Words: Slade Rand
Photos: Jon Angel
The Infamous Stringdusters brought on Lindsay Lou and local pickers Clay Street Unit to kick off a hot Saturday night of mountain bluegrass at Mission Ballroom this weekend.
Lindsay Lou was ever-present during the string music triple-header in Denver, joining Clay Street Unit for a duet with its own Sam Walker and later rocking the stage with her full band alongside the Stringdusters for an Aretha Franklin tune.
They’ve found home in Colorado, but the Clay Street Unit musicians share roots across the southeast much like the Infamous Stringdusters. Stringdusters banjo maestro Chris Pandolfi lent a hand on Clay Street Unit’s new album, recorded in November and due this year.
Friends of the hometown band piled in early for Clay Street Unit’s opening set and Mission Ballroom debut Saturday night.
Clay Street Unit is Jack Cline on five-string banjo, Sam Walker on guitar and lead vocals, Will Poynor on bass, Brad Larrison on pedal steel, Brendan Lamb on drums and Scottie Bolin on mandolin and vocals. They’ve been playing together for just over three years, and bring a timeless soul to the mixture of country-folk-bluegrass Clay Street Unit makes its own.
“Good Folk’n Country,” Clay Street calls it.
The six musicians balance electric honky tonk stage right with acoustic melodies floating over from stage left, held steady by Walker’s powerful voice. The Unit’s songwriting takes creative turns catered to each member’s strengths. Their infectious camaraderie bleeds off the stage.
While Walker smiles at his bandmates and croons, it’s easy to picture the early days of Clay Street Unit hanging out in mountain town living rooms. Walker on Saturday said the Unit recorded its latest album over a memorable six day-romp, before the band graciously performed a slate of its new material for the Mission audience.
Clay Street Unit played ‘Drive’ off its upcoming record, giving the crowd a first listen in on the elevated songwriting and attention to detail the group poured into its latest project. The sextet also delivered its standout version of The Last Revel’s ‘Engine Trouble,’ which Clay Street Unit released as a single this weekend. The band mixed in tunes from its 2022 release ‘A Mighty Fine Evening,’ including ‘Weight of the World’ and ‘1200 Miles,’ before its special guest sauntered out to help debut another new song.
Clay Street welcomed Lindsay Lou to join on the new tune ‘Choctaw County’ from Clay Street’s upcoming album. They had never performed the song for a live audience, only adding to the special feel of the chemistry they shared as a duo.
Clay Street Unit’s energetic opening set of a dozen songs included a take on Blackfoot’s ‘Train, Train,’ and a closing tear through original, crowd favorite ‘Tired of Being Tired.’ Folks sang along and bounced around embracing as the Mission floor filled in tight to end the opening set.
Lindsay Lou returned half an hour later with the Queens of Time Band, brimming with old-school rock star charisma and thoughtful songwriting.
The Queens of Time Band is Michelle Pietrafitta on drums, Heather Gillis on bass and Mimi Naja on mandolin and electric guitar. The trio effortlessly conjured harmonies and gave wings to Lindsay Lou’s commanding stage presence.
Lou performed ‘Love Calls’ from her latest record, ‘Queen of Time,’ which on the album includes a recording of her late grandmother Nancy telling a story. Onstage in Denver this weekend, Lindsay Lou told a different story about her grandmother and shared wisdom about keeping memories of people you love.
“I wanted her to last forever, and I felt like I could do that, in a way, by recording her story and including it on this record that was really important to me,” Lou said before telling a tale of her grandmother breaking up a street fight in Austin, TX.
“If you want to be a warrior, be a warrior for Love,” Lou quoted her grandmother.
Lou also paid tribute to longtime inspiration and shepherd of the scene Jeff Austin, with a rocking version of his original ‘What the Night Brings.’ Nearly five years ago, Lindsay Lou performed during a tribute to the late musician at First Bank Center in Broomfield named for the song.
The Infamous Stringdusters stormed the Mission stage just before 9:30 p.m. to a raucous crowd, and dove into a breakneck take on instrumental ‘Sirens.’
The veteran bluegrass quintet is Travis Book on stand-up bass, Andy Falco on guitar, Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Andy Hall on Dobro and Chris Pandolfi on banjo. The band members dart around to be near each other during their honed-in performance, encircling a soloing musician or leaning in closer to better hear a bass melody.
The Stringdusters let the opening run of songs stretch, and band members took turns leading the fast-paced exploration. Jeremy Garrett shone on the fiddle, and the band locked into uplifting, spacious melodies as they settled into the buzzing Mission atmosphere. After Travis Book lead the quintet through ‘Planets,’ the Stringdusters let loose a full-band jam on Jerry Garcia-Robert Hunter staple ‘Reuben and Cherise.’
As a tight rendition of ‘Long Time Goin’ built energy and began to rock, the Infamous Stringdusters queued up some first set fireworks. They ramped tempo while Lindsay Lou, Michelle Pietrafitta, Heather Gillis and Mimi Naja strode out amid the opening lyrics of Aretha Franklin’s ‘RESPECT.’
The Queens of Time belted the essential 1967 smash, dancing with one another and embracing the infectious Mission Ballroom party.
The Stringdusters delivered an homage to dedicated Denver fans with ‘Colorado,’ while the Mission disco ball shone yellow, blue and red as the state flag. Infamous Stringdusters tour through the mountains continued with a Sunday night show in Grand Junction before headed further West. The band will swing back through Steamboat Springs in March for WinterWonderGrass.
See the full setlist from the Infamous Stringdusters’ headlining show at Mission Ballroom, via Todd Riner on Facebook, here:
After Midnight 
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