The Infamous Stringdusters play two nights in Beaver Creek

Grammy-award-winning The Infamous Stringdusters play two nights at the Vilar Performing Arts Center Jan. 9-10.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the band, which formed in Nashville, Tennessee, out of session players whose ultimate goal involved forming their own band.

“We were all side musicians in Nashville. That process really does get you good at your instrument. Nashville is like graduate school, or like an internship — it’s real-world experience. You learn how to play professionally, you make connections and you learn everything about the music business,” said dobro player Andy Hall.

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“That is the experience and education of a lifetime,” banjo player Chris Pandolfi added. “It sets the bar really, really high in terms of musicianship and the craft.”

The musicians’ technical skills were always sharp, but throughout the decades, their lyrics and songwriting have improved, Hall said.

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“We’ve become mature as musicians. It’s subtle, but one way I can say for sure (that we’ve grown) is that our songwriting has improved. And we have patience with some of our improvised music. When you’re young, you have a lot of energy and fervor. We’re still energetic, but we manage that energy and take advantage of some of the slow stuff,” he said. “I’m a better musician than I was then … (in) my understanding of art and how to make it and my understanding of myself more. Your creative power can grow as you get older.”

Each musician also has let his influences emerge in the music.

“When we started, we were heavily steeped in traditional bluegrass,” he said. “We’ve allowed other influences to come out more and not fall back so much on traditional bluegrass. The bluegrass hasn’t gone away, but some other things have percolated to the top.”

The Infamous Stringdusters built a dedicated fan base out of touring and meeting fans after shows; it was one of the first jam grass bands to cut its teeth in Nashville and then expand out.

“Musically, there were not a ton of bands doing what we’ve done,” he said about being rooted in traditional bluegrass and adding rock and jam grass. “The world of music has changed so much with social media and TikTok. I’m happy we came up before that, when you toured the country in a van and you built long-term fans who would see a show and meet you at the merch table.”

Three of the band members — Hall, Pandolfi and fiddle player Jeremy Garrett — now live in Colorado.

“We wanted the natural beauty when we came home from the road. We moved here for the quality of life,” he said.

After 13 years of living in Colorado, Hall and his fellow musicians still appreciate the fans.

“Bluegrass is almost more popular here than it is anywhere else. It’s one of the most popular types of music in the state. It’s pretty amazing,” he said, attributing some of its early growth to the mystique the Telluride Bluegrass Festival brought. “There’s something about the mountains and enjoyment — the lifestyle. That and bluegrass go hand in hand. You need music for all the other stuff you do — skiing, camping and hiking, and bluegrass seems to go with that soundtrack.”

Speaking of soundtracks, the musicians are working on their 10^th studio album, tentatively due out in late summer. They’ll record 15 of the 40 recent songs they’ve written in Denver.

“We’re extremely excited about what we’ve put down,” he said, referring to the eight songs they recorded in the end of December.

As with all their records, they aim to capture the live, high energy they deliver at their shows.

“The mountain towns always bring a lot of energy when we play, and we bring a lot of energy because we’re stoked to be there,” he said.