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Greensky Bluegrass & The Infamous Stringdusters 3.17.11


Words & Photos By J-man

Banjos and fiddles and dobros, oh my! What better way to spend St. Patrick's Day than with two of the scene's top touring bluegrass bands? The Bluebird Theatre in Denver, Colorado, was graced with the presence of GreenSky Bluegrass and The Infamous Stringdusters. It would be a long night of music starting at The Bluebird and ending at Quixote's for an after party featuring Strange Arrangement with members of Greensky.

Our position was assumed on the side of the stage. Looking over the crowd, it was clear that it could be no other day than St. Patrick's Day. Folks were dressed in green, sporting odd accessories and beads. There was an energy... a drunken energy in the air. Michigan's Greensky Bluegrass took the stage and played a mix of fast and slow tempo songs. Per usual, their instrumentation was consistent and bright. Unfortunately during the slower songs the crowd became chatty. I looked around in pure irritation and annoyance.

Greensky passed around solos in conjunction with lengthy jams. The band praised Denver and played a couple of newer tunes which again triggered chatter from the crowd. The end of the set brought Prince's "Little Red Corvette". I was left scratching my head. Greensky's song selection and choices that night seemed to miss the target audience, though I still felt strangely satisfied.

The Infamous Stringdusters came forth with a clean, polished sound. I realized that evening would mark my first Stringdusters show. I had heard nothing but good things, mainly from musicians. They seemed to be a band's band and that night I could see why. Their instrumentation was far superior to most of the bands on the scene. I was blown away. They moved around the stage freely, forming picking circles and gathering around a single soloist.

The crowd seemed to be really into The Stringdusters' set. I enjoyed their sound, production and playing. They are indeed as good as I had heard and are worthy of mention among the top bluegrass bands on the scene. Together Greensky and The Stringdusters brought one of the more enjoyable and fitting band pairings to Denver bluegrass lovers... and they ate it up.

Following the show at the Bluebird, we headed over to Quixote's to catch the after party with Strange Arrangement and special guests Paul Hoffman and Dave Bruzza of Greensky...

www.greenskybluegrass.com

www.thestringdusters.com

J-man's Photo Gallery From The Show

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