Grass roots banjo and pedal steel performer Gordon Stone has a saying — or two — that reminds him of Iowa.

“I remember the last time we came to Iowa,” Stone recalls. “We were driving a rental van from New Hampshire with a bumper sticker that said, ‘Live free or die,’ which seemed really funny when we saw the ‘You make me smile’ motto on the welcome board entering Iowa.”

Though the Burlington, Vt., native spends several months a year on the road, he built his reputation working in the studio with bands such as Phish and Strangefolk. Fans can hear Stone on Phish albums “Rift” and “Picture of Nectar.”

Stone’s latest studio conquests include creating a soundtrack for Slam Dance film festival nominee “Mud Season” and his latest album “Even with the Odds,” which was recently praised as Instrumental Album of the Year by Gannett Press.

When Stone isn’t in the studio, he spends his time promoting his act and looking for gigs.

“At the grass-roots level, there are always problems with booking,” Stone says. “Sometimes, it’s like an endless game of phone tag.”

Through these trials, Stone has learned that the business end of the music industry is directly related to the music itself.

“It’s all about building a fan base,” Stone says. “We want to turn people on to what we do.”

Stone’s quartet (blues-jazz guitarist Josh Stacy, bassist Andy Cotton and drummer Russ Lawton, who was featured on Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio’s recent solo tour) will introduce their instrumental, progressive music to an Ames crowd tonight.

Stone explains his unique style of music without a stutter. “It was kind of an evolution,” he says. “I was playing bluegrass, but I was influenced by classical music at home, things like Bach and Frank Zappa.”

He was also in tune with the popular music of the time, playing music similar to that of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Grateful Dead.

“I just play what I hear,” he says.

Stone’s musical composition represents the spontaneity of the tour experience and his wide musical knowledge.

“My most ambitious piece, ‘Touch and Go,’ came together like a classical suite,” Stone says. “It is a 15-minute piece that has a lot of different feels. It moves from Renaissance to a loungy jazz kind of feel. Then, it transitions into a 6/8 swing, and finally, a unison melody builds to a bluegrass tune.

“Bluegrass and fusion have a lot in common. People should expect faster fasts, higher highs and lower lows.”

Stone says his band’s live shows incorporate a number of extended jams into the songs on their CDs.

“We try to lift people up and get them to dance,” Stone says.