Infamous Stringdusters Bring The Bluegrass To Brooklyn (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

The Infamous Stringdusters have been making their mark in the bluegrass and jam scene for quite some time now with their energetic live shows, fan interaction and virtuosic playing. On Thursday night the band treated New York to a live performance when they hit the Brooklyn Bowl.

Starting off the evening right were Wisconsin jamgrass group Horseshoes & Hand Grenades. The highlight of their hour long opening set was when the group intertwined their original, “Whiskey”, with the Pink Floyd classic, “Time”.

As the Infamous Stringdusters took the stage with instruments in hand they were greeted with a warm welcome. Bassist Travis Book recently had a baby, so on Thursday night, Patrick Falco of The Falco Brothers filled in. Opening up the first set was “True Life Blues”, a Bill Monroe tune, which segued into the old timey instrumental “Cluck Old Hen”. Digging deep into their catalog with “Well,Well” off their self-titled release, the Stringdusters featured guitarist Andy Falco, whose slide playing had all eyes fixated on him. Brother Patrick Falco got the opportunity to shine with his upright bass in this number as well.

The group’s latest release, Undercover, dropped in October and hit #1 on the Billboard bluegrass charts. The album features five cover tracks that the band has performed live but never had a chance to record in the studio. “Big River”, recorded in 1957 by Johnny Cash, had everyone in the bowling alley and on the dance floor singing along. Keeping with the theme of classic songs, guitar phenom Andy Falco stepped up to the microphone to sing Bob Dylan’s, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”. Closing out the first set was the instrumental “High Country Funk”, a tune that started with banjo player Chris Pandolfi, who was dialed in with his tone during the opening solo. Each band member got a turn to show why they are on point with their playing.

After a short intermission the Stringdusters hit the stage for a second set, starting out with “Peace Of Mind”. With the opening chords of the Danny Barnes tune “Get It While You Can” everyone was wondering who would take the vocals on this on one, what with the absence of Travis Book and all. Dobro player Andy Hall stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park on the song, showing so much emotion as he sang and mentioning at the end: “That one was for Travis!”

One of the highlights of the show came midway through the second set with the Chris Pandolfi song “Machines”. The instrumental took the show to the next level with an epic duel between all band members, giving them a chance to showcase their immense skills. At the conclusion of the “jam session”, the applause was deafening. Going back to 2007, the quintet performed the deep cut “Tragic Life” off of Fork In The Road, a song fronted by fiddler player Jeremy Garrett, who was aided by Patrick Falco taking his bass for a nice walk that transitioned nicely into the title track.

To close out the set, “Sunny Side Of The Mountain”, written by bluegrass great Jimmy Martin, featured Pandolfi’s fast moving fingers on the banjo. Paying homage to the late great, Pete Seeger, the band encored with “If I Had A Hammer”. The Infamous Stringdusters put a big smile on everyone’s face at the Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday night, proving once again why they’re an act not to be missed.

All photos by Mike Geller.

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