Infamous Stringdusters include U2 cover on recent album

The Infamous Stringdusters were in their van en route to Virginia, having played the Bowery Ballroom in New York City the night before, when banjo player Chris Pandolfi asked the guys to quiet down.

“It's slightly noisy in here,” Pandolfi said.

The rowdiness seemed fitting, however, given the band's high-energy style. The Stringdusters will perform at the Soapbox Nov. 18 as part of a tour in support of their recent release on Sugar Hill Records, “Things That Fly.”

Like Sam Bush, The Stringdusters get hit with the “newgrass” moniker.

Though a fair description, the Stringdusters can play with more fire and electricity than one might expect or be more subdued, like on “All The Same” from the new album.

On “Masquerade,” they broach a broader spectrum of ambience and emotion with a song that sounds indifferent to expected bluegrass styles.

It's a fine example of the band bridging bluegrass with country music, the old country your grandparents liked with modern sensibilities. There's no slick overproduction on “Things That Fly,” merely players playing and singing with vivacity.

“We don't really decide what we are,” said Pandolfi, who's from north of New York City. “If people want to call us bluegrass that's up to them. I think we're bringing a lot of cool new things to what a lot of people call bluegrass. It's a new take on playing.”

The Stringdusters play about 150 shows a year. Individual band members have side projects, and dobro player Andy Hall even has his own signature guitar. 

On the new album, the Stringdusters cover U2's “In God's Country.” (U2 is a favorite band of fiddle player Jeremy Garrett.) It retains the original's sonic feel but is layered with intense picking and back porch harmonies.

“We were looking for a cool cover. You can find something that's good music, a good song, but also something that you can gig differently than the original,” Pandolfi said of the song the band played live frequently and revisited for the new album. “Somehow it crept back in.”

source : http://www.starnewsonline.com/