The Infamous Stringdusters have finished the first leg of their wildly successful annual Ski Dust Tour traversing through mountain towns in Colorado and Utah. To celebrate the mid-point and following suit with this summer’s sold out Nights on the River tour and accompanying Songs from the River compilation, the band has released a brand new compilation entitled Songs from the Mountain, available today via Americana Vibes. Listen to the new compilation HERE.
The robust 35-song collection contains mountain-themed songs by the Dusters and each member’s respective solo catalogs as well as songs by “reverse supergroup” Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band ft. the Dusters’ Travis Book alongside now-members of Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon & John Stickley Trio. It will also feature a brand new Andy Hall-composed song entitled "Mountain Town" performed by the band live on February 2, 2024 at The Elm in Bozeman, Montana.
Dobroist & vocalist Andy Hall shares sentiments about the organic connection between bluegrass and the mountains, "Bluegrass has its heart in the mountains. We’ve put together a 'Songs from the Mountain' compilation to showcase our connection with the high country! Featured is an unreleased live track ‘Mountain Town’ that certainly fits the vibe!"
The compilation projects are a special treat for all fans of the band whether they are revisiting songs through a new, thematic lens or as a vehicle to discover a band that's still in their prime almost twenty years into their career. While bassist & vocalist Travis Book reflects on the success of the Ski Dust Tour coupled with the timelines of mountain songs resonating with mountain residents, he shares, “Songs from the River showed us that tying songs together by theme was a great way to reimagine or rediscover songs in a different context; it essentially makes a new album that has a common thread. We’re already looking for our next ‘Songs From’ concept.”
As the band prepares for their next leg of Ski Dust tour with Colorado stops in Aspen, Telluride, and Grand Junction and four dates at Egyptian Theater in Park City, Utah, banjoist & vocalist Chris Pandolfi recognizes the positive impact it’s had on the band, fans, and mountain towns alike, “Ski tour was one of the first big Stringduster endeavors that resonated on every critical level—the fans, the band, the music and the mountain towns. We had multiple guys in the band that loved to ski, but you are too poor when you are starting a band to even dream of buying a lift ticket! Ski tour opened the door to rediscovering that passion/inspiration, trading passes for tickets and making incredible connections along the way. Suddenly we were having these transcendent experiences in ski towns with new friends and then riding that energy into the show that night. In some ways, it showed us what's possible in terms of synergy you can create out on the road, and we've followed that concept into other places with great success.”
These experiences have also fostered inspiration behind some of the band’s most treasured songs, including a Pandolfi composition “Underwater Canyon” that appears on the ‘Songs from the Mountain’ compilation. He wrote it after floating in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with the band and some of their fans, an experience he encapsulated in the song. “These river trips are a great example of taking that ski tour template and expanding on it. Personally I am a huge fly fisherman and conservationist, and I'm more inspired by rivers than anything else. The Middle Fork is like church to me. And the Underwater Canyon is one of the most enchanted places on the river. The rivers and mountains bring me ideas and inspiration, and I will do everything I can in return to try and protect them,” he shares.
Adding to an already packed spring schedule, the band just announced that they will be playing a handful of East Coast dates with psychedelic jam-funk favorites Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. New York City-based indie-soul band Melt warming up the stage for both acts on these dates.
A list of those shows is here:
5/29 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom **
5/30 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Summerstage **
5/31 - Lafayette, NY - Wonderland **
6/1 - Westport, CT - Levitt Pavillion **
6/2 - South Deerfield, MA - Treehouse Brewing **
For a complete list of tour dates, merch, and VIP packages at select shows, please visit: thestringdusters.com
