Yonder Mountain String Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nederland,Colorado,United States |
| Genres | Jamgrass |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Labels | Frog Pad,Vanguard |
| Members | Dave Johnston Ben Kaufmann Adam Aijala Nick Piccininni Coleman Smith |
| Past members | Jeff Austin Jacob Joliff Allie Kral |
| Website | www.yondermountain.com |
Yonder Mountain String Band is an Americanprogressive bluegrass group fromNederland, Colorado. Composed of Dave Johnston, Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Nick Piccininni, and Coleman Smith, the band has released eleven studio albums and six live records to date.
Having met inUrbana,Illinois, banjo player Dave Johnston requested Jeff Austin to join and sing in his band The Bluegrassholes. Austin, who played noinstrument, revealed to Johnston that he owned amandolin, who then told him to come to the performance and "play anything, just play fast and loud."[1]
After the collapse of The Bluegrassholes, Johnston moved toBoulder, Colorado, in order to further his bluegrass musical skills. Similarly, Austin moved to Colorado, but instead took up residence in the mountain town ofNederland, Colorado. Johnston soon joined him there.[2] It was during this time in Nederland that Johnston and Austin metbassist Ben Kaufmann andguitarist Adam Aijala at a local club named the Verve.[2] In December 1998, the four musicians formed Yonder Mountain String Band which was to open for a band at theFox Theatre in Boulder. The band developed both a bluegrass andjam band fan base, and can often be found ontour. Their debut albumElevation was released onFrog Pad Records, anindependent record label run by the band, in the fall of 1999.
From 1999 to 2001 they performed as one of the many attractions atNedFest,[3] amusic festival held in the band's hometown. By 2000, the group was also playing larger venues, such asThe Fillmore inSan Francisco, California. In 2005, their recording of "Think for Yourself" was included on the albumThis Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul.
In 2008, the band performed at the2008 Democratic National Convention inDenver.
In 2010, Yonder Mountain decided to host a music festival at Mulberry Mountain inOzark, Arkansas called Yonder Mountain's Harvest Festival. This is the same site where the larger Wakarusa festival is held and where the previous Mulberry Mountain Harvest Fest was held. In 2011, the festival's headliners includedBela Fleck and the Flecktones, the Simcha Aknin Band,Railroad Earth and theEmmitt-Nershi Band.[4]
In April 2014, Austin left the band due to "creative differences and conflicting career goals".[5] After touring with the band since Austin's departure, fiddle player Allie Kral and mandolin player Jake Jolliff became official members of Yonder Mountain String Band in May 2015.[6] In 2020, multi-instrumentalist/mandolinist Nick Piccininni joined after playing with the madgrass group Floodwood.
Their 2022 albumGet Yourself Outside was a nominee for the2023 Grammy forBest Bluegrass Album.[7]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Grass | US Country | US Heat | US Indie | ||
| Elevation |
| — | — | — | — |
| Mountain Tracks: Volume 1 |
| — | — | — | — |
| Town by Town |
| — | — | — | — |
| Mountain Tracks: Volume 2 |
| 11 | — | — | — |
| Old Hands |
| 5 | 54 | — | — |
| Mountain Tracks: Volume 3 |
| 2 | 67 | — | — |
| Mountain Tracks: Volume 4 |
| 3 | 63 | — | — |
| Yonder Mountain String Band |
| 1 | 57 | 39 | 43 |
| Mountain Tracks: Volume 5 |
| 1 | 60 | — | — |
| The Show |
| 1 | — | 19 | — |
| Black Sheep |
| 3 | — | — | — |
| Love. Ain't Love |
| 3 | — | — | — |
| Get Yourself Outside |
| 4 | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Frog Pad Records is anindependent record label run by the Yonder Mountain String Band.[8] Used as a platform to launch theirCDs, the label has since released numerous albums, as well as ananthology and someduet work by Jeff Austin and Chris Castino.[9]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
