Yonder Mountain String Band

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Yonder Mountain String Band
The current lineup (from left to right): Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, Dave Johnston, and Jeff Austin.
Background information
Origin	Nederland, Colorado, United States
Genre(s)	Progressive bluegrass Country Jam band
Years active	1998 – Present
Label(s)	Frog Pad SCI Fidelity Vanguard
Website	www.yondermountain.com
Members
Dave Johnston Jeff Austin Ben Kaufmann Adam Aijala

The Yonder Mountain String Band (abbreviated YMSB) is an American progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado.

The bands history stretches back to when banjoist Dave Johnston and mandolinist Jeff Austin were still in college. Having met in Urbana, Illinois, Johnston requested Austin to join and sing in his band The Bluegrassholes. Austin, who played no instrument, revealed to Johnston that he owned a mandolin, 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 to Boulder, Colorado in order to further his bluegrass musical skills. Similarly, Austin moved to Colorado, but instead took up residence in Nederland. Johnston soon joined him there.^[2] It was during this time in Nederland that Johnston and Austin met bassist Ben Kaufmann and guitarist Adam Aijala at a local club named the Verge.^[2] In December of 1998, the four musicians formed Yonder Mountain String Band which was to open for a band at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. They have since developed both a bluegrass and jam band fanbase, and can often be found on tour. In the fall of 1999, they released their debut album Elevation on Frog Pad Records, an independent record label run by the band.

In 1999, they performed as one of the many main attractions at NedFest,^[3] a music festival held in where the band first came together as a collective: Nederland, Colorado. By 2000, the group was playing larger venues, such as The Fillmore in San Francisco, California. The band has released several live albums with material from live performances, but fans are welcome to record the concert they attend for themselves, as the band is taper-friendly.

1 Members
2 Discography
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Members

Jeff Austin - mandolin, vocals

Jeff Austin picked up the mandolin only a few years before forming YMSB. He will often break into a freeform scat during a song.

Ben Kaufmann - bass, vocals

Ben Kaufmann's ability to write songs has formed a solid foundation on which the band's repertoire has grown steadily since 1998. Among his earlier compositions are, "The Bolton Stretch" (Elevation), "On The Run" (Elevation), and the epic live song "Traffic Jam" (Mtn. Tracks Vol 3).

Dave Johnston - banjo, vocals

Dave Johnston forms a great deal of the band's overall sound with his banjo, which essentially serves as Yonder's percussion. He sings in a low tone. Of all the members, Dave has contributed the most instrumentals, with Adam second. Jeff and Ben have put words to all of their songs.

Adam Aijala - guitar, vocals

Adam Aijala's guitar playing forms a framework for many of YMSB's songs. One of Adam's most well-known songs, written back in the days of Elevation, is "Left Me In A Hole."