After nearly a quarter century of making music together, Colorado jam-grass vets Yonder Mountain String Band are showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, with their new album Get Yourself Outside due out in February and a slew of tour dates on the books—their first full tour with new member, mandolinist Nick Piccininni—YMSB are as inspired and energized as ever. Today, American Songwriter premiered another new track from Get Yourself Outside; the lively, pseudo love song, “If Only.” American Songwriter called the single “lively,” and celebrated the band’s ability to be “evolving, yet consistently excellent.” YMSB guitarist Adam Aijala recalls how the song came about, “I tested positive for COVID in late 2020 and while isolating in our spare bedroom I came up with a guitar idea that ended up being the intro to the song. The scratch lyrics and melody I came up with felt like it could be a love song of sorts and how we navigate relationships.” Aijala shared his new creation with the rest of the band over a Zoom meeting and they began fine-tuning it. “The upbeat vibe of the song makes me think the outcome for the narrator was a good one,” says Aijala. Fans can listen to “If Only” right now at this link, the previously released “Into The Fire” at this link, and pre-order or pre-save Get Yourself Outside before its February 25th release right here.
Recorded during the shutdown at Cinder Sound Studio (Gunbarrel, Colorado) and co-produced with engineer John McVey, Get Yourself Outside (Frog Pad Records) is a musical odyssey of string instruments and sonic textures. “We want the listener to get outside of your own head, get outside the box or container that you’ve created around yourself—look outside and see what else is out there,” says bassist Ben Kaufmann. What started out as back-and-forth online interactions between the band members soon shifted into YMSB entering Cinder Sound after several months apart. “We knew we had to take greater advantage of our time off the road. So, we started to collaborate and realized we had all of these songs,” Kaufmann says. “It was kind of a trick to figure out how to get together and record safely. But, we’re glad that we did and what came from it.” “Some of the song ideas were older. But, a lot of the ideas happened during the pandemic,” Aijala adds. “There’s a blessing to this life to be able to play music for a living,” says Kauffman. “Get Yourself Outside is a testament to that, which is why it’s been such a joy to finally play these songs live.”
Get Yourself Outside Tracklist:
Beside Myself
I Just Can’t
Small House
If Only
Up This Hill
No Leg Left
Out Of The Pan
Into The Fire
Broken Records
Change Of Heart
Suburban Girl
In addition to the upcoming album announcement, YMSB is gearing up for a long run of February and March tour dates beginning with their official album release show at Denver’s newly-opened and incredibly popular Meow Wolf Convergence Station where concert-goers will experience a one-of-a-kind immersive music and art experience, before heading down to Florida, through the Southeast, and across to Texas. A full list of dates is below and ticket information can be found at yondermountain.com/tour.
Catch Yonder Mountain String Band On Tour:
1/18 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room
1/19 - Jackson, WY - Center for the Arts
1/20 - Great Falls, MT - The Newberry
1/21 - Billings, MT - The Pub Station
1/22 - Bozeman, MT - The Elm
1/23 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma
1/25 - Whitefish, MT - The Great Northern Bar & Grill
1/27 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
1/28 - Seattle WA - Neptune Theatre
1/29 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
1/30 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo House Of Music
2/1 - Arcata, CA - Arcata Theatre
2/2 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
2/3 - Nevada City, CA - Miners Foundry Cultural Center
2/4 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
2/5 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
2/6 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theater
2/24 - Denver, CO - Meow Wolf Convergence Station - official album release show
2/26 - Steamboat, CO - Winter Wondergrass
2/27 - Steamboat, CO - Winter Wondergrass
3/11 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
3/12 - Immokalee, FL - Southland Bluegrass and Wilderness Festival
3/13 - Key West, FL - Parade Grounds at Fort East Martello
3/15 - Carrboro, NC - Cat’s Cradle
3/16 - Savannah, GA - Victory North
3/17 - Live Oak, FL - Suwannee Spring Reunion
3/18 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
3/19 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Bluegrass Festival
3/20 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
3/23 - Fayetteville, AR - George’s Majestic Lounge
3/24 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn
3/25 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
3/26 - Dallas, TX - The Studio at the Factory
4/2 - New Orleans, LA - Hogs For The Cause
4/28 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Bardavon
4/29 - Baltimore, MD - venue TBA
5/6 - Black Mountain, NC - Silverados
5/7 - Cincinnati, OH - venue TBA
5/8 - Cincinnati, OH - venue TBA
