Bluegrass band to play at State Theatre

Bluegrass quintet, The Infamous Stringdusters, will perform for the first time in Greenville at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the State Theatre.

The group’s banjo player, Chris Pandolfi, describes the group’s sound as having its roots in bluegrass, but drawing influences from many other styles of music.

“We draw from jazz, and heavy metal, blues, electronic music, we love it all and we try and make those things sound good on the blue instruments and add all of that sonically to, hopefully, a meaningful collection of original music that we write,” Pandolfi said.

It is often the instrument that opens people up to different styles of music, in the case of The Infamous Stringdusters, they were led to Bluegrass. Each player came to the genre in his own way, bringing their own style and experience together to create the band’s unique sound, according to Pandolfi.

Pandolfi said that audience members will not only get a unique music and production experience from the show, but also a unique camaraderie with a community of fans.

“If they come with an open mind they’ll probably leave with a lot of new friends and will hopefully be onboard for a lot of shows in the future to remain a part of that community and just be part of the party that we are throwing night after night, just be part of the fun,” Pandolfi said.

Pandolfi is not the only one taking note of the tight-knit nature of the fan-base. Long-time fan Cathy Marron agreed that the community surrounding the group is one of the things that she found so appealing about the Stringdusters.

“The band and the community of people who love them are like one big family. We travel all over the country to see them and to see each other,” Marron said. “Some of us get together when the band isn’t even playing. Their music has that effect on people. They bring people of every walk of like together by virtue of the love of music.”

According to Marron, some of her friends and her husband they haven’t seen for three years are coming all the way from California to see them and come to some of the North Carolina shows.

Pandolfi went on to say that the inclusive culture among the fans is a common and expected part of every Stringduster experience.

“The community that surrounds our band is really really awesome. And they’re as much a part of the show as we are and they’re just an awesome welcoming group that I feel lucky to be a part of and

I know that when new fans discover the band they are always overwhelmed by the love and openness in the audience so that’s a really central tenet of every show,” Pandolfi said.

State Theatre General Manager Chris Malarkey said he hopes that Greenville will embrace the band’s style just as much of North Carolina already does.

“Much like Raleigh, most of North Carolina is really into the high energy newgrass music that’s going around right now. Stringdusters are one of my favorites because they're very progressive and kind of more on the rocky, jammier side of Bluegrass and that seems to be a big ticket seller here (Raleigh) and most other markets we book shows, so we’re hoping that Greenville feels the same way,” Malarkey said.

Pandolfi summed up the show by saying, “If you are a fan of live music, this is going to be one of the most unique and energizing and fun shows that you can see out there and it’s just as much about the community as it is about the music.”