The Infamous Stringdusters
The Infamous Stringdusters are one of the most influential progressive bluegrass bands of the 21st century — a Grammy-winning quintet whose instrumentally virtuosic, jam-band-adjacent live shows helped revive acoustic music for a generation raised on festival culture. Their decade-plus catalog has spanned traditional bluegrass tributes, original songwriting, and long-form improvisation.
- Formed in Nashville in 2006. Founding connections went back to Berklee College of Music, where Andy Hall, Chris Pandolfi, and Chris Eldridge first met. They later followed Hall to Nashville and met fiddler Jeremy Garrett (from Ronnie Bowman's Committee) and mandolinist Jesse Cobb; bassist Travis Book joined after an audition in fall 2005.
- Self-titled debut EP (Sugar Hill, 2006) and first full album Fork in the Road (Sugar Hill, 2007) won three IBMA awards: Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (tied with J.D. Crowe's Lefty's Old Guitar), and Song of the Year for the title track.
- Guitarist Chris Eldridge left in 2007 to join Chris Thile's Punch Brothers; replaced by Andy Falco, who has remained ever since. Mandolinist Jesse Cobb departed in 2014; the band subsequently operated as a five-piece without a dedicated mandolinist.
- Current lineup — Andy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Travis Book (bass) — has been stable for over a decade.
- Studio albums include Things That Fly (2010), Silver Sky (2012, self-released High Country Recordings), Let It Go (2014), Ladies & Gentlemen (2016), and Laws of Gravity (Compass, 2017) — the last won the 2018 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album (tied with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage).
- Rise Sun (Compass, 2019), A Tribute to Bill Monroe (2021, Grammy-nominated), Toward the Fray (Americana Vibes, 2022, their most overtly political album), 20/20 (2024, for their 20th anniversary), and Songs from the River (2024) round out the modern catalog.
- Founded their own Americana Vibes label after leaving Compass. Known for posting almost every live show on nugs.net, a practice rooted in their jam-band following.
- Renowned for festival headline slots and long-form improvisational sets, regularly performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, DelFest, Telluride, and alongside Phil Lesh and other Dead-alumni projects.
- Members are scattered across the country: Hall and Pandolfi in Colorado, Falco on Long Island, Book in North Carolina, Garrett in Nashville. The band remains active touring and recording despite the geographical distance.
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Andy FalcoPlayed on recordings with The Infamous Stringdusters
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Andy HallPlayed on recordings with The Infamous Stringdusters
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Chris PandolfiPlayed on recordings with The Infamous Stringdusters
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Jeremy GarrettPlayed on recordings with The Infamous Stringdusters
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Travis BookPlayed on recordings with The Infamous Stringdusters