Bluegrass Band Leaves Others In The Dust

By Broadside Staff Writer Marian McLaughlin

This past Saturday night, the James Lee Community Theater in Falls Church turned into an acoustic, bluegrass haven. The D.C. Bluegrass Union presented The Infamous Stringdusters, along with the Jordan Tice Trio. As the opening act came on, guitarist Jordan Tice announced that tonight he and bassist Paul Kowert would be playing only as a duet. The combination of the steel string guitar and the upright bass blended together in unique harmony. Although the two were known to play bluegrass, it was obvious that they were also familiar with jazz and classical techniques. Jordan would switch from intricate strumming patterns to sailing scales, and Paul would pluck a simple bluegrass line, only to pick up his bow and saw away into some complex improvisation.

The two had a bright and original sound. They definitely did not stick to generic bluegrass melodies. Instead, they explored interesting chords and harmonies. Sometimes they played the same melodies together, making a beautiful contrasting layer of tones. Never did one of them take the spotlight.

One thing that amazed the audience was that Jordan and Paul are both only 21 years old, yet well-accomplished and talented musicians. They joked about their skill during the song “1147,” saying it was the 1,147th song they wrote. It wouldn’t be a surprise if it was true, since each song they played that night was so innovative and entertaining.

After a brief intermission, the Infamous Stringdusters performed. The large ensemble consisted of six different stringed instruments such as a steel-stringed guitar, slide Dobro resonator guitar, upright bass, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. The group played together for over an hour, mostly at a fast pace, laughing and smiling the whole time. Most of their songs followed standard bluegrass progressions and patterns, yet their energy and skill blew away the audience. One player always started off the song, and they constantly switched up singers and soloists.

It was interesting to watch how each performer varied in their technique and how they played their instrument. The banjo player and the Dobro player both picked their instruments with celerity, yet their sounds were incredibly different. The banjo had a more twangy sound and was held like a guitar, while the Dobro player had his instrument set up like a lap slide guitar.

Between songs, the group would joke around a little bit, but they mostly spent their stage time jamming out. At one point, the mandolin player and the bassist broke apart from the group and started a duet, exchanging themes and musical ideas. Then they started their own extensive solos. The mandolin player shredded scales along the small, miniature neck of his instrument as the bassist hit his instrument in a percussive manner. Afterwards, bassist Travis Book complimented Paul Kowert by saying, “Playing bass with his passion is damn near impossible.” He felt like he couldn’t top Paul’s skill, and he joked about how he was terrified to solo. After that, the Stringdusters invited Jordan Tice back on stage for their encore, allowing each player one final solo before wrapping up the show.