By Stevie Connor. Photo Credit: George Grogen
Travis Book of The Infamous Stringdusters has released a compilation of songs recorded during his Happy Hour Podcast entitled The Happy Hour House Band Volume II. Available now via Americana Vibes, the surprise 18-track compilation features live cuts captured during his podcast featuring a slew of special guests including Linday Lou, Kyle Tuttle, Nikki Bluhm, Joshua Rilko, Anders Beck, Jon Stickley, and more.
Book started The Happy Hour Podcast during the onset of the COVID pandemic in an effort to bring eyes and ears to his rural hometown of Bevard, North Carolina. The second installment of the series contains over a dozen episodes featuring the best-in-class folk, bluegrass, and Americana musicians from all around the country.
Outside of the podcast and the new solo release, Book and The Infamous Stringdusters have maintained an active summer schedule coming off the heels of their A Tribute to Flatts & Scruggs continuing to pay homage to stalwarts who have paved the way in the bluegrass scene and have maintained an active schedule with notable festival plays including Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Bluegrass Festival, and more. The band’s inaugural festival The Infamous Weekend is set for September featuring 4+ sets of music by the group taking place at Pop's Farm in Martinsville, VA. A full list of dates can be found below:
7/14 - Durham, NY - Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival
7/15 - Charleston, SC - The Refinery
7/21 - Redmond, OR - Fairwell Festival
8/4 - Bellvue, CO - The Mishawaka
8/5 - Dillon, CO - Dillon Amphitheater
8/6 - South Fork, CO - Rhythms on the Rio
8/10 - Ketchum, ID - River Run Lodge
8/11 - Alta, WY - Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival
8/12-13 - Livingston, MT - Pine Creek Lodge
9/1 - Mill Springs, NC - Earl Scruggs Music Festival
9/2 - Brunswick, ME - Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival
9/6 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
9/15-16 - Martinsville, VA - The “Infamous” Weekend
9/17 - East Aurora, NY - Borderland Music Festival
9/18 - Ashland, KY - Paramount Arts Center
9/20 - Memphis, TN - Miglewood Hall9/21 - Glasgow, KY - The Grove
9/22 - Cape Girardeau, MO - Shipyard Music Festival
9/23 - Winona, MN - Boats and Bluegrass10/6 - Pelham, TN - Cave Fest
10/8 - Monterey, CA - Rebels & Renegades Music Festival
11/5 - Redding, CA - Cascade Theater12/6-10 - Puerto Morelos, Q.R. - Strings & Sol
It's hard to pin Travis Book down. As bass player for The Infamous Stringdusters he’s won a Grammy (has been nominated for 3 others) and played over 1500 shows in 17 years. As host of a weekly gig in his hometown of Brevard, NC, he fronts an original rock band, a country/western swing band, a jazz trio, an old time trio, a bluegrass band, a swing band, and a Tony Rice Tribute, as well as backing Americana legends like Tim O’Brien and Jim Lauderdale and up-and-coming artists like Nicki Bluhm and Alexa Rose. But that’s not all, he’s also hosted nearly 30 episodes of The Travis Book Happy Hour, a music and interview show and podcast.
An accomplished entertainer and musician, he’s also put in his 10,000 hours on a mountain bike in the hills of his native Colorado and his new home in the Pisgah National Forest. Upbeat, positive, optimistic, inspired, not one to sit still, in 2023 you’ll find him heliskiing as part of Heligrass, serenading guests on the high seas at Rhythm & Sails, and anchoring Pickin’ on the Middle Fork. If there are good times to be had and music to be made you’ll probably find him nearby, singing, laughing, and generally looking on the bright side.
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