Chris Pandolfi is the banjo player of the Infamous Stringdusters, the progressive bluegrass band he helped start in Boston with Dobro player Andy Hall and guitarist Chris Eldridge. The band’s first album, Fork in the Road, came out on Sugar Hill in 2007, and that year they won three IBMA awards. In 2018 they won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. Pandolfi also hosts the podcast Inside the Musician’s Brain.
Why Pandolfi matters
Pandolfi helped build a band that won three IBMA awards with its first album and later a Grammy. He also experiments, including banjo music in a trance style.
Life and career
Pandolfi met Andy Hall and Chris Eldridge in Boston, and those friendships led to the Infamous Stringdusters. The band released a five-song EP in 2006 and Fork in the Road on Sugar Hill in 2007. In October 2007 they won IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (in a tie with J.D. Crowe and the New South’s Lefty’s Old Guitar), and Song of the Year. Their tune Magic #9 earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance. In 2018 they won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
Pandolfi has made videos from the headstock of his banjo on stage, released solo tracks from his home studio, and in recent years launched Inside the Musician’s Brain, a podcast with guests like Tony Trischka. His banjo single Astral Plane led off a new solo album.
Playing style
Pandolfi plays three-finger banjo in a progressive band built on group improvising, beside Andy Hall’s Dobro.
Influences and legacy
Pandolfi has played beside Andy Hall and Chris Eldridge since the band’s start. His podcast talks with players like Tony Trischka about how musicians think and improve.
Signature tunes and songs
Magic #9, the Infamous Stringdusters Astral Plane Don’t Think Twice, solo.
Essential recordings
Fork in the Road, the Infamous Stringdusters (Sugar Hill, 2007)
Awards and honors
IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year, the Infamous Stringdusters (2007) IBMA Album of the Year, Fork in the Road, tie (2007) IBMA Song of the Year, the Infamous Stringdusters (2007) Grammy, Best Bluegrass Album, the Infamous Stringdusters (2018)
Watch and listen
Pandolfi plays Don’t Think Twice solo.
What to learn from Pandolfi
Pick a two-chord groove and improvise over it for five minutes on the banjo. The technique to steal is stretching out. Start simple, add one idea per pass, and see where it goes.
Sources
The Infamous Stringdusters, Wikipedia Chris Pandolfi archives, Bluegrass Today
Related players
See the banjo players hub and the bluegrass banjo guide for more pickers. Pandolfi co-founded the Stringdusters with Chris Eldridge and has talked shop with Tony Trischka on his podcast.