Tennessee boys string you along
Dusting is a gentle thing involving feathers and tiny particles floating woozily in shafts of sunlight, but that visual has no place in the music of The Infamous Stringdusters. What this Nashville sextet offers is more of a string band assault, conjuring images of sweatbeads and calloused fingertips.
Things that Fly, the band’s third LP, rollicks through a 45-minute tour of string music’s many incarnations, from old-timey country (a cover of Jody Stecher’s “17 Cents”) to true-blue bluegrass (“You Can’t Stop the Changes”) to vigorous instrumental folk (“Magic #9”). All this would be impossible without the Dusters sharp instrumental skill, boisterous vocals and adventurous experimentation. The six-piece has all three in spades, a fact they showcase expertly on a rambunctious, surprising cover of U2’s “In God’s Country.” With all the joy and vitality these boys coax out of their dobros, banjos, standing bass and the myriad other instruments featured, you may find yourself wondering what on earth they’re doing to those strings to create such a pleasing racket, but one thing’s for certain—they sure as hell aren’t just dusting them.