Progressive bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters aren’t attempting to rewrite the history of bluegrass. On the contrary, the acoustic quintet is looking to write its own chapter in the evolution of America’s roots music.
On Saturday, the band’s supporting tour for its new album Silver Sky comes to the 9:30 Club in Washington. Coming from a diverse array of musical backgrounds, the members of The Infamous Stringdusters play a distinctive, groove-oriented type of acoustic music that’s as complex as it is danceable.
“Progressive bluegrass can mean anything that involves music other than bluegrass but still uses bluegrass instruments,” dobro player Andy Hall said. “Everyone in the band didn’t start in bluegrass – I was a rock guitarist, our current guitarist was into blues. We have bluegrass instruments but the songwriting draws from all sorts of other places.”
Never intending to be a dobro player, Hall attended the Berklee College of Music for guitar, but switched to slide guitar when he developed tendinitis. After hearing a recording of Jerry Douglas – considered one of the best living dobro players – Hall picked up the dobro and never looked back.
The band is rounded out by guitar, upright bass, banjo and fiddle. Originally a sextet, Hall said the loss of original mandolin player Jesse Cobb in 2011 hasn’t had a negative effect on the band.
“Mandolin is a very strong rhythm instrument and without it our sound has opened up,” Hall said. “There’s not a constant mandolin chop anymore which really helps the music breathe. There’s already plenty of rhythm from the bass and banjo, so we haven’t really lost that pulse. It’s taken us even further out of bluegrass, forcing us to refine our sound.”
The group’s fourth studio album, Silver Sky – released Tuesday – is an extension of the changes the band has been experiencing. Besides altering the lineup and refining the songwriting process, Silver Sky’s recording was also affected by The Infamous Stringdusters’ decision to create its own record label, High Country Recordings.
Given its newfound freedom, the band decided to record the album in a way unlike anything the group had done before.
“We wanted to change the way we recorded our music by incorporating it into our lives more naturally,” Hall said. “Originally we would go into the studio and bang out a record in two weeks. We wanted to make recording something we did more often. Since touring is such a big part of the operation, we decided we would tour and then take three to four days off to write and learn music. Then two months later we would do it again.”
Between hosting its own annual music festival – The Festy Experience – and receiving a Grammy nomination for the song “Magic #9” from the 2010 album Things That Fly, The Infamous Stringdusters’ successes are quickly growing in number.
At this rate, it seems the band may have already begun writing its chapter in the history of bluegrass.
“All music is going to change and evolve,” Hall said. “If you’re writing songs about cabins on a hill, you’re going to have a small audience, but with more modern stuff you’ll have a wider audience. It’s great to preserve tradition – there’s always room for that – but people want to hear new and interesting music.”
The Infamous Stringdusters will perform at the 9:30 Club on Saturday. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
berman@umdbk.com
