The INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS have announced plans for an exciting two-night Halloween extravaganza at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium entitled BIG TOP HALLOWEEN. Set for Friday, October 28 and Saturday, October 29, the shows will feature special guests funky METERS and The Magic Beans (Friday night) and Keller Williams' Grateful Grass and The Lil' Smokies (Saturday night). Fan pre-sale tickets go up today, July 12, and general on-sale is this Friday, July 15.
"We're thrilled to be joined by friends and legends for this year's Duster Halloween shows," says the band's Andy Hall. "Two nights at the Fillmore - Denver. Dusters with funky METERS, and the Magic Beans on Friday, and Keller Williams' Grateful Grass and The Lil' Smokies on Saturday. This year's Halloween will be our biggest and baddest yet!” The Infamous Stringdusters will serve as Williams' backing band as part of the Grateful Grass ensemble; they did the honors earlier this summer at the sold-out, 2200-seat Pisgah Brewing Company in North Carolina.
The Grammy-nominated acoustic five-piece--Andy Hall (dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (upright bass)--are touring in support of their widely acclaimed Ladies & Gentlemen album, which features all original Stringdusters songs with an array of standout female singers like Lee Ann Womack, Nicki Bluhm, Joss Stone and more. The modern bluegrass virtuosos kicked off their summer tour with an epic show at Colorado's famed Red Rocks Amphitheater in early May, and have been on the road non-stop since.
The Stringdusters also recently were invited by Ryan Adams to support him at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and will join him again later this month at the Newport Folk Festival, along with Nicki Bluhm. Check out Rolling Stone coverage here.
At Red Rocks, the band played to one of their biggest non-festival audiences ever and treated their fans to a 90-minute concert that included special guests LEE ANN WOMACK (on "I Believe" and "The Way I'm Living") and NICKI BLUHM ("See How Far You've Come," "Run To Heaven," "Somebody To Love and "Not Fade Away"). Both singers are featured on the new album Ladies & Gentlemen, which was released earlier this year (February 5, Compass Records) to much critical acclaim.
In a recent live review, Jay Miller of the Patriot-Ledger (MA) said, "the main impression would come from the dazzling fretwork of the five musicians, the sheer thumping energy generated by the quintet (which has no drums), and the amount of music provided. Over two sets the Infamous Stringdusters performed 25 songs and two and-a-half hours of music, and if all that sounds like something Dead fans can appreciate, you can likely expect to see even more of them adopt this young band of pickers (4/9/16)."
The Stringdusters' new album was cited by Rolling Stone as one of the "Most Anticipated Country Albums of 2016" and has been widely praised for the purity of their bluegrass and the talented female vocalists who've recorded with them:
“Infamous Stringdusters is a virtuoso five-man string band, rooted in bluegrass but ready to stretch...the songs are even better: ruminations on time, distance, mortality, purpose, shared humanity and long-term love. The women’s distinctive voices etch each one with the clarity it deserves.” Jon Pareles, New York Times
"...album showcases not only the Stringdusters' keen, constantly evolving craftsmanship, but some of the best singers in the game, all of whom happen to be women.” Marissa Moss, Rolling Stone.com
"...never a group to shy away from expanding its bluegrass boundaries, to infuse all the soul and emotion that such non-bluegrass singers as Joan Osborne, Joss Stone and others bring to an already strong batch of original tunes…Credit the five piece for writing effortlessly melodic songs…that stretch the confines of their genre, specifically into a bluesier, more R&B approach that really connects." Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter
The 12-song collection of new INFAMOUS STRINDUSTERS songs features a who's-who of singers including Joss Stone, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joan Osborne, Sara Watkins, Sara Jarosz and more. Rolling Stone said, "But this is no novelty concept album. Instead, it's the sound of a band expanding its reach with some of the best voices in the business."
Following the February release of the highly acclaimed, star-studded, Ladies & Gentlemen album, THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS present The L&G Tapes LIVE. The 13-track compilation showcases the bluegrass virtuosos’ favorite live recordings from their recent "Ladies & Gentlemen" tour, their biggest tour to date. As a way to show thanks to their dedicated fan base, these handpicked performances (mixed by band member Andy Falco) include several from Ladies & Gentlemen complimented by the vocal stylings of guest singer Nicki Bluhm. The surprise project sticks to their patented live show format with fan-favorite originals like "Where The Rivers Run Cold" (Let It Go, 2014) to heavy-hitting takes on the Grateful Dead’s "Scarlet Begonias" as well as Bluhm’s inspiring lead on Jefferson Airplane’s "Somebody To Love." Check it out here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2gJIsWkJF347HDLdykHv7q
