What do you do after you’ve just won your first Grammy Award? If you’re The Infamous Stringdusters—Andy Hall (dobro), Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (upright bass)—you hit the road and play your hearts out like never before.

Roughly 11 years after releasing their debut album, Fork In The Road, the eclectic five-piece string band recently picked up one of music’s biggest honors for their eighth LP,  2017’s Laws of Gravity. While many bands might take a break after such an achievement, The Dusters have opted to keep on truckin’—albeit with a bit more pep in their step. The group’s touring schedule will bring them to every corner of the Continental United States between now and June, and the next two months are looking particularly dense. On top of that, The Infamous Stringdusters recently launched their own record label and signed their first act, Wisconsin-based string band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades.

One show that has the band particularly excited is their upcoming appearance at the Pot of Gold Music Festival in Chandler, AZ on Saturday, March 17th. It’s the first stop on what is already shaping up to be a packed festival season for the award-winning quintet, and the Phoenix-area location of the event is sure to offer some picturesque desert scenery. With a lineup that includes Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band, Sturgill Simpson, Rebelution, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, and many more, it’s safe to say The Infamous Stringdusters will fit right in at Pot of Gold.

We caught up with Jeremy Garrett to talk about the band’s big win, the Pot of Golf Music Festival, playing with Phil Lesh, the enduring appeal of string music, and what the future has in store for these bluegrass mavericks:

Sam D’Arcangelo: What’s it like waking up every day as a member of “Grammy-winning band The Infamous Stringdusters?” Has anything changed since you picked up that statue?

Jeremy Garrett: It’s a joy for me to wake up at all and the fact that I get to do what I love for a living makes me a very lucky man indeed. I’d say that not much has changed for us except we have a lot more gas in the tank, especially at our live shows.

Do you have any good stories from your trip to the Grammys?

JG: A lot of it was so fast, much of it was a blur. From the press opportunities on the red carpet to the award show, to the press booths after, to the large parties after, after…it was an amazing evening for sure.

SD: Have you guys started working on a follow-up to Laws of Gravity?

JG: Yes, we have already picked out a handful of original material and are probably about halfway through the process. We hope to record in late spring.

Speaking of records, you guys just launched your own record label, Tape Time Records. What inspired you guys to do this?

JG: We are stoked to launch Tape Time Records. We have put out records with labels in the past and are finding that there is more that can be done to promote these projects than what we are finding in the marketplace so we have decided to put our efforts into building something in-house that has the quality of engagement that we and other artists need. Our debut release on the label was Horseshoes & Hand Grenades’ The Ode.

What have been some of the challenges of getting involved in the label-owning side of the music business?

JG: There’re always challenges in whatever you do. Today’s social media and ocean of available talent is the biggest challenge. I think the key here is involving people that are great at what they do, being selective and keeping the creative process at the forefront of the whole business…as opposed to trying to plug the record business into a “widget” type model. Everything has to be more adaptable these days, in order to get projects the exposure they deserve and need.

SD: You guys will be performing at the Pot Of Gold Festival in Arizona next month? Are you excited to make it out to that fest? What can fans expect from your appearance there?

JG: We are very excited to make it out to Pot Of Gold Festival this year. We are jamming harder than we ever have and are looking forward to sharing that with everyone this season.

A couple of years ago, you guys got the opportunity to play with Phil Lesh at the LOCKN’ Festival. In a few weeks, you’ll be performing before him at Pot Of Gold. Is sharing the stage with a legend like that a surreal experience?

JG: It is surreal. Phil is a great guy and has always been very supportive of the Stringdusters and what we do. We’ve had the pleasure to share the stage with him several times now and there’s never a time when that man isn’t smiling.

Phil Lesh & Friends feat. The Infamous Stringdusters – “Dire Wolf”

[Video: LOCKN’ Music Festival]

SD: A lot of people think of bluegrass as an old-timey music style, but these days there are countless young artists taking string band music in interesting directions? What reasons do you think there are for bluegrass’ enduring, and perhaps even increasing, popularity?

JG: String music speaks to people. There is just something about it. Something rootsy, perhaps even primal in a way that gets in your blood and you just like it. You love it…bluegrass has always been a music of high integrity with some of the best players around and now that it’s merging with jam music in some scenes, it’s taking it to another level. People like to experience the unknown…the improvisation, the energy of what can happen when musicians and crowd alike are in tune and vibrating on the same wavelengths together. Music is the connector, but the true “thing” is the scene and the fellowship of people.

SD: What’s next for the Infamous Stringdusters? Do you guys have any big plans for the summer?

We are pushing forward and pushing our own boundaries all the time. We are jamming more and harder than we ever have and are having a blast seeing what the possibilities are with it. It’s been so fun to take our fans on this journey with us. Our plans for the summer are exactly that. To take what we do to the highest level and share it with as many people as we can.

You can catch The Infamous Stringdusters on tour throughout the spring and summer of this year. For a full list of upcoming dates, head to the band’s website.

To grab your tickets for the upcoming Pot of Gold Music Festival in Arizona, head to the event website.

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