GRAMMY(r) Award Winning Bluegrass Band The Infamous Stringdusters to make their debut appearance in West Michigan on February 6 at St. Cecilia Music Center

The band began their journey over ten years ago and were recognized for their great sound when they won the International Bluegrass Music Awards Album of the Year for Fork in the Road (2007). With more albums, more touring and a GRAMMY® nomination in 2011 for Best Country Instrumental Performance with "Magic No. 9" from Things That Fly, The Infamous Stringdusters continued to grow and evolve.  In 2018, the band won the 2017 GRAMMY® Awardfor Best Bluegrass Album with Laws of Gravity. Over the past two years, the band has continued to tour, grown ever-stronger and released their ninth full-length record entitled Rise Sun (Spring 2019). 

Band members composed of Andy Falco, guitar, Chris Pandolfi, banjo, Andy Hall, dobro, Jeremy Garrett, fiddle, and Travis Book, double bass—have evolved their signature sound by perfecting their seamless fusion of All-American-bluegrass and rock. 

Andy Hall exclaims, “Rise Sun was sparked by the feeling of wanting something better for the world—more love, more awareness, and more compassion. It’s a message of taking care of each other, our planet, and ourselves. We all shared this feeling as evidenced by the songs we brought to the project. It’s the feeling of a rising sun as opposed to a dark night. Sometimes a message of hope is less popular than one of despair, but it’s much-needed nevertheless.”

St. Cecilia Music Director Executive Director Cathy Holbrook, says, “We are thrilled to bring The Infamous Stringdusters live in concert for their first appearance in West Michigan on February 6. With this band’s amazing presence, powerful and meaningful messages and one-of-a-kind bluegrass blend we are looking forward to hosting an amazing show at SCMC.”  

The Infamous Stringdusters concert tickets are $30 and $35 and can be purchased by calling St. Cecilia Music Center at 616-459-2224 or visiting the box office at 24 Ransom Ave. NE. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.scmc-online.org.  A post-concert “Meet-the-artist” party with a cash bar will be offered to all ticket-holders giving the audience the opportunity to possibly meet members of The Infamous Stringdusters and obtain signed CDs of their multiple albums including the 2017 GRAMMY®Award-winning album Laws of Gravity as well as their newest release, Rising Sun. 

More about The Infamous Stringdusters at thestringdusters.com and instagram.com/stringdusters/. 

Other SCMC Acoustic Café Concerts for this season with tickets available include:

The Infamous Stringdusters Bio

The Infamous Stringdusters rise to new heights on their ninth full-length record Rise Sun. For the album, the GRAMMY® Award-winning quintet—Andy Falco [guitar], Chris Pandolfi [banjo], Andy Hall [dobro], Jeremy Garrett [fiddle], and Travis Book [double bass]—expanded their signature sound by perfecting their seamless fusion of All-American-bluegrass and rock.

The Infamous Stringdusters once again sailed into uncharted territory moored only by their expressive patchwork of All-American bluegrass threaded together with strands of rock, jazz, funk, country, old-time, and more. 

As they approached this latest body of work, the group’s ambition matched their outsized creative curiosity.

“Rise Sun was sparked by the feeling of wanting something better for the world—more love, more awareness, and more compassion,” says Hall. “It’s a message of taking care of each other, our planet, and our selves. We all shared this feeling as evidenced by the songs we brought to the project. It’s the feeling of a rising sun as opposed to a dark night. Sometimes a message of hope is less popular than one of despair, but it’s much-needed nevertheless.”

It’s also a message that 13 years, eight studio projects, and nearly 1,000 shows prepared the boys to properly present. The Infamous Stringdusters stand out as the rare group who can team up with contemporary artists on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert one night and headline the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre or perform alongside The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh the next. Engendering a sense of impassioned fandom, they band have attracted a faithful audience that continues to grow. Moreover, their powerful music and performances paved the way for a GRAMMY® Award win in the category of “Best Bluegrass Album” for 2017’s Laws of Gravity. 

When it came time to record what would become Rise Sun, they pushed themselves to evolve once more.

“Rise Sun is the latest chapter in the progression of our sound,” says Pandolfi. “It’s been a long arc that includes evolution on all fronts—writing, arranging, performing, and maybe most importantly, growing as humans who have more to say as the journey rolls on. New albums are the time when we write and introduce our strongest original material. On our last release Laws of Gravity, we really started to hit our stride with recording live in the studio. Rise Sun is another big step in that direction.”

The Infamous Stringdusters introduce the album with the handclap-driven gallop of the title track “Rise Sun.” High energy banjo powers an uplifting and undeniable refrain that immediately shines.

“It’s a hopeful anthem,” Book elaborates. “The sun is rising, and the light is overtaking the darkness. The idea for the melody, inspired by Southern gospel music, came to me driving out of the mountains into Georgia from my home in North Carolina. When we wrote it, I was feeling a deep sense of hope for humanity that the sun will rise again.”

Then, there’s the hummable instrumental “Cloud Valley,” which exudes a sci-fi spirit of wonder via sonic intricacy. “Science fiction can transport you to a place of deep imagination,” says Pandolfi. “We wanted to generate a soundscape for an imaginary mystical setting. It really came alive when we all got together.”

Everything culminates on a heartfelt send-off with “Truth and Love.” Its delicate musical backdrop transmits an important statement for The Infamous Stringdusters.

“I wrote that a few years ago and brought it back now, because I feel like the message has become more relevant today,” Falco states. “The world is polarized. Everything is so extreme, and partisan politics have become a culture war. The song is a reminder of what’s truly important in life—seek the truth, find your love, look up high, and aim above. Life is short, so keep your eye on what’s important while you’re here.”

In the end, that’s precisely what The Infamous Stringdusters do on Rise Sun as they boldly welcome yet another new day, new phase, and new chapter.

“We’re a brotherhood, but that family extends beyond the band even,” Falco leaves off. “Our music gives us an opportunity to bring some light in a world that can be dark sometimes.”