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The Infamous Stringdusters at Brooklyn Bowl

The Infamous Stringdusters
Brookyn Bowl
Brooklyn, NY
August 10, 2010

Folk, roots and blues are gaining a foothold within the imagination of the American youth, leaving the door wide open for other forms of traditional acoustic music like bluegrass. There is a backlash against the artificial, overproduced sound in music today as people search for art that has substance and authenticity. The Infamous Stringdusters, who are charismatic, energetic, and highly talented, have everything it takes to carry bluegrass to a new generation.

The turnout at Brooklyn Bowl for the group was respectable, and there was a wide range of ages in the crowd. Brooklyn Bowl is swiftly becoming something of a mythical venue with the hype and attention it has received – at one point the band announced to the crowd that they were expecting the place to be as big as a stadium.

Bluegrass first emerged in Post World War II America with Bill Monroe’s band the Blue Grass Boys. The band’s sound was solidified with the addition of Earl Scruggs who popularized the three finger banjo picking style known today as “Scruggs Style” picking. The Infamous Stringdusters have a unique approach to a bluegrass performance, a genre that draws from old time American roots music as well as the improvisational music of jazz where each instrument is showcased with a solo. The band moves around the stage in different configurations in order to highlight each different instrument. Different members took the spotlight on a solo and at times went back and forth trading licks. Other arrangements featured one instrument soloing while another player was the primary accompaniment.

The Infamous Stringdusters have three studio albums to date and are currently touring in support of their latest album, Things That Fly (Sugar Hill), but it is their live shows where they truly shine. The group is one of the best acts doing justice to an acoustic Dead cover justice. Guitar player Andy Falco knows a library of Jerry Garcia rolls and licks that can truly emulate that 1980’s Reckoning acoustic sound. On this night it was the tradtional “Rosalie McFall,” covered by the Dead during acoutsic runs in 1970 and 1980. The band closed with “More Time,” a bouncy, upbeat song that would be best received by the feel good types of California and Colorado. The group has a wide appeal, from dark bluesy jams and fast raucous bluegrass to catchy sunny day jams. This has been enough to catapult the band to the forefront of the bluegrass scene today and may just be enough to get them recognized by fans just beginning to explore the current generation of string bands.