Yonder Mountain String Band

History

Having met in Urbana, Illinois, banjo player Dave Johnston requested Jeff 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."

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 the mountain town of Nederland. Johnston soon joined him there. 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 Verve. In December 1998, the four musicians formed Yonder Mountain String Band which was to open for a band at the Fox Theatre in Boulder. The band developed both a bluegrass and jam band fan base, and can often be found on tour. Their debut album Elevation was released on Frog Pad Records, an independent record label run by the band, in the fall of 1999.

From 1999 to 2001 they performed as one of the many attractions at NedFest, a music festival held in the band's hometown. By 2000, the group was also 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. There were several tapers during this early period that worked hard to document the band and spread recordings. Sandy "Bigfoot" Alexander, "Bluegrass" Brad Burleson, Josh "Integral Part" Parsons, and Mark Burgin all contributed heavily to documenting Yonder during these early years. Austin once said that when these guys started to follow Yonder around recording them, that they felt like Yonder had started to make a mark. Burleson went on to work for the band as monitor engineer, as well as recording every show. Both Alexander and Burleson were inducted into the Kinfolk Hall of Fame for their efforts in documenting YMSB during these early years, particularly the unplugged encores that Yonder became known for during that time period.

In 2005, their recording of "Think for Yourself" was included on the album This Bird Has Flown – A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul.

In 2008, the band performed at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

In 2010, it was revealed that Yonder Mountain would host a music festival at Mulberry Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas called Yonder Mountain's Harvest Festival. This is the same site where the larger Wakarusa festival is held and where the previous Mulberry Mountain Harvest Fest was held. In 2011, the festival's headliners included Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, the Simcha Aknin Band, Railroad Earth and the Emmitt-Nershi Band.

In April 2014, Austin left the band due to "creative differences and conflicting career goals". After touring with the band since Austin's departure, fiddle player Allie Kral and mandolin player Jake Joliff became official members of Yonder Mountain String Band in May 2015.

In 2016, the band scheduled their "New Years Eve Run" for Boulder, Colorado on December 30th and December 31st at the Boulder Theatre.

Members

Ben Kaufmann - bass, vocals

Dave Johnston - banjo, vocals

Adam Aijala - guitar, vocals

Allie Kral - fiddle, vocals

Jake Joliff - mandolin, vocals

Former members

Jeff Austin - mandolin, vocals (1998-2014)

Frog Pad Records

Frog Pad Records is an independent record label run by the Yonder Mountain String Band. Used as a platform to launch their CDs, the label has since released numerous albums, as well as an anthology and some duet work by Jeff Austin and Chris Castino.