Photo by George Trent Grogan
The Infamous Stringdusters are back, and Richmond’s got ’em at The National for three shows. This multi-night performance was supposed to happen in 2021, but pandemic restrictions canned that idea, and the acoustic collective that formed in 2006 is touring behind their latest album, “Toward the Fray.” The ’Dusters hosted the recent IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, during which their fiddler, Jeremy Garrett, was recognized for his part in the instrumental recording of the year, a supergroup performance of the Earl Scruggs’ classic “Ground Speed.” We spoke with Garrett about the Stringdusters’ Richmond return and what the busy musicians have been doing both as a quintet and as individual players.
Richmond magazine: How is it that we’re fortunate to have you for three days, including New Year’s Eve?
Jeremy Garrett: Well, you know, we’ve been coming to Richmond for a while and thought maybe we should mix it up, but naw, man, we were saying, “Let’s go back to Richmond, it’s awesome there!” We always have a blast.
RM: The band released three albums in the first year of the pandemic. This must’ve come out of a storehouse of emotions. And you each put out a solo record, too.
Garrett: It’s hard for even me to realize we did that much. At least four records, and also I did a bunch of side stuff, shows and overdubs. I have a little studio at my place. And I write a lot of songs — I can’t ignore that part of my art. I sit around my house and talk and record on my voice memos. I had so much coming out, all these things. I’m on fire more for music more than ever in my life. I’ve been playing since I was 3, singing in church, playing bluegrass with my dad. I’m in daddy mode, too, with my little girl, Savannah, but I want to get my artistic self into the world.
RM: You also released your own album, “River Wild.”
Garrett: I’ve done several records, and this time I really dug into my roots to do a bluegrass project and wrote songs that are more traditional, and I play guitar, and that might not fit with the ’Dusters vibe. Put a lot of effort into that, picked up the best musicians I could find and friends of mine in the industry.
RM: “Toward the Fray” resonates with the present predicament and the odd sensation of the world spinning outside during isolation, born out of plague and lockdown.
Garrett: Maybe this is just a first step in the new direction, and we are certainly not claiming to have all the answers — after all, the irony of growth is that there is a humility in it. But as we gain a sense of awareness and responsibility, we want to do everything we can to honor that and do some good in the world. That’s what this album is all about.
The Infamous Stringdusters perform at The National from Dec. 29-31, all shows at 8 p.m. Tickets are $37.50.
