So today I made a brief list of some bluegrass to listen to and listened to some tracks by Josh Williams not bad but not thrilling. Then I listened to a track from the Tiger Maple String Band interesting but I just wasn’t really into the music. So I finally decided to move the the top of the chart and the number one album Things That Fly by The Infamous Stringdusters and I now know why the album is number one great picking, vocals and lyrics usually make a great album and this album has all three! The album is their second following their successful 2007 debut album Fork in the Road, The band won three awards at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards Ceremony in 2007 including: Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Fork in the Road (in a tie with J.D. Crowe & the New South’s album Lefty’s Old Guitar), and Song of the Year for the title track of the album.
Currenty, the band calls Nashville, Tennessee their home is composed of: Andy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Jesse Cobb (mandolin), and Travis Book (upright bass). Andy Falco is the newest member, filling the role vacated by guitarist Chris Eldridge (who is now touring with Chris Thile as a member of the Punch Brothers).
The members all have a ton of experience ! Andy Hall has played with legends like Earl Scruggs and Dolly Parton, Andy Falco’s resume includes stints with the Greencards and Levon Helm. Chris Pandolfis background includes a stint with Drew Emmit, fiddler Garrett has played with Bobby Osborne, Jesse Cobb has played with Jim Lauderdale, and bassist Cook has shared the stage with Benny “Burle” Galloway.”
The album is solid through all thirteen of the tracks and Hall’s dobro, Garret’s fiddle and Cobb’s mandolin, (Oops Pandolfi’s banjo is good, too) certainly form the core of the band. A few of the tracks that caught my attention are. the opening track “You Can’t Stop the Changes”, the instrumental “Magic #9″ (big surprise there),”Those Who’ve Gone On” (probably my favorite track), “It’ll Be All Right”, “17 cents” (oops again I forgot this one maybe this is the favorite) and the closing instrumental “The Deputy”.
The band allows taping at their shows and you can follow a link at the bottom of their webpage to some free music. So check them out! I know I’m headed over there to give a show or two a listen!
Here’s “In God’s Country” from the album;
and here’s “Fork in the Road”