Unlike the Martha White “self-rising” flour, it takes more than one ingredient, or individual, to lift the spirits of communities affected by natural disasters. On a brisk night in Boulder, Hot Rize brought together a closely linked ensemble of local musicians to do just that. Recognized as a bluegrass-haven, Boulder County hosts an array of talented musicians.

Thousands of eager fans packed through the doors of the legendary First Avenue Nightclub on a blistering cold October night to see a semi-rare Minneapolis performance from the one and only Yonder Mountain String Band. On a seemingly endless winter tour, the band was supporting the release of their newest album YMSB EP 13’, which features four unique tracks each individually written by one member of the band.

Coming up in January & February 2014, Yonder Mountain String Band heads out on tour in support of their brand new EP, YMSB EP '13 (Frog Pad Records: Oct. 8, 2013), hitting select venues with The Travelin' McCourys in the Deep South, East Coast, and Midwest.

ON October 26^th I got the honor of seeing Yonder Mountain String Band for their Halloween party at the House of Blues in Chicago. It was a beautiful night out in the city. The House of Blues is nestled right downtown among all of the stately buildings and bright city lights. The interior of the building is just as impressive as its stately surroundings. Every wall is painted and decorated differently and the balconies that are stacked three high are decorated with filigree, which is illuminated by color changing lights.  It is truly a beautiful building.

Our final day on the mountain broke with the most gorgeous fall morning – the smell of camp stoves firing up simple breakfasts, the sound of distant birds giddy with the extravagant catch afforded them by the night’s rain, and the sweater-weather wake-up nip of a crisp autumn breeze tousling wet grass and sleepy-head hair all seemed like the sweet morning song of mother nature calling us forward and into the bright world to dance our joy into the soft, wet earth.

Saturday was a wonderful day! It started with sunshine, birds and bluegrass and ended with stars, hippies and bluegrass. The day promised to be a great one just because of the fact it was the last day of the festival. The lineup was just as good as the other days, leaving nobody disappointed. I think the only person who was sad about Saturday was the nearly-legally-blind dude I met this morning who lost his glasses. Bummer.

Yesterday’s beautiful weather didn’t last past noon. It wasn’t long before the clouds rolled in and fog began to creep around the campsites. The first beer of the morning was cracked around nine as we made breakfast and waited for more of our friends to arrive. In the meantime, we met a bunch of our neighbors – everyone we’re camped next to is really friendly! People would stop in just to say hello and ask how our night went, and we had great conversations with people who also love these gorgeous Ozark Mountains.

It rained. It didn’t pour and ruin everything, but it rained. As I was walking through the small amount of mud created by the rain I decided to just be thankful for it. So here I am on Saturday morning…thankful for all the great I get to experience this weekend. (And the morning sun.)

Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Music Festival is the best that Mulberry Mountain has to offer. While Wakarusa pulses to the vibrant beat of youth culture and features many of today’s top acts across varying musical genres, Harvest offers an entirely different experience that has a way of twiddling itself into one’s heart.

Jeff Austin and his latest project, The Here and Now, will be heading out one more time this year for a few shows in the Northeast in November.  This time around Austin will be joined by long-time friend and collaborator Danny Barnes on banjo and guitar along with Johnny Grubb (formerly of Railroad Earth) on upright bass.  The shows will feature new songs from Austin as well as some favorites from the Yonder Mountain String Band songbook.--November Dates:11/14 - StageOne - Fairfield, CT11/15 - Stafford Palace Theater - Stafford Springs, CT11/16 - Flying Monkey - Plymouth, NH