At 26 years old, Grammy-nominated Yonder Mountain String Band continues to exist at the forefront of the progressive bluegrass scene as one of the undeniable innovators and pioneers of the modern jamgrass movement.
Bending bluegrass with elements of rock, alternative and improvisational music, Yonder Mountain brought their high-energy, sound and psychedelic light show into rock n’ roll settings with tremendous success, proving it possible for a bluegrass band to not only exist but excel in a rock world without drums. The inroads they made created opportunities for like-minded acoustic bands to perform at festivals, rock clubs, theaters and stadiums previously considered off-limits for string bands.
Yonder Mountain's original music and anything goes attitude helped cultivate a spirit of collaborative improvisation that continues to fuel today’s progressive bluegrass and jamgrass scenes.
It is a testament to the legacy of Yonder Mountain String Band that their original songs and unique interpretations of covers are regularly performed by next generation marquee bluegrass bands.
Yonder Mountain String Band hits the ground running in 2024 with two studio album releases, a full touring schedule and special musical guest, fiddle shredder, Coleman Smith.
First up is a look into Yonder’s storied history with a previously unreleased studio project: an EP featuring the original lineup of Adam Aijala, Dave Johnston, Ben Kaufmann and the late Jeff Austin. The tracks were recorded December 13th and 14th, 2010 and January 28th, 2011 in Boulder, Colorado at Coupe Studios. The EP titled I’d Like Off, will be released March 29th.
November 8th, Yonder Mountain will release the follow-up studio album to their critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album, Get Yourself Outside. This will be Yonder Mountain’s 11th studio record and the 2nd collaboration written by founding members Adam Aijala (Guitar, Vocals), Ben Kaufmann (Bass, Vocals), Dave Johnston (Banjo, Vocals) and Nick Piccininni (Mandolin, Banjo, Fiddle, Vocals). Nick Piccininni joined the band in 2020 as a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. Nick’s boundless musical talent and passion has imbued a renewed energy and joy to the band.
Award-winning, cross-genre violinist and fiddle-shredder, Coleman Smith (Rapidgrass, David Lawrence & The Spoonful, The Bluegrass Journeymen), is taking an extended leave from his international touring schedule to join Yonder Mountain String Band. From their first show together in June of 2023, the band felt an instant musical and personal connection with Cole and they are excited for their fans to experience his exceptional talent and charisma firsthand.