Yonder mountain string band show at penns peak pa

[sean808080]

caught this band after a few years of enjoying their tunes. i dragged a buddy of mine for a camping weekend in rural pa. he wasn't too thrilled about hearing a 'bluegrass' band as he put it.

needless to say this band put on a great show with lots of great picking and energy. the audience was totally into it and the venue, penns peak is awesome. my buddy left a fan.

think of a nice big barn high on a mountain top surrouinded by a deck that gives a great view of the penn hilltops.

what a great show and they now have a new convert.
highly recommended.

[rekx]

Yonder Mountain is awesome. Definitely THE most high energy bluegrass band out there (if you want to call them bluegrass). By happy coincidence, I will be seeing them in New York this wednesday. Is anyone else going?

[tshetter]

YMSB has put on a great show every time I have seen them come down through Tampa.

They put together a great combination of bluegrass and nu-grass.
Also some just good rocking and jamming tunes, pink floyd, beatles...

Cant forget the good crowds they draw to the shows either...nice big family atmosphere.

I will admit that their studio CDs don't do much for me, but the live stuff is awesome.

Archive.org is your friend (http://www.archive.org/details/YonderMountainStringBand) for Live Yonder. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

Saw them over New Years in Denver, and hot damn that was a great time!
Needless to day, if ya get a chance to see them, do it!!

--Todd

[Steve-in-PA]

We were there too! Saw them there the past 2 years and they are great singers and musicians. Always full of energy and lots of fun!!! They played over 3 hours of bluegrass/newgrass, originals and covers. Next year if you're into hiking, you have to check out the Glen Onoko waterfalls about 5 miles down the road from Penn's Peak. Just beautiful!!!

[earthsave]

Saw em once and that was enough. Best part was at the end when they stepped out in front of the mic and did some bluegrass acoustically.

Jam Grass is better when your stoned, so I hear.

[MikeEdgerton]

I will admit that their studio CDs don't do much for me...

I haven't seen them live but I'm with you there. From the CD I bought I felt they were competent musicians but that they're writing didn't do a whole lot for me although I do have to say I'm somewhat enamored with Eight Cylinders.

[Kevin Briggs]

I love "Eight Cyllinders" too. That harmony at the end is so sweet.

I don't do drugs or drink and I love Yonder Mountain. I think they offer a great blend of bluegrass and jam-band type music. They don't have a modern miracle player like Thile (although he's jammed on stage with them before, sounding typicaly fabulous), but they have great chemistry. They also have a lot of fun up there, or at least appear to, and that goes a long way.

Their "Mountain Tracks" CDs are awesome, all four of them. Start with number one and get them all. They play a really cool "Whiskey Before Breakfast," and their version actually made me want to learn it. It was part of a two song melody, and rioght after it they went into "If You're Ever in Oklahoma," by that sweet blues player who wrote "Cocaine," the song Clapton covered.

Anyway, if you saw them live and din't like them you probably won't like them at all. It's hard for me to believe that people think they're not any good, and I have a good friend who thinks they're just "trendy," but I guess it's possible. Then again, I can't believe all people aren't Philadelphia Eagles fans!

E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!

[KNP String Band Mando]

I have been a die hard fan of YMSB for the last seven or eight years. I liked them alot more three years ago before they started getting really jam oriented, and they crossed the line with adding drums and electric guitar last album. I was at the penn peak show and liked it. For them it was a par show. There were a few times I saw them and they blew me away. Two years ago they played at the Trocadero in Philly with Sam Bush, they rocked. Then in Ohio at the Appalachian Uprising, with larry keel and Curtis Birtch, and played 10 Hartford Tunes, That was a good show. I have alway been interested in Jeff Austins mandolin evoultion. He played a Flatiron the first few years I saw them, then a Collings MFV-Dlx, now hes got a Nugget. The website says its an 1985 Nug. Ill be catchin up with them later in the summer, Ill see if I can pick a tune on it.

It seems like alot of people went to this penns peak show and if anyone wants to jam I live alittle way away in the Delaware Water Gap. So drop me a line

Oh Yea

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!!!!!

[wbcohen]

Fun band with a good groove. Reasonable musicians except for the banjo player. He has serious rhythmic deficiencies (to the point of making me wonder if he has a neurologic problem). His dragging kills the whole band. Heard a recording with Pikelny filling in from a few years back and suddenly they were teriffic. They should lose their banjo player and find another.

[KNP String Band Mando]

I have mee their banjo player (Dave Johnston) many a times, and has seem him pick great stuff in back stage jams and traditional picking circles, but I agree 100% they could be extremly better if they got a new banjo player like Andy Thorne.

[tshetter]

wbcohen, KNP String Band Mando...


I will agree that I have heard Dave get a little lost on some solos.

Dispite that and him being a banjo player, neurological problems? lol http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Would be quite a gem if Yonder added a fiddle player to the line up though......

...another Eagles fan in hiding here as well.
Have to admit its nice to see a game in december and be able to wear shorts.

Also cant beat spring training with the Phills right in Clearwater.

[Mando Morsi]

Yonder Mountain puts on a phenominal live show!! its not for everybody, but they have very high energy, feed of each other and the crowd well, and i think Jeff Austin does a pretty fantastic job leading the way on his Mandolin. His skills is what holds their band together, and his harmonizing with bass player Ben Kaufmann as well as his natural playing style are the most impressive things about the band. #
I have a recording of them at Penn's Peak on 08/11/2006 (that i got of archive.org) and it is a really great show, mainly because of Jeff's skills and classic songs like Hot Rize's Goin' Across the Sea.

By the way the Eagles are pretty sweet, but the best is in the west (referring to Pennsylvania of course) and that is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

GOOOO STEELERS!!!!!!!!

[Kevin Briggs]

I have heard Dave Johnston play near perfet banjo (albeit, mostly on traditional songs), and I've heard him play some confusing banjo. I can't say I've ever heard him actually get out of rhythm, but it sounds like his fingers get all tangled together.

As for a fiddler, it's pretty sweet when Darol Angor sits in with them, which he does quite frequently. To really hear this well, check out Mountain Tracks 4.

[asmiler]

I was told these guys don't get invited to some of the larger bluegrass festivals because of the "unsavory" crowd they bring along. Any truth to that?

[adgefan]

I should be seeing them at Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival in a couple of weeks...can't wait! Darol Anger is on the bill too so here's hoping he sits in with them.

[Mando Morsi]

Yonder is heading up the Northwest String Summit this year at Horning's Hideout (West of Portland) Oregon. Its from August 24-26 and i believe Darol Anger is playing with them all three nights (he seems to always play with them when they tour the Pacific Northwest) also the Drew Emmitt Band and New Riders of the Purple Sage are going to be there, along with several other acts.
This is the 6th time Yonder has headlined this festival, and past acts include the David Grisman Quintet, Larry Keel, Shawn Camp, and even Chris Thile. It Should be a killer festival, with a lot of sit in's and some good pickin music. Looking forward to going in August.

[drewasbill]

I have seen Yonder 3 or 4 times and I just can't handle the banjo player. He always seems to be a half step behind the song - even to the point where some of the guys have looked at him funny as if to say "get it together". Seems they could pick up a much hotter picker than him, but it also seems like they are all boys and they don't want to leave him behind. Just my humble opinion.

[earthsave]

Didnt say there were not good, just that I dont like Jam Grass.

[Fred G]

I was sorry I missed them at Penn's Peak, I was at the show last year when they played there but it conflicted with Greyfox this year. I agree about the banjo player.

KNP, I run a monthly jam in Easton. Pm me for details.

[Enigmatic Recluse]

I was told these guys don't get invited to some of the larger bluegrass festivals because of the "unsavory" crowd they bring along. #Any truth to that?
I have no idea whether this is true, but if it is, it seems kind of ironic given that YMSB, Jerry Garcia and others in the jam community have helped bring large numbers of people to bluegrass and traditional music.

[KNP String Band Mando]

Fred G, not sure what PM means, but ill get a hold of you some how. My band just broke up so im just looking to play out and around as much as possible. Ive been trying to expand my styles to include some jazz and blues and what not and not limited to grass. So please inform me of the details

As for the crowds they bring they can be unsavory. The time I saw them at Appalacian Uprising they brought alot of hippies, and not the nice hippies that dance and like flowers. The dirty smelly rude hippies that would break up a pickin circle to try to sell you acid. Needless to say Yonder did not make it back to the Uprising the past two years. Its a great small festival with great pickin if anyone ever needs a place to go the first weekend in June.

[austinbristow]

I can't believe no one on here has mentioned the guitar player! As far as musical ability in YMSB Adam is without a doubt, imo, the best. I have driven from Norman OK to Denver the past two New Years to catch the run. I've met ton's of nice people at the shows, "hippies" and "bluegrassers" alike. I've got to be honest and say that along with the David Grisman Rounder CD, the rock-star mandothrasher image Jeff Austin presented to me at Red Rocks in 2005 helped peak my interest in the insturment

[KNP String Band Mando]

Likewise, Jeff was a big influence on me. I was front row at one show and was staring at his right hand technique trying to keep up with it with my right hand, and i look up at him and he is starring at me bug eyes and crazy, then smiled. He knew what I was doing, and I think he liked the admiration. As for Adam he is def. the most talented. He stands there so calm and cool, and picks that collings guitar, if you ever get to talk to him back stage ask him to pick you some classical or jazzy stuff. Im interested to see Adam's music career post YMSB.

[Pen]

Like em - don't like em...........

My grandad used to say "There's no accountin for taste".

I happen to like them.

I can't wait to see em in a few weeks at Red Rocks.

I don't mind the banjo player usually. Reminds me of me when I'm having a bad night jammin with my buds. I'd sure h8 for them to kick me to the curb! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Mando Morsi]

Pen...... that Red Rocks shows sounds like it is going to be a killer one,
with Mike fishman on drums and Todd Snider i am sure it will be an interesting evening in Morrison Colorado.
I agree with a lot of the opinions voiced about Dave Johnston Yonder's banjo player, he seems to always drift way out of rhythm with the rest of the band and it can tarnish the music that they are trying to play. However, when he is on it can really sound smooth and is a great compliment to the rest of the band. Still, they should have someone who can produce that quality of playing every night especially considering the amount of live shows they play.
Jeff Austin IMHO is the most solid member of Yonder hands down. Adam may be the most technically proficient, but his style seems very tame and he does not possess neither the fire or the unique style Jeff does.
Like a few other people mentioned on this board Jeff Austin has been a large influence on me. Seeing them in Portland in 2005 at the Roseland theatre was almost a life changing experience for me, and began a MAS obsession way back even before i started to play the mandolin. Seeing someone like Jeff tearing it up on the mando made me want to expand my stringed instrument playing from just the guitar to include the Mandolin (no doubt one of my best decisions ever i must say) and now my guitars sit around and gather dust while my mandolin is always sitting in my hands being happily strummed and picked.
Jeff and Yonder introduced me into wanting to listen to other great Mandolin players, and for that i am extremely grateful. Even if he or they aren't the best or don't appeal to everybody, they are a very solid band with good vocalists and even better musicians.

[Fred G]

KNP, the second little icon at the bottom of my post is the private massage (PM) button. If you click that you can send me a message with your e-mail and I will put you on the e-mail list for the jam. Right now it is the 4th Thursday on the month (last night) at a place called Which Brew in Easton PA. It is a beginner- intermediate jam with some advanced players showing up.
Fred

[Gwilada]

Interesting thread. I've still not seem them live, but have heard quite a few live shows over the years, and in the early days Jeff was the weak link and would often struggle to get cleanly through a solo. But over time he's come a long way and developed his own style that works well for the band, yet Dave's ability seems to have stayed the same.
On another note, there's a live disc floating around (I found it on etree's site) from last year's String Summit, and Jeff's jamming with Thile. It's great to hear them working together and there's an excellent version of the Dead's Bird Song.

[Kevin Briggs]

I agree that Jeff's playing has improved the most. He clearly hasn't spent too much time "studying the masters," but he's proof that doing so is not a necessity. He's one of my favorite mandolin players, not for his great technical prowess, but for his ability to express his emotion through his instrument.

I have an IBMA recording of them playing with tons of other people. Thile plays one and a half sets with them I think. It's sweet. It's a completely different genre for Thile, because it's basically rock jam music with bluegrass instruments. Thile naturally does great, but you can hear him transitioning a little bit. It took Thile a few songs to realize that the notes were secondary to just playing with emotion.

[hedding]

i am actually surprised about all the negative comments about dave's playing. I do agree that at certain times he seems to bite off more than he can chew so to speak in a solo and ends up dragging a little bit but I certainly don't think he does this on every song, he's actually pretty good in my opinion. Sounds to me like the same thing I have heard tony rice play live sometimes, the intention behind it is really good but the execution is not perfect.

[austinbristow]

at the Wakarusa festival in Kansas this year Ben the bass player said something along the lines of "You know we could play like (insert several pro. bluegrass band names) but we dont thanks to DJ Jazzy Johnston on the 5" I got a kick outta that. Thumbs up for DJ Jazzy Johnston

[GTG]

YMSB discussions tend to evoke 3 typical negative comments:

1-they're not very good
2-they sing about drugs and alcohol too much
3-(related to 2) their 'look' is distasteful/sends a bad message

I'm glad to see that most people have gone beyond these feelings.

1- I first heard them in 2002, and have heard their recordings from 2001 or so. They weren't very good back then! Jeff Austin especially would play these horrible amateurish licks all the time. But they've all become quite accomplished. I haven't noticed Dave's lagging, but it's been a few years since my last live show.
2- They used to have a few token references to smoking pot and the like (not sure if they still do that live). But really, compared to 'Whiskey before breakfast' and other such fare, it's par for the course. Music is full of references to unhealthy living and to single them out for this is very unfair. Perhaps someone could write lyrics extolling the virtues of broccoli or bulgur wheat.
3- If city folks can see past cowboy hats to hear great music, roughnecks can look past tie-dye hippie threads to hear great music...

[cooper4205]

I think I read somewhere that Jeff had only been playing the mandolin for 2 years when YMSB really got going. They might not be the most technically gifted band out there, but their shows are high-energy and lots of fun.