What a week.  Dead on the Creek.  Left the festival yesterday and spent the evening with Grisman.  A little ping pong, a little pool, some mandolins and Thai food.  We've got a little over three days to get to Mulberry Mountain Harvest Fest in Ozark, AR.  Tonight we're heading to Vegas, tomorrow we'll stop by the Grand Canyon for a hike and some gawking then really bust it across the flat part of the country to get to our set on Thursday.  Saturday we're on the Grand Ole Opry.  We're always honored to make it happen where Country Music lives.

Episode 3 is getting lots of hits.  If you've never seen the String Summit, or you think funny things are funny (and you like music) you'll want to check it out.

This fall we've got a lot of good stuff coming up including a massive east coast tour.  Stay tuned for the latest.

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The Cali section of the West Side Tour is in full swing and tonight it reaches its climax at the Great American Music Hall.  A lot of incredible music has been made in this legendary venue and at the risk of sounding a little pretentious, we aim to do the same tonight.  The Stairwell Sisters go on at 8pm, the Dusters will settle in sometime after 9 and won't stop until we get enough.  Ticket's are inexpensive, only $15, and there's some left, so email your San Fran/Bay Area friends (everyone's got at least one) right now and let them know about the show.

Pandolfi's West Side Tour Epic has achieved Episode 3.  This one's devoted entirely to the North West String Summit and stars our band best friend Anders Beck from Greensky Bluegrass.  It's very funny.  It's clear that Pandolfi's getting better and better at these things so check this one out.  "The hippies are dancing TO BLUEGRASS!!!"

A little recap;  Tuesday night we introduced Stringduster music to percussion in the form of the multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven.  Amazing.  Joe slipped right in and added an element of groove we hadn't achieved on our own.  The show culminated with an impromptu cluck-off on Cluck Old Hen.  We'll likely post the live show ourselves since I didn't see any audience mic's.  This is a collaboration we'll be sure to explore again down the road.

Last night we meandered through two long sets at The Palms in Winters, CA.  This venue is really cool, but off the beaten path so it became a real intimate show but that didn't stop us from playing nearly 3 hours.

So tonight we're in San Francisco.  I looked up nicknames for the city and got some off color suggestions but nothing that really stuck, except maybe Bagdad by the Bay.  Kinda looks like Dadgad now that I've typed it.  We're heading into the city early to soak it in (breath some fog) and get ready for tonight.  Tuolumne's Black Oak Casino on Friday and Dead on the Creek on Saturday.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjX4Q8SdC44

Check it out.  I haven't even watched it yet, but I'm sure it's sweet.  Follow the dusters through CO and MT on their way to the String Summittttttt....

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You can download or stream (all free) our show from the String Summit July 18th on Archive.org.  This was one of the best shows of our last tour so I'd recommend you check it out.

As soon as our Tractor Tavern show posts I'll also let you know as that was one of the best Duster shows ever.  We're home for a week, West Side Tour resumes next Tuesday in Santa Cruz with Joe Craven on percussion.

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I've fallen a little behind on the blogging lately.  It's mostly because I've taken up Twitter.  It's my new obsession.  If you'd like to know what's going on, and you'd like to see pictures and know our location, you can't beat the Stringdusters Twitter page.  Sign on and check it out.

This last week was great.  Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival was a lot of fun, seemed like a lot of fans came out of the woodwork.  The band is taking a much needed week off before we resume our tour on August 4th at Don Quixote's in Felton, CA.  It's a CA week with shows at the Palms in Winters, The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Black Oak Casino in Toulumne and Dead on the Creek in Willits. 

Thanks to everyone who came out these last couple week.  We made a lot of new friends.  Make sure everyone you know in CA knows about our upcomming shows.  Make them come out to see us, we won't let you down.

t

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The first installment of the West Side Tour video documentary is up on YouTube.  Pandolfi does it again. 

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Rockin' show tonight.  Sold waaay more tickets than expected, ate like kings, rocked some tunes, then ate some pie.  Today's hike at the Indian Cliffs was perfect, just hot enough. 

Next three days we're in Washington.  It's been a long time since we've been up that way, August of 08 in fact.  So nearly a year later we're descending on Washington for three nights.  Tractor Tavern in Seattle tomorrow, Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival on Friday and Saturday, then we end this leg of the West Side Tour in Bend, OR. 

We're Tweeting fairly often now, at least once a day, and they include pictures (which is more than I can say for this blog, lazy blogger) of where we're at at the time (or where we've been recently).  So if you want to stay right up on top of what's going on (and I know you do) then get over to our Twitter zone and sign on.

See you soon.

t

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We're in the mountains tonight, hanging with our friend Cliff of Heron Rod Company.  We've got the evening off so we're finishing off dinner and easing into the evening with some homebrew and pickin's.  Tomorrow night we're in St. Maries, ID.  All the info's on the website.

We're on the last week of this segment of the West Side Tour and I must admit, this has been one of the best tours ever.  Panda's posting video from the first few days in the next few days, when it happens, you'll find out about it right here.

t

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It was the place to be this weekend.  No offense to all the east coast Grey Foxer's but the NWSS was THE PLACE TO BE!  Dusters set on Saturday afternoon rocked.  I woke up early Sunday in time for the Benny Galloway Gospel set with Anders Beck, Scott Law and friends.  Very very fun Revival kind of vibe.  The Dusters arrived in time to take part in a massive super jam yesterday afternoon headed by Danny Barnes and the Travelin' McCoury's.  Labowski drove the ship in the hamshack and cooked up the best BBQ I've ever had. 

We love the String Summit.  We would like to come back.

Headed for Mt. Hood today to do some hiking and cruising around then we've got another day off to work on music and get out in the woods before we start in on 5 solid days; Wednesday we're in St. Maries, ID, Thursday we're up in Seattle at the Tractor Tavern, Friday and Saturday we're goin' bluegrass at the Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival in Stevenson, WA and Sunday we head back to Bend, OR for Boots and Bluegrass.  It's good to be in the North West, we love it out here.  We're going to be coming up here a whole lot more.  As often as possible.  Tell your friends.

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