moments.
“Bells of Every Chapel” with Sierra Ferrell
Sierra Ferrell pulls Billy Strings along for a charming lovesick gallop with “Bells of Every Chapel.” Found on her 2021 album, Long Time Coming, the mid-tempo track sees Ferrell peering through rose-tinted glass, examining unrequited love that squeezes your heart.
“They were ringing so clear/ But you couldn’t hear/ And your heart could never be mine,” she sings. Old-timey in spirit, the song soars higher and higher with Strings’ choo-choo train flatpicking.
I know Jeremy Garrett about as well as anyone else, excepting his wife Connie, of course. We’ve traveled together for 17 years as founding members of The Infamous Stringdusters and spent about a decade sharing a room when we traveled. We affectionately referred to each other as our “road wives.” Beyond being a great songwriter, brilliant fiddle player, and vocalist of the highest order, he has a cutting wit and a steadfast dedication to his art and his craft. I’m grateful to call him a friend and look forward to many more years creating music and traveling with this bluegrass titan.
This podcast is an edited distillation of the full-length happy hour which aired live on April 27, 2021. Huge thanks to Jeremy Garrett and Jon Stickley.
Timestamps:
0:05 – Soundbyte 0:43 – Introduction 1:52 – Live introduction by Bill 2:54 – “Rise Sun” 5:32 – “That’s Someone’s Mother” 8:10 – “Home From the Forest” 12:52 – Introducing Jeremy Garrett 13:50 – Interview 1 19:10 – “I’m Not the Enemy” 23:43 – “I Am Who I Am” 27:15 – Interview 2 45:42 – “Wishing Well” 53:10 – “Windy in Nashville” 56:24 – “A Hard Life Makes a Good Song” 1:00:52 – Outro
Editor’s note: The Travis Book Happy Hour is hosted by Travis Book of the GRAMMY Award-winning band, The Infamous Stringdusters. The show’s focus is musical collaboration and conversation around matters of being. The podcast is the best of the interview and music from the live show recorded in Asheville, NC.
The Travis Book Happy Hour Podcast is brought to you by Thompson Guitars and is presented by Americana Vibes and The Bluegrass Situation as part of the BGS Podcast Network. You can find the Travis Book Happy Hour on Instagram and Facebook and online at thetravisbookhappyhour.com.
Photo Credit: George Trent Grogan, Mountain Trout Photography
Artist:Unspoken Tradition Hometown: Cherryville, North Carolina Song: “Moments” Release Date: May 19, 2023 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “I’m so happy to be giving ‘Moments’ a second life. I originally recorded this song, written by our producer Jon Weisberger and Andy Hall of the Infamous Stringdusters, on my solo album, and in the intervening years it has grown to be one of my favorites. I think my own journey reflects the subject material — with more than a decade of hindsight, it takes on a different meaning in thinking about how fleeting time can seem, how the moments of our lives can ‘turn us all around, lift us up or knock us down.’ I’m excited for Unspoken Tradition to put our own spin on this poignant song!” — Sav Sankaran, Unspoken Tradition
Artist:The Infamous Stringdusters Song: “I’d Rather Be Alone” Album:A Tribute to Flatt & Scruggs Release Date: April 21, 2023 Label: Americana Vibes
In Their Words: “The concept of paying tribute to the grandfathers or originators of bluegrass is one we bounced around for a while and after Bill Monroe, the most logical, I think any bluegrass musician would agree, is Flatt & Scruggs. They’re legendary and without Earl’s banjo, bluegrass just doesn’t exist the way we know it today. For the album, each of us brought a song to the table that we wanted to sing and that had meaning to us. I reached out to my friend Jon Weisberger and asked him if he’d suggest a song that he thought hadn’t been overdone and would suit my voice. I was thrilled when he suggested ‘I’d Rather Be Alone’ because I was familiar with it but hadn’t really played it much or learned the lyrics and it was a perfect fit. It’s a lament and it’s a sad song but it’s so beautiful. The way the melody hangs the line out there — ‘You say you’re sorry that you went awaaaaay’ — it’s just classic Flatt & Scruggs!” — Travis Book, The Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters have been together for close to two decades, and one big reason for their longevity is that everyone gets the chance to step out with side-hustles and solo projects. Even live sound engineer Drew Becker has one – a side business to market one of his inventions, a device that reduces volume on a vocal microphone when the singer walks away.
“That’s my baby,” Becker says, “and I hope to see one on every stage in the future.”
Multiple Stringdusters members are putting out solo albums this year, including banjo player Chris “Panda” Pandolfi, who also makes soundtrack music. But his primary extracurricular project is a podcast, Inside the Musician’s Brain, currently in its third season on Osiris Media.
“It’s deep-dive interviews, musician to musician,” he says. “Béla Fleck was my last guest and Aoife O’Donovan was the guest before. Billy Strings, Trampled by Turtles, Sierra Hull, too. It’s an awesome outlet to take fans deeper inside the music.”
The band’s 2021 release, A Tribute to Bill Monroe, will compete in the category of Best Bluegrass Album Grammy Award in the ceremonies in Las Vegas on April 3. Meanwhile, to commemorate the release of their new project, Toward the Fray, we’ve been catching up with all of the Stringdusters – our BGS Artist of the Month for March – for a series of three conversations from the road. Read part one with Dobro player Andy Hall and guitarist Andy Falco. Read part two with fiddler Jeremy Garrett and bassist Travis Book. Here is part three with Becker and Panda.
BGS: Drew, how long have you been the Stringdusters’ live engineer?
Becker: Since 2008, the van and trailer days, and we’ve just been working our way up to where it’s logistically easier and more efficient. They were my first professional job outside the bar gigs I’d been working through college going to sound school. We’ve grown together technically through the development process, figuring out ways to put on better shows on a night-to-night basis. It’s a learning process, one puzzle piece at a time. You fix one thing, and that might create something else that needs improvement. I do sound for just the live thing. Early on, I’d hang with them in the studio, too, just because it was awesome and I wanted to absorb anything I could about the process. But studio and live are totally different teams and skill sets. Like spray-painting versus watercolor, both are painting and some of the tools might be the same. But it’s totally different skills.
Panda, we heard you’ve been dealing with banjo issues today.
Pandolfi: It went out during last night’s show! Something was wrong with the pickup within the instrument.
Does that happen often?
Becker: Not often, fortunately. For a pickup to melt down, like three other things have to go wrong before that. This is kind of the worst-case scenario, where it’s not totally dead. It works for soundcheck and maybe even a full show, then presents issues the first song the next night. You spend hours troubleshooting, it solves itself, fails again. Then you call every music store in Atlanta and drive 30 minutes to get the one pickup you need.
Panda: It’s kind of an anomaly. Electronics, nothing to do with the instrument. Part of the bluegrass world we’re in is having to amplify acoustic instruments to create a huge sound. These are instruments that weren’t necessarily designed for that, so it’s an imperfect science with limitations. It takes a lot of time and energy for us to perform bluegrass in big venues for big crowds and we’re always trying to do better at it. Some nights work, some don’t.
Do you have just one banjo you play all the time, or a lot of instruments?
Panda: I collect old Gibson banjos from the 1930s, the heyday. From 1929, when they settled on the modern flathead design most players use, to 1939 when metal had to go into the war effort, and they never regained their former glory. Anything from the 1930s is coveted and I have a bunch of those. Eight right now, I think. It’s always hovering between seven and 10 or 11. I’ll sell one, buy another. I’m not in it to make money, but I love them and know what I’m seeing when I look at one. I like to get them into the hands of younger players who may not be as versed in the marketplace but want these banjos because they’re special.
Who would you both cite as mentors?
Panda: My biggest inspiration is Béla Fleck. I did not know anything about bluegrass before I heard the Flecktones. That’s what introduced me to banjo. I worked backwards from there, to Earl Scruggs and Tom Adams. Those two and Béla are my top three influences. Tony Trischka, Bill Evans and Ron Block are good friends and mentors I call on for advice about music and life. I’m lucky to call those guys friends.
Becker: Early on, a lot of my mentors were in Nashville working with bands in our acoustic genre as we grew. Bands headlining festivals, their engineers mentored me. As I’ve grown in this genre, I’ve looked outside bluegrass to pick up lessons and techniques from rock or electronic music. Learn to understand PA systems and how to optimize musical spaces. It’s a challenge, figuring out how to amplify acoustic resonant bodies on a stage 10 or 15 feet from the PA speaker.
I’ve heard about the show-and-tell sessions with songs before recording. Is there a live-show equivalent to that before tours?
Panda: We go through a big process of arranging songs for the band to make them quintessential Stringdusters songs. The focus first is the studio, making the album. Then there’s usually a long lag time before they come out. They might sit there for a year before we play them live. Then we have to rediscover and relearn the material for the stage, learn what works and how to translate them. I make the set list, divvying up singers and instrumental features with transitions, so there’s a process of understanding how the new songs fit in with the whole other step that happens much later than the record. Drew will have to work to replicate things from the album, and it’s always evolving.
Becker: Throughout my 14 years, some records have come out with material they’d already been playing live for months. That’s not happened for a while. The last few, the band is off recording, and the crew might not even know about it. Then we get the new material and figure out how to pepper it in. I heard this record for the first time in January and it came out in February, so I was studying and taking notes, seeing where effects might translate directly and where we have to improvise. Like if it’s a double-vocal effect from one singer, something impossible to have anyone do live, how do we recreate that? It’s a fun process.
Panda, you do the set list every night?
Panda: I do, though not entirely alone. I’ll get requests, somebody hits me up with, “I really want to do that song tonight.” With a new album, a lot of that stuff comes in night after night. We exist in a world where fans come to multiple shows on a tour, so we never play the same song two nights in a row. That gives a baseline of variety. I’m granted a good amount of autonomy to make the set list and it’s something I put a lot of time into. I’ll consider what we played the night before, also what we played the last time we were in that town. This tour, we have an hour and change every night so it’s a matter of packing in heavy hitters as opposed to pacing out two sets over three hours. A lot goes into it.
Becker: I looked it up and the Dusters have played over 300 different songs since I’ve been with them. It’s quite a list.
Panda: Since our inception as a band, all four members have been very involved in the business and different aspects of making the operation go. Early on, set lists were something that had to get done and I jumped on it for reasons that make sense. I rarely sing lead, so my role is to be impartial in divvying it up between singers so there’s a good balance between voices.
Drew, are you going to the Grammys with the band?
Becker: Not this time. If I ever have an opportunity that makes sense, I’ll go. Maybe it will be worth it to do one time. I had as much fun watching the stream of them winning when I was visiting my parents in Florida. I got to jump up and down with them. That was great.
Panda: My parents have always been supportive but also a little skeptical, like every parent. That questioning feeling about music as a career is not just something you feel from parents; you feel that within yourself, too. We’re ambitious people working hard to achieve goals and the path is not always straight or linear. So, winning a Grammy was a great moment of validation and confidence, something that keeps you going and inspires you. I was proud of not just that album but all the trust and commitment and work it took to get there from the band, team, and crew. That was meaningful validation of a much longer arc of work than the one record. It was an amazing moment that helps fuel the mission you’re on, helps you stay committed.
Now in their 17th year, the Infamous Stringdusters have established themselves as one of the most prominent and prolific bands in modern bluegrass. Asked if he ever thought the Stringdusters would be together that long, bassist Travis Book candidly replies, “Yes. That was the plan when we started the band, not to be side guys working for someone else or to go it alone. If we needed to, any of us could be a bandleader at this point. When we started, our plan was to do this for as long as we could. Looking at each other, we all wanted this group to keep making music together for 30 or 40 years. I hope that’s not conceited or hubris to say.”
Fiddle player Jeremy Garrett adds, “I’ve been in side bands and seen the writing on the wall as to how far you can go that way, as opposed to taking the risk of taking the leap yourself. Many struggle and have difficulty with that. Every time I think about it, I’m glad we took the risk. It’s a big step to believe in yourself enough to do that, and I feel lucky that we realized that early on. We’ve all spent a long time in the trenches, building it up. Looking back, we have an awesome band and business, and we still love each other. We’re having the time of our lives out here.”
The band’s musical passion and mutual respect are evident on their new album, Toward the Fray, and indeed throughout their catalog. In April, they’ll head to Las Vegas where A Tribute to Bill Monroe is nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Bluegrass Album category. (They won their first Grammy for their 2017 project, Laws of Gravity.) BGS caught up with the Stringdusters — our Artist of the Month for March — for a series of three conversations on the road. Here is part two with Book and Garrett, who each wrote multiple songs for Toward the Fray.
BGS: So you’re up for another Grammy, and of course you’re going, right?
Travis Book: We are. When they rescheduled it to April in Las Vegas, that just so happened to be the weekend we’ll be at Wondergrass. We have Sunday off and it’s within driving distance, so we’ll bus down there. We went the first two times, too. Even though it’s a massive undertaking and not cheap, you’ve got to go. We make it a priority. It can be hard for people who aren’t intimately involved with the music industry to understand what we’re doing. You know, aunts or uncles thinking “our nephew and his little bluegrass band.” Winning a Grammy definitely helped them have a better perspective on us having some success. It especially made my dad happy. He’s a hardcore music fan, subscribes to the magazines. He’s the one who turned me onto Pearl Jam and Radiohead. He was happier about it than anybody.
Were you into alternative rock first, before bluegrass?
Book: That and classic rock — Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd. That was the music that really got me, although I remember wearing out Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik in middle school. Getting from there to bluegrass wasn’t that complicated. I was into Grateful Dead and Phish when I ran into some guys in a garage jam band that needed a bass player. When that ended, the guitar player asked if I’d ever played bluegrass. He was from Georgia, turned me on to Yonder Mountain String Band, Old and In the Way. We started jamming on bluegrass and the harmony singing is what really got me into it.
I grew up singing hymns with my parents, and those three-part harmonies really resonated as fundamental. Singing is my jam, it’s why I got into music in the first place, and singing harmonies is what drew me in. It was not long until bluegrass was all I wanted to do, go to bluegrass and folk festivals. I’d go to the college library and print off pages and pages of traditional bluegrass lyrics. Bluegrass Album Band, I learned all that stuff. I thought it was so cool that you could go anywhere with acoustic instruments, no electricity required, and have this massive shared lexicon you could play with people.
On the new album, your song “Pearl of Carolina” is particularly good.
Book: I co-wrote that with Jon Weisberger, my neighbor in Brevard, North Carolina. The hook to that song came from me writing a script for my show, Travis Book Happy Hour, which livestreams from the Grey Eagle in Asheville. I’d say it’s Late Night meets eTown. I was trying to write an introduction: “Live from Asheville, it’s BLANK of Carolina.” I was wondering what should go there, “pearl” came to mind and then I thought, “That should be a song.” The melody and chord change came to me while I was riding my bike, and I sang that into my phone. It felt a little “country” to me and I did not have the guts to finish it. That descending chord change seemed a little down the middle. The main thing Jon helped with was making sure I didn’t dilute it and miss the opportunity to write it right. He really kept me on track. It’s a song that feels like it wrote itself.
Jeremy, you have side-hustle projects, too — a new solo record, right?
Jeremy Garrett: Yep, River Wild. Music abounds. It’s a really good time right now, music flowing out of everyone. I’m stoked to be coming out of the pandemic with great new songs and tunes to play. There’s the Stringdusters album, and my record is out March 25. We can’t stop creating, writing about things in our world. As a musician and aspiring poet, I want to put things into words and share them.
Since you’re writing material for both the group and your own thing, how do you know where a song should go?
Garrett: There’s definitely a Stringdusters flavor, to where I can usually tell if something will be a Stringdusters song right away. Not always, I do get surprised sometimes. When we do the show-and-tell song-sharing, I’ll keep one wildcard song I throw out to see what everyone thinks and sometimes that’s the one that catches their ears. A lot of times I know the spice level needed to bring to the Stringdusters pot — a certain energy that will go over good live. That’s our MO, bringing the live show in the hottest way we can.
Travis, you mentioned that “Pearl of Carolina” initially felt too country. Another of your songs here, “I’m Not Alone,” seems like it could also pass for country.
Book: I try to stay out of my own way with that stuff. I remember Paul McCartney saying about early Beatles songs, “We didn’t write them to be memorable, we wrote them that way because we had to remember ’em ourselves.” There’s something to be said for songs that stick with you and are memorable. I can come up with crazy ideas, but the stuff that keeps running around in my head days later, that’s when I know I’m onto something. The older I get, the less afraid I am about writing stuff that’s straightforward. You want to make music that’s quality and creative, complex, interesting. But it’s better if it resonates and sticks, becomes a part of lives and minds.
All three songs I wrote for this album are in that vein. “Pearl of Carolina” is a little more complicated, but “I’m Not Alone” is just that one-line chorus. The first three lines are the same melody, the third line I reharmonize; change the chord structure, then the last line the lead drops down to something very similar to the baritone part from the first two lines. It’s such a simple idea, but it still knocks me on my ass when I listen. It makes the chorus pop right out. The old me might have thought it was too sappy or not complicated enough. I feel fortunate to have grown up enough to get past that. It seems so simple, but essential, like a mantra.
Beyond who plays what instrument, how would you summarize each person’s role in the Stringdusters?
Garrett: I think we are that rare democracy among bands. Everyone has their individual talents, things they’re better suited for. But I think we’re all into the big picture. That’s something we often discuss all together, vibing on the same wavelength about the band’s trajectory, how to create records and unify messages with five different guys. There are issues where we disagree, but we almost never have to vote on it. We just talk it out and eventually come around to being of the same mind about it almost all the time. We’re lucky that way. Panda (banjo player Chris Pandolfi) is very technically minded, handles a lot of the business, and Travis is a great booking agent, keeps an eye on the schedule because he knows how to make that flow. We hope to all bring something to the table. It’s always been that way.
Book: Everyone can kind of choose their level of engagement. We’re all allowed to integrate and contribute however we want. Business, music, interpersonal stuff all continues to move along and different people are engaged with different parts at different levels. But every year, we grow more alike. Every tour, we’re more on the same page. Ten years ago, there were a lot more differences of opinion than there are now. To me, the decision-making on goal-setting, recording, the way to approach shows and everybody’s role musically is all so much easier now than a decade ago.
Garrett: Even a decade ago, it was already better than most bands. We’ve always been lucky for sure.
Book: A major priority is keeping everyone involved and equal and on the same page to make sure everyone gets what they need out of this. Everyone has an equal say and there’s no bandleader. That can make it challenging to be a fan. So much is going on and everybody gets a chance to lead. If you just want to be fed the same singer doing the same type of songs all night, we’re maybe not the band for you. It’s highly dynamic. Any given song or even moment, a different guy can be the leader. That’s part of what keeps us interesting as a band — everybody getting a chance to take the reins, get support and then on to the next thing. We’re Jeremy’s backing band during his solo, then mine when I’m singing the hook. Moment to moment, everyone is fully supported.
It makes some sense that you can’t really pin The Infamous Stringdusters down to a single place – you’ll find members in Colorado, North Carolina and Long Island, New York – because they are always on the move. Together since 2006, they have charted a sprawling course onstage and also through a dozen albums.
This year finds them on the road once again, showing off their 12th and newest album Toward the Fray, which has the most overtly socio-political songs they’ve ever put out into the world. In the midst of their touring schedule, they’ll also attend the Grammy Awards to see if last year’s A Tribute to Bill Monroe wins best bluegrass album. It would be their second time winning that category after hitting paydirt with 2017’s Laws of Gravity.
We caught up with the Stringdusters for a series of three conversations on the road (Zooming in from Louisville, Kentucky, Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta). Here is part one with guitarist Andy Falco and Dobroist Andy Hall.
BGS: Since you were quarantined for much of 2020 and 2021, everyone was doing their songwriting separately rather than together. Is that typical for the Stringdusters’ process?
Andy Falco: Typically we do write separately, and pre-production is when we come together. We’ll do a show-and-tell with songs, just playing guitars, and we might end up with 25 songs from that and start narrowing it down. It had to happen quicker this time once we got together, but there was something great about that, actually. Sometimes that initial spark of instinct will carry you through if you have to rely on it. We have instincts as a band, after putting in the 10,000 hours, and we did not have time to do any deep dives on changing things around. So we went more with instinct. There’s something special with this record.
Andy Hall: It is a little scary to show off your songs to everybody that first time, but it’s exciting, too. You’re presenting your song for judgment, no way around it. It’s up for review and interpretation, the five of us sitting around playing acoustic guitars, and it’s not like there’s clapping at the end of it.
Falco: Sometimes you’re laughed out of the room.
Hall: Sometimes! What you hope is for everyone to say, “That was cool.” Or a quiet, “Yeah, nice.” It can be hard for me to know when I’m writing a song if it will work with the band. It sometimes surprises me what the band will like as a whole, which makes it exciting and interesting. I continue to be surprised in a good way, and I trust the band. Whatever the band picks tends to work well even if it’s not totally understood at first.
Falco: Sometimes what happens is it takes a couple of records for everyone to get on-board with a song. The band evolves and sometimes songs that don’t jibe at first, we’ll come back to them and they work. You never know.
Hall: It can be hard to say why it’s like that sometimes. One record, a song might not make the cut and the next, everyone is super-stoked about it. It’s all about the band’s evolution, and current mood. That’s what’s cool about the get-together pre-production part of the process. That’s where you have to have trust, and it gets easier as we get older. My trust in the band’s taste grows as time goes on.
As befits the Stringdusters’ most political record to date, it’s got quite a dystopian cover illustration.
Hall: It was shocking initially, but that’s kind of the idea — for it to be shocking and striking. Uncomfortable, that sort of vibe. I like doing things that might not fit in bluegrass, which is part of the reason why I’m covered in tattoos. I like things that are kind of metal, so doing something that’s not common in bluegrass really excites me. That part of it spoke to me. Bluegrass covers are generally middle-of-the-road. I like that we maybe ruffled some feathers.
Falco: When that cover was first floated, I was honestly not sure about it. Then after I sat with it for a while, it made sense. It was Andy Hall’s vision to put that together. We’re talking about things that are uncomfortable, and that suits the overall message of the record, to approach uncomfortable subjects. That’s what the song “Toward the Fray” is all about for me. It was inspired by the George Floyd situation and I wanted to say it’s not enough to denounce that, you actually have to engage with it. That’s where the cover does what it’s supposed to do, and I love that it’s gotten more comments than any other cover we’ve ever done.
Given the Stringdusters’ stature in progressive bluegrass, going straight-ahead old-school with last year’s Bill Monroe tribute seemed unexpected.
Falco: We talked about that a lot in the past, that we should do a traditional bluegrass record at some point. But every time we went into the studio, we had stacks of our own songs to do. Then when we were grounded at home during the pandemic, trying to figure out things to do, we were able to record remotely. The first thing we did was the Christmas record and then it was, “Let’s do that bluegrass record, a Bill Monroe tribute.” It was all done remotely. Neither one was reinventing the wheel, it was playing music we’ve played a lot over the years. Everybody knows their role and we were able to do that, as opposed to original Stringdusters music, where we have to be together for the improvisational elements.
Hall: To me, this was long overdue. The first bluegrass I ever owned was a Bill Monroe box set, so it’s the first bluegrass I remember hearing. I played with Earl Scruggs, Jeremy Garrett played with Bobby Osborne. We all cut our teeth with traditional bluegrass. It’s what informed us musically.
Congratulations on another Grammy nomination. Will you go to the ceremonies in Las Vegas?
Falco: Oh, yeah!
What was it like to win one?
Falco: I remember sitting in a row with the guys and you could feel everybody’s seat shaking. Then when we won, it was an amazing, incredible moment. It was an honor, and everything you’d think it would be. Plus it was at Madison Square Garden in New York, which was extra-special for me because it was like being at home. It was really great to share that moment together.
Did winning a Grammy change anything for you?
Hall: It helps. I don’t know how, but it seems like it does. People talk about it, yeah, and it gives you a moment of validation. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the music business, a lot of time spent wondering if something works – are we doing the right thing? What about the future? But winning a Grammy was just a moment of feeling like what you do is resonating. It’s a nice spark, something that goes right and keeps you rocking. Still, you just go right back to work. But that moment of recognition and success sure helps put some gas in the tank.
How do you manage the long-distance relationship of being in a band but living all over the country?
Falco: Living around the country, it’s important to stay connected creatively. So the holiday and Bill Monroe records served a purpose mentally. We weren’t just sitting on our hands waiting out the pandemic, we were creating during that time, which was important for our mental health. I was mixing at my house and when parts would come in, I’d put them into the track. What started with a rhythm guitar click track morphed into the Stringdusters sound. Those moments felt like we were making music together, and we were, just in a different way.
Given that you’re putting some definite socio-political content out with “Toward the Fray,” do people come around after shows wanting to argue?
Hall: Not too much. It’s presented in such a way that it’s all in context for people interested in the band and our music and what we have to say. Now if we were shoving messages down everybody’s throat on social media every day, I’m sure there would be more arguments happening. But that’s not how conversation should happen. Our job is to write songs expressing our feelings and put them out there, create work based on how we feel and what we think. That’s what we’ve done with this album and there’s not been a lot of pushback. What is there to argue about? It’s what we’re feeling, are people going to say no, it’s not? It is what it is. I hate arguing on social media, which never helps. Just create the art and move along.
Falco: As long as it’s genuine, you can say whatever you want about the feelings you’re putting out there, and then it’s all fair game. It just needs to be genuine because that’s the only way to write songs and play music.
The Infamous Stringdusters continue their career ascent with Toward the Fray, a new album that comes on the heels of a Grammy nomination for a Bill Monroe tribute EP and hosting duties at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. Their first new album in three years, Toward the Fray captures the live energy of the band, though all five guys put an emphasis on the lyrics, too. Upon announcing the project, band member Andy Hall stated, “Sometimes the times call for some serious reflection, and these songs really hit home. Get ready to go deep with us!”
As the Bluegrass Situation’s Artist of the Month for March, the ‘Dusters paired off for upcoming interviews, with longtime sound engineer Drew Becker joining the fray. Look for the award-winning band in Colorado later this month before the ensemble travels the West Coast. Then it’s back to Colorado for a stop at Red Rocks Amphitheater just before Memorial Day — another reason to look forward to summer.
Although the world has seen its share of upheaval over the last few years, which is certainly reflected in Toward the Fray, the band lineup has remained consistent: Travis Book on bass, Andy Falco on guitar, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Andy Hall on Dobro, and Chris Pandolfi on banjo (and he’s also the only member who doesn’t take a lead vocal). The band released the album on their own label, Americana Vibes.
In our 2019 interview, Book stated, “Our band can be challenging to listen to because it’s not one-dimensional. You’ve got four guys that sing, and every song sounds a little different, and certainly the way I approach every song is as though it’s its own universe. The people who are into our band, they’re ready to go wherever. If you’re into one singer or one style, you’re not going to get very much of that when you come to our show.”
That’s still the case with Toward the Fray, as the band members shuffle the songwriting credits among them, including the exceptional instrumentals. It’s a project that should easily sustain the band throughout the festival season. Keep an eye out for our BGS Artist of the Month interviews in the coming weeks, and meanwhile, enjoy our Essentials playlist.
Photo Credit: Jay Strausser Visuals
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