Yonder Mountain String Band - Nederland, Colorado
By Patrick Ferris

If you have a taste for fun, excitement and acoustic music, Yonder Mountain String Band is a great way to get baptized into the world of acoustic bluegrass rock.  I saw my first Yonder Mountain String Band show last fall. I was instantly a fan, and was inspired enough to write a review as soon as I got home.  Since then, Yonder Mountain String Band has grown in legend, following, chops, and new songs.  I can genuinely say that I have been looking forward to this interview for months.

Aside from their amazing musicianship, each band member shares in the songwriting for Yonder and with four strong vocalists in one band, their three and four part harmonies raise them to an entirely different level of professionalism that is apparent as soon as you hear them.

Yonder Mountain String Band is:

• Adam Aijala - guitar, vocals; originally from Sterling, Massachusetts
• Jeff Austin - mandolin, vocals; originally from Elk Grove, Illinois
• Dave Johnston - banjo, vocals; originally from Aurora, Illinois
• Ben Kaufmann - bass, vocals; originally from Stow, Massachusetts

Yonder Mountain String Band isn't just another bluegrass band, they're  more of a cultural phenomenon similar to Phish or The Grateful Dead.  They have the ability to act as a sort of lightning rod to channel the energy of the universe to the audience.  At my first Yonder show, I literally felt waves of energy flowing between the band, their instruments and the audience. It IS electrifying even though it's acoustic, and they have the ability to make even the saddest song still make you feel good.  It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that Yonder Mountain String Band isn't just a great band, they're an experience.  If you are looking for a great time, a Yonder Mountain String Band show is something that you should make as a musical pilgrimage for 2003.    

Beyond the band and the music is the individual.  In spite of the success and insane number of people attending current shows, each one of the Gentlemen that make up Yonder Mountain String Band is exactly that.  If humility and being humble is the key to success, it shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that knows the band that they are where they are.  They are some of the humblest,  witty, and charismatic musicians I've had the honor to meet.  I am especially thankful to Penny Zemp, their promoter, for setting up an interview with Yonder bassist, Ben Kaufmann.  

Interview with Ben Kaufmann, bassist for Yonder Mountain String Band.

Hot Bands - Hi Ben I met you last fall at your show here in Seattle and really like your band. Let's start at the beginning of Yonder Mountain String Band, and even before. You all have very unique and interesting backgrounds from what I found in your biography, but from your perspective, how did things get started with each of you from the time you were a child to where you are today.

Yonder Mountain - I've always had music around. My father is a musician and played in a big band in Boston for 20 years. That's the music my parents listened to, so I grew up listening to big band music by default. From the time I was 4 or 5, I started with piano lessons. After years of piano lessons I was finally able to pick my own instrument, and I chose electric bass.

Hot Bands - How old were you when that happened?

Yonder Mountain - I was in sixth grade. The music teacher at my junior high school was a very supportive person, and I remember overhearing conversations between him and my parents where he told them that "I was a bass player and should be playing bass".  I'm not sure what he saw or why he said that, but my folks ended up getting me a bass.  I was in my first band pretty soon, playing Beatles and Ray Charles covers...we were a big hit with the 8th graders.

Hot Bands - This is in Massachusetts?

Yonder Mountain - Yeah, this is all back in Massachusetts. I went to school through the end of high school there. All during that time, I was listening to terrible rock and roll...bad MTV stuff...bad radio. Lots of big hair bands.

Hot Bands - What type of music did you like?

Yonder Mountain - I really liked this group called Mr. Big. Billy Sheehan was a big influence and is still a remarkable bass player. I was listening to and playing that style of music during this time, and it wasn't until I was ready to go to college that my father bought me some Bela Fleck records. He said something along the lines of "give these a listen when you're ready". I remember putting them in and not really being able to approach them. In retrospect, they were just really challenging involving a lot of technique...something brand new that I didn't have a lot of experience with, so I kept them in my collection but didn't really listen to them for a while. I went to film in New York for a couple of years and didn't really have much to do with music at that time.

Hot Bands - Were you playing at all?

Yonder Mountain - The decision for figuring out what I was going to do for college came right after a personal tragedy.  My music teacher, mentor and very good friend was killed in a fire, so when the guy I was learning everything about music from died, I quit. I still wanted to do something creative, so I went to film school. It was obvious right from the start that I wasn't as 'into' film and film making as all these other kids. I was going to a prestigious film school, and after a couple of years of suffering in New York, I decided I didn't like film, wasn't happy, and didn't want to do it for a career. Rather than picking something I wanted to do, I picked someplace I wanted to be. I picked Boulder, Colorado because it is a beautiful place. I went to school in Boulder and got involved in music again, putting together my own bands...original music influenced by Frank Zappa and Phish, which was what I was listening to heavily at that time. Those bands never really took off. It was a lot of practice but not many gigs. It was during this time that I answered and ad on a bulletin board at this acoustic music shop that said 'Bluegrass looking for bass player that has an upright bass'. I said "Well, I have an upright bass" and coincidentally had started listening to those Bela Fleck records about that time. I loved those records when I put them on again. It's kind of funny...I said to myself "man why didn't I listen to this stuff sooner?". Well, for whatever reason, I started listening to them then, and started really liking acoustic music. Anyhow, I applied for this band, got the gig and these guys were all twice as old as me and in this band called Mountain Standard Time and had been around for over a decade...back when the only Colorado bluegrass bands were Hot Rize and them. They were a classic bluegrass cover band and it was there where I learned the ropes. They were very clear about when I was speeding up or slowing down; 'do it this way, don't do it that way'. I was in that band for about a year before I started writing music in the bluegrass tradition. I wanted to sing some of the songs I had been writing and didn't really have an opportunity to do that, so I put together my own bluegrass band called Tree Full of Pigs, and that was a great band, although the recordings I have don't really back my claim.

Hot Bands - That's pretty funny! What year was this?

Yonder Mountain - Yeah, it's sort of funny, on the other hand nobody has listened to these tapes. This was back in 1997, and it was a great band and had some great musicians in it...people that have gone on to do great things musically, in particular, a guitar player named Ross Martin, who is probably the most brilliant guitar player around these parts right now. We were all in this bluegrass band...we were all terrible back then, but we just liked the music and wanted to learn how to play it.

Hot Bands - Originals or covers?

Yonder Mountain - Well, it wasn't really traditional music, it was more 'newgrass'. We were writing music and trying to play it. The funny thing about that band was that me trying to sing and play it made it apparent that I was from Massachusetts with my accent. There's nothing worse than trying to sing bluegrass with a heavy Boston accent...it just doesn't sound right. It was fun and funny and through this band, I met Jeff Austin, the mandolin player for Yonder, at one of our gigs. He walked in and looked like a total hippy...long hair...and up to that point, I didn't have much experience with hippies. So he walks up to me and says "Hey man, I play mandolin, you wanna get together and play?" I took his number set it aside and after a couple of months I found it again and was thinking that I was wanting to play with some new people and gave him a call. It was coincidentally the same time that Dave Johnston moved to town and shortly thereafter we met Adam Aijala, all through knowing Jeff. We got together and started playing music, and it was pretty obvious right away that we were of like minds; we were all about the same age, listened to the same kind of music, had the same approach to music and can talk about music on the same level. We look at music from an energy perspective...the give and take of energy between a band and an audience, which I think stemmed from the jam band scene, particularly, The Grateful Dead. We talked about how bluegrass didn't have to be separate from all this other music that we liked and so our songwriting is influenced by all kinds of styles outside of bluegrass.

Hot Bands - I was at a bluegrass festival this past weekend and saw some great bands, including one from your neck of the woods called Open Road. I was talking with one of the people in the audience and mentioned your band, and they said "Yonder Mountain is a great band, but I wouldn't call them bluegrass". How would you define your music?

Yonder Mountain - I think we are a bluegrass band, and it kind of rubs me wrong when people say we aren't. There are a lot of important people in my life that have beat it into my head that no matter what we might have thought, we are a bluegrass band. Those are the words of Pete Wernick's mouth, former President of the International Bluegrass Association. Now that being said, I don't think we're a 'traditional' bluegrass band, simply because we don't approach the music with the desire to be traditional. I think Open Road is one of the best bluegrass bands in the country right now...they are the real deal...THAT is what real bluegrass sounds like, but that isn't our songwriting style or approach to music. Our sound is somewhat new...we didn't grow up listening to bluegrass, so we didn't really have a strong bluegrass influence to model after. Although we have heroes and bluegrass bands we love, when it comes time to create it, I feel we borrow as much from bands like The Grateful Dead as we do from the history of bluegrass. I don't think that makes us any less of a bluegrass band...this is just another branch off of the tree of bluegrass, and there are a LOT of branches on that tree already. Think about it...the music store files Bela Fleck under bluegrass...and they rarely play a bluegrass song although you can hear the bluegrass influence in the music. It's a convenient 'handle' for bands right now...let's face it, bluegrass is a buzzword right now. For us, I hate it when people say 'jamgrass'. We're not a rock and roll band that has a banjo in it from time to time.

Hot Bands - Has anyone used the term 'slamgrass' for your band?

Yonder Mountain - That doesn't really describe us either. That's the music of Leftover Salmon, who is another great band. I heard the term 'Poly-Ethnic Cajun Slamgrass' the same day I saw Leftover Salmon, so the name and the band are one in the same for me. We're not really new-grass either. That was something that was going around in the '70s, like John Hartford or something.

Hot Bands - So 'newgrass' is something maybe like The Reeltime Travelers?

Yonder Mountain - We've been doing a lot of shows with The Reeltime Travelers, and they are a brilliant band. I would call their music more 'old time than newgrass. Between our bands, I see a lot of parallels. We are to bluegrass music as the Reeltime Travelers are to 'old time' music. It's an approach that respects the tradition, but with a desire to further the tradition. It's a weird egotistical slope to walk because we're not out to change the music...it's not possible. Yonder Mountain String Band would not be a good traditional bluegrass band.

Hot Bands - You guys definitely have your own sound, and it's obvious that it's a sound that seems to catch on. You said from the very start that there was some sort of chemistry happening. As far as a summary on the rest of the band, where did they come from?

Yonder Mountain - Dave and Jeff had a bluegrass band back in Illinois. I'm not sure how long they were together, but it was long enough to get a name for themselves and get some recordings under their belt. They were called the Bluegrassholes except on Sundays, when they were the Bluegrass Souls.

Hot Bands - One of the things I love the most about your band is your wit. Besides being extremely talented in music, you're all incredibly funny, spontaneous, witty and humble. I had a great time hanging out with you last time you were in Seattle.

Yonder Mountain - Thank you very much...I really appreciate that, and I know that one of the things that are important to all of us is that we use this music experience to grow as people. It's of vital importance to us that we remain good, nice people. The music industry can kind of twist people around a little bit, but it's our primary motives to remain humble and respectful of everybody...that's incredibly important to us, so it's good to hear we weren't drunk and spitting on anybody.

Hot Bands - Is that something you usually do?

Yonder Mountain - Not that I remembered.

Hot Bands - How do you compare your musical influences with the rest of the band, and how did it come together?

Yonder Mountain - As I was saying, Dave and Jeff were playing together back in Illinois. They were listening to Seldom Seen, Hot Rize and those types of bands...which happened to be my favorite bluegrass bands. Jeff is a HUGE Grateful Dead fan. Although I wouldn't say Dave was a huge Grateful Dead fan, he knows their music backward and forward. Jeff is the only person I know that likes Frank Zappa more than I do. Dave and Adam have a unique musical kinship in that they both grew up listening to punk rock.

Hot Bands - From listening to Adam (referencing his obvious influence from Jerry Garcia), I would think he was the one that was The Grateful Dead fan.

Yonder Mountain - Adam's definitely listened to some Grateful Dead...I mean...his hair wasn't always that short you know. He loved The Grateful Dead, but got into them later in his college years. But his earlier influence was definitely punk. Between Dave and Adam, I'm confident they can answer any question about the history of punk rock in this country. It's not music that I grew up with, so I'm still learning about it, but the more I do learn about it, the more I think there's a relationship between punk rock and bluegrass. More in the terms of the chord structures and idea of the music. This driving, simple, but complicated thing. I'm not quite ready to present my thesis on it, but I'm pretty sure there's some sort of relationship there.

Hot Bands - Interesting. I'm sure you'll raise some eyebrows if nothing else!

Yonder Mountain - I understand that most people are very protective of bluegrass and that they have a vested interest in seeing that it's not ruined for future generations. I often wonder if traditionalists worry that we're going to ruin bluegrass. I hope not because the one thing I do know is that the four fellows in Yonder are as respectful and appreciative of traditional bluegrass as anybody.

Hot Bands - Was there a point in the infancy of Yonder Mountain String Band that was a major turning point in your band, or did it spread like a grassfire right from the start?

Yonder Mountain - We're still sort of in that process, but now the fire is hot. These days we're seeing a great improvement in the size of our crowds, and things are growing as we speak. I can remember events that really got our word out fast. One in particular was a High Sierra music festival. We did a late night show that was supposed to start at 1:30am and go for an hour. This show was in a tent, ,and there were four other acts before us that pushed us back in our starting time, ,so we didn't end up taking the stage at 3:30am, and we were the opening band on the main stage the next morning. Anyhow, we got on the tent stage about 3:30am and did this set for about 50 people and put our hearts into this performance. One of the people in the audience happened to be a person that was really big in the internet music-trading scene. The Internet music trading community congregates around bands like Phish or Wide Spread Panic or String Cheese Incident. This guy was in that community and recorded that late night show in very high quality, and up to that point, that was the best sounding thing we'd ever heard of ourselves, and he made it a point to trade that show heavily. Us playing that show had benefits that we didn't even see for a while...a lot of people had heard and were impressed by that show and a lot of the first fans we met when we started touring heard about us through that recording. I've always said that if we can get people in the door the first time, they're going to have a good time, and I know that we have it in ourselves to make them fans of the band because it's fun, it's new and I think we can turn them on if we have the opportunity to do so.

Hot Bands - So you're saying the Internet paved the way for a lot of things for you?

Yonder Mountain - Absolutely. Without it, there is no way we would be where we are today. We've always encouraged the recording and trading of our live shows. It's something that we never even thought twice about because we've all traded music from bands that set the precedent to promote live recordings like Phish and The Grateful Dead. We exist outside of the mainstream, so we have no support from radio or television. It's up to people that like our music and want to trade our music online that help us get the word out. Without those people trading that music, especially in the beginning, nobody would have known about us and we would have played to a lot of empty or at least emptier clubs and performance halls.

Hot Bands - I see some bands out there that don't want their music recorded because they're worried it will hurt sales in the store. Years ago I look at bands like The Grateful Dead and realized the most important thing to them was to get people listening to their music and supporting them through their tours rather than their CD sales.

Yonder Mountain - That's our attitude. We ask our fans to feel free to record and trade the live shows, but we ask them not to burn and trade our studio CDs simply because as owners of our own label, it costs us a LOT of money to make a studio record, and if everybody just burned it for free, we wouldn't make our money back and that company might not be viable. But on the other hand, we've had plenty of people come up to us and ask us to sign burned CDs. People are going to do what they do...as long as they keep coming to the show, that’s cool...as long as they like the music enough to listen to it. that’s cool. Do I want them to burn copies of our studio records?...not really. Am I going to lose any sleep over it?....no.

Hot Bands - That's a healthy attitude to have.

Yonder Mountain - This is the way of the future and you either have to recognize or become extinct.

Hot Bands - What's up with Colorado and bluegrass? It seems there's tons of music in that vein coming from your area.

Yonder Mountain - Back in the '70s a lot of great musicians moved to this area. Maybe it was because they heard of the Denver folklore center or maybe they had heard there was a supportive acoustic scene here. They came and set up shop. Bands like Hot Rize drew a lot of bands to this area....shoot, John Denver was from this area and he wasn't always 'Rocky Mountain High'...he sounded like a jamband in his early years. From what I know of the recent lineage was Hot Rize, then a fantastic newgrass band called The Lefthand String Band...and I mean fantastic. Musicianship of the highest caliber and the real deal newgrass group. They ended up deciding to go a little more rock and roll and evolved into the next big thing, which was and still is Leftover Salmon, then The String Cheese Incident, then us. We've done a few shows with Sting Cheese and they're a great bunch of guys too...Billy Nershi can really pick the guitar and we've had some fun times back stage just picking with him. I'd really have to say that Hot Rize and Leftover Salmon really paved the road...if it wasn't for them, Yonder would never be here. They were not only musically a big influence, but as far as guidance and paving the road by getting an audience of people nationally that was listening to this style of music..

Hot Bands - You've been on the road a lot and you have four CDs out now...two studio and two live tracks. When does the new CD come out and what is that going to feature?

Yonder Mountain - It's scheduled for release in June and it's going to be called 'Old Hands'. We're doing this record with our good friend and songwriting hero, Ben Galloway. I have no hesitation in saying that it's the best record we've ever done. It's an incredible record and the songs are absolutely mind blowing...all songs written by Ben. He is an incredibly talented songwriter and a great friend.

Hot Bands - I spoke with him at length backstage last time you were in Seattle. He was giving me the lowdown on how the bluegrass scene developed in the Boulder area.

Yonder Mountain - He would know, he was in the middle of it.

Hot Bands - Do you like being on the road as much as you are?

Yonder Mountain - Sometimes it's hard to be away from your friends and family. I'd say that I would be more of a road bug...if I'm home too long I get bored, if I'm on the road too long, I go crazy. I like it and it's getting better all the time. We travel with a little nicer style these days, which makes a huge difference. The gigs are getting better...the venues are nicer. We're in the position we always wanted to be, which is playing the nice rooms for a full house and not having to drive ourselves to the next gig.

Hot Bands - You're obviously a great band and the word is out, but I've seen a lot of great bands with the word out that don't achieve the level of success you do. What would you say sets you apart from other bands out there? If you could say "This is our blueprint...we work with our street team, or we send out mass emails, or we have a management team". If you have a roadmap for our readers to see, what is it that you do that is different?

Yonder Mountain - The first thing is that you have to decide that this is what you want to do. If you are choosing to be a musician, there can be nothing else you'd rather do. Music has to be the biggest priority and the thing you love with or without being paid because there's going to be a lot of time that it isn't going to seem worth it. In the beginning you have to do it all yourself. For us, a really important point was finding a booking agent and finding the RIGHT booking agent. Booking agents have DESTROYED bands before anybody can even hear about them, simply because they don't appreciate the stress that happens out on the road. You have to find a very attentive and thoughtful booking agent that understands routing. Someone that understands that you're driving yourself from gig to gig in a van and you can't play a gig and have 700 miles to drive to play the next gig. We found a great booking agent that's very attentive and care about our health, which is awesome. Once you have a good booking agent, it frees you up a lot so you don't have to do the calls. That was the point in our band that we were able to really focus on the music.

Hot Bands - Do you write on the road?

Yonder Mountain - Sometimes. Songs come with inspiration rather than location or motivation. Home or road...it's random whenever the mood hits.

Hot Bands - Do all of you write and sing?

Yonder Mountain - Yes,  we all sing and contribute in songwriting.  We all like to think we have an equal say in the band, and if any one of us left, Yonder Mountain would cease to exist.

Hot Bands - Where from here? It looks like the sky is the limit right now for Yonder.

Yonder Mountain - Musicians are a great bunch of people. If you are a musician, you certainly know that...well, musicians are....what's the word?

Hot Bands - Lazy?

Yonder Mountain - Not lazy, but crazy. Musicians are some of the most dedicated artists out there. If you feel the knowledge to be a musician, you know this, and you'll probably have to overcome some obstacles in order to do it, but I think that music is the best thing out there and may be the only thing that can bridge gaps between communities and people. Music is an intensely important thing, so if you feel the calling, do it...unless you get offered something like a million dollar job from some computer company...that would be pretty sweet.

Hot Bands - Can you talk a little about the String Summit coming up in June?

Yonder Mountain - String Summit is our take on a bluegrass festival. It's the greatest musicians you could ever hope to have coming to a party that we throw in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Hot Bands - Why there, and how did it come about?

Yonder Mountain - We had always heard about people telling us that the Hornings Hideout location as being the most beautiful and tranquil place and it's a great place to have a party. Last year the String Summit was the highlight of my year...about 3000 people showed. That's about as many as the grounds can support and we'll sell out again I'm sure. It's such a great group of musicians playing. This year we'll be featuring 'Old and in the Grey' which is the Old and in the Way reunion, Danny Barnes, Reeltime Travelers and lots more. If you've ever been to a bluegrass festival, you'll see it flows like a bluegrass festival, but you'll also see it's a gathering of friends and family we've met since we started. I guarantee you there aren’t a better group of people at any festival.

Hot Bands - So it's like a cross between a bluegrass festival and a Grateful Dead show?

Yonder Mountain - I guess...I'll have to admit, horror of horrors, that I've never been to a Grateful Dead show, but I guess if that's something good...yeah...it's like that. It's like a Yonder Mountain show in the most beautiful place in the world with beautiful people.

Hot Bands - Do you have anything else you'd like to share with the readers?

Yonder Mountain - I'm having a great time. I don't know what I did to deserve all the good fortune that has come to us. I appreciate everybody that come to the shows and listen to our music. I appreciate anybody that comes up to me and cares to talk 30 seconds about what we do. I can't imagine having a better time with my life than what I have...basically, I guess I'm just a pretty thankful guy.

Hot Bands - I appreciate you taking the time with me today and look forward to seeing you in June.

Yonder Mountain - Vice Versa.

For more information on Yonder Mountain String Band, CLICK HERE