Last week The Infamous Stringdusters came to sprinkle some new tunes across the northeast. They have a new record coming out on the 13th of February called 20/20. Twenty new songs for 20 years of being a band. Dialed in and on point, these guys are better than ever. With twenty new songs this new offering comes on a double album and if the first twenty years are any indication we know these new songs are going to be a game changer on every jamgrass playlist.
I caught up with them in the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. No opener just pure magic from the jump. They opened with Carry Me Away and jammed right into Possum, a Phish cover the guys introduced in 2024, after that we were off and running two songs in and it didn’t let up… We did our due diligence. We hooted, we hollered, we danced. This is not sit still music.
Set I- Carry Me Away, Possum, Dead Man Walking, Workin’ Man Blues, Gravity>, Rise Sun, Soul Searching>, Gotta Travel On>, No More to Leave
Set II- Fork Tease>>, Hit the Nail on the Head>, Back Home Again, Nightbirds, Let Me Know, Just Like Heaven, It’ll Be Alright>>, Machines, Walkin’ on the Moon, River Runs Cold, Hit Parade of Love>, Fork
I decided that just wasn’t enough fun… So, I journeyed out to Beverly, Massachusetts to The Cabot Theater for another dose the following night. The guys got these theater folks up out of their seats and dancin’ with one extra long, jam packed, set.
An Evening with- Once Yer Gone, Wake Me Up, Toy Heart, Burning me Again, Steam>, Blackrock, Poor Boy’s Delight, Dry Spot, Metal> (riff at end>second chord fun), Fat of Fall>>, Echos>, Light & Love, Polka, Voyageur, Workin’ Man Blues, Highwaymen, LLD>>, Hillbillies
The Stringdusters will be back in the area around mid March. They have a Make up date on 3/17 at the State Theater in Portland Maine, on 3/18 the Dusters will take The Paramount Theater in Rutland, Vermont and on March 19th at The Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie, New York they will welcome special guests Fireside Collective.
The Interview:
 “ON THE RECORD” with Andy Falco and Andy Hall (both from N.Y.) of The Infamous Stringdusters
Mirth Films- Tell me about the song writing process for the new album? How has this evolved?
Andy Falco- “I think the main change with this really was taking our time with the songwriting portion of making the record. Typically, we set a whole timeline that would include when we’re delivering the final record and when we might be touring for the record . For this one, we decided not to make any plans for when it would be done until we felt like we had written the best songs that we possibly could, and that allowed us time to start with initial songs see what we had, assess what we might need, get back into the writing rooms and create new songs until we felt like we were there.”
Andy Hall (added)- “This album was a little different in several ways as far as songwriting. We wrote in the neighborhood of 50 songs, which is a lot more than usual.
We also didn’t put a time frame on the recording. Usually we have a deadline with a release date set in advance, but this time we wanted to give ourselves full space to take as long as we needed to get it right.
We continued the writing process even after we did the first recording session and some of the songs were written in after we had started recording. This meant we were able to hear what we thought the album lacked and were able to bring in fresh material all the way to the end. “
Mirth Films- Set list prep/ Choices- what goes into a show?
Andy Falco- “Every day Pandolfi will write a set list and send it around. We meet about an hour, hour and a half before each show starts and go over the set list, make any changes we’d like if any, talk about any directions for transitions, jams, etc. Maybe we run through a few things if we need to. And then we go on stage and try to remember as much as we can and let the moment of the show take over.”
Mirth Films- How does the crowd shape a show?
Andy Falco- “Well, the audience will have a huge impact on the show because it really is not just a spectator sport, but indeed interactive. I think that energy gets passed between the audience and the band, and vice versa and that’s ultimately what dictates the vibe of a show.”
Mirth Films- Do you have a favorite venue or festival to play? What are you looking forward to this year?
Andy Falco- “There are so many, honestly, and so it’s hard to pick any specifics. There are a few special places that I could mention like the Ryman Auditorium for example in Nashville, but really every venue has its own unique thing to it and it’s fun to go play in all these different places.”
Mirth Films- What are you currently listening to?
Andy Falco- “Really into this new Shawn Camp record called The Ghost Of Sis Draper. Shawn is such an incredible singer and songwriter, guitar player, Fiddle player, and he really created an amazing piece of work with this double vinyl album which tells a story of one of his influences Sis Draper. The record plays in chronological order of the story, mostly songs he wrote with Guy Clarke and it’s just like watching a movie when you listen to this record through. Beautiful singing, writing, and playing all throughout.”
Mirth Films- How do you stay focused on wellness / keeping healthy while touring?
Andy Falco- “I think the name of the game is trying to get as much rest as you possibly can, and to eat as best as you can. You also just can’t let the small stuff bother you too much, it’s best to just go with the flow for the most part.”
Mirth Films- Dream collaborations?
Andy Falco- “Well, since it’s just a dream, I would say Dusters with Jerry Garcia.
In all seriousness, though there’s so many artists that we’ve gotten to collaborate with over the years and we really do love to get together with other musicians and make music. We look forward to doing a lot more of that whenever the chance presents itself.”
Mirth Films- Best advice you’ve been given? How did it shape you as a musician/ band?
Andy Falco- “Make music that’s genuine to yourself. For better or for worse, that’s always the best thing you can do.”
Mirth Films- 20 years is a long time… What keeps you going at it, together?
Andy Falco- “We get asked this a lot and I think the most important thing is the respect we have for each other. We all have so much trust in each other as people and musically speaking as well and so the music can always be at its best, and the vibe can always be the highest when everybody checks their ego at the door and even taking that further by always trying to be aware of what is going to lift the group musically or personally. That great respect I think is what makes longevity like ours possible, and we’re constantly evolving and growing together. It’s really no different than any successful long-term relationship.”
Mirth Films- What side projects are you excited about?
Andy Falco- “My main side project is the one I have with Travis Book: Falco and Book play Garcia. It’s just so much fun to go play Jerry songs and honor one of our biggest heroes and as I say, not *for* people, but rather *with* people. We really have such a great time doing that gig.
I also play a place right up the street from my house called the People’s pub on Long Island, and I try to play there once a month or so. I get to play with my brothers a bunch, as well as branch out with other unique lineups of projects like my blues laboratory or my Bluegrass laboratory. It’s really fun to put different ensembles together and see what happens, and the People’s pub is a great intimate venue to do these shows. “
Mirth Films- Anything you want your fans and future fans to know?
Andy Falco- “I think I just want them to know that we absolutely love making music and getting out to do shows to be with the fans. After all, that’s what this is all about -bringing people together, trying to create environments for people to be able to feel they can be themselves and we can be ourselves. So I guess I’d just want them to know that we appreciate them so much, and that they make it possible for us to do what we do.”
