This week, to an at-capacity crowd in Denver’s Meow Wolf Convergence Station, Colorado’s prodigal jam-grass sons-and-daughter Yonder Mountain String Band delivered song after song from their brand new album Get Yourself Outside—all with fervor and contagious energy rarely found in a band that’s been pleasing ears and moving feat for over two decades. With a firm foundation of bluegrass’s “high, lonesome sound,” Yonder Mountain has ebbed, flowed, and evolved over the last twenty-four years, all while keeping the tried and true good songs, good jams, good people mentality that fans have loved since day one, earning them a coveted, upcoming spot in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. Get Yourself Outside marks the album debut for mandolinist Nick Piccininni who joins founding members—guitarist Adam Aijala, bassist Ben Kaufmann, and banjoist Dave Johnston—and fiddler Allie Kral who joined the band in 2015 for YMSB’s inspired and energized post-pandemic lineup. Yesterday, Brooklyn Vegan shared a first listen of Get Yourself Outside in its entirety, writing, “Yonder’s dedication to keeping things almost entirely acoustic (and without drums) makes this record sound totally authentic and not tied to any specific trend or era.” Fans can stream or purchase Get Yourself Outside now at this link.
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
Supporting the release of Get Yourself Outside, YMSB is hitting the road once again. After their stop at Winter Wondergrass Steamboat this week, the band will head to St. Petersburg, Florida, to kick off their March tour—which includes stops in Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin—before kicking off festival season in New Orleans on April 27th. A full list of dates is below and ticket information can be found at yondermountain.com/tour.
Catch Yonder Mountain String Band On Tour:
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
4/27 - New Orleans, LA - Hogs For The Cause
4/28 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Bardavon
4/29 - Baltimore, MD - Charm City Bluegrass
5/6 - Black Mountain, NC - Silverados
