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All successful creative endeavors thrive on change. The Infamous Stringdusters career is no exception. But just as many things have changed since The Stringdusters inception in 2006, the essential elements have remained the same. And now the progressive sextet is more focused than ever on exactly what makes them unique: the musical integration of six individual musicians into one visionary sound.

While critics have loved to declare the band newgrass torchbearers, this group is actually a broad melting pot of American music. Backgrounds range from training in classical and jazz to hard rock to stints backing country legends and high lonesome heroes.

When the group first emerged in 2007 there were immediate accolades—IBMA awards and a chart-topping debut record. But the group—Andy Hall (Dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Jesse Cobb (mandolin), and Travis Book (upright bass)—was viewed as a collection of Nashvilles most sought after young guns getting together for a super jam.

Now after spending nearly 200 days on the road together for the past three years, The Infamous Stringdusters have become a band in the truest sense of the word. It has taken hard work and determination on a range of stages from Telluride and the Ryman to city clubs and European cafes, but the group has turned a corner. This is no longer just an outlet to showcase individual instrumental wizardry. Instead the six members have become a single musical entity focused on original material and a collective spontaneity that makes each live performance completely unique.

The more we play, the more everyones deep musical influences become a part of the whole band, says Book. With this group the well runs deeps, and when this band is at its best were developing a new sub-genre of acoustic music. We definitely have a communal thing going on and the music is falling in line with that.

To make any band with six members work, its essential to check egos at the door. There are certainly times for individual expression, Pandolfi and Garrett each released critically hailed solo albums earlier this year, but The Stringdusters predominant skill is distilling the myriad influences into one voice and in turn taking acoustic music to places it has never been.

When we started we relied on our abilities on our instruments to carry us, says Hall. Now we have a band sound. Theres new maturity and element of trust thats taken us beyond the introverted focus of the individual members. Were writing music together and that translates to a better listener experience.

The band recently retreated to the hills of Central Virginia to record their third album for Sugar Hill Records. Look for the album to be released in the spring of 2010.

This one will have a more cohesive feel—a connectivity that hasnt been there before, says Book. It will be less a collection of songs and more so a piece of music from our collective experience together.