Article Contributed by Daniel Neubert
Published on August 30, 2012
In case there was any confusion regarding Yonder Mountain String Band‘s capacity for throwing down an amazing show that everybody can enjoy, the band brought out three little girls on stage during a cover of Danny Barnes‘ “Funtime” who danced and whipped their hair with more fervor than Willow Smith herself. And it wasn’t for show either; they were doing the same thing backstage, where nobody could see them. That image right there summed up the Kinfolk Celebration. It was about celebrating the past, present, and future of the band and their fans.
The band has been around since 1998, and in those 14 years some in their legion of fans (dubbed “Kinfolk”) have popped out little Kinfolk of their own. That was evident at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Colorado, where the sight of small children running around was as common as a tie-dyed shirt or a set of dreadlocks. And the best part? The band embraces it. That much was clear when they let those young ladies boogie all over their stage.
The Kinfolk Celebration is YMSB‘s annual thank-you to their fans. In recent years, the band has done Celebrations in places like Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee. They haven’t held it in Lyons since 2003, when they recorded the legendary Mountain Tracks Volume 3. That, combined with the fact that Lyons is pretty darn close to where YMSB started as a band, meant the thunder was going to be brought.
Split Lip Rayfield came on next. Bassist Jeff Eaton’s one-string gas tank bass named Stitchgiver, which he furiously plucked to the crowd’s delight, highlights the three-piece band. Split Lip Rayfield has an intriguing, addictive sound. It’s hard not to dance. The vocals and lyrics have a down-home feel, but the music is fast and aggressive. One festivalgoer described it to me as “thrashgrass”, which seemed appropriate. Standouts of their set for me were “How Many Biscuits Can You Eat?” and their jam of “I’ll Be Around” into “Devil’s Lies.” They closed with “Kiss of Death,” a funny, possibly semi-true tune about ill-fated cars. Perhaps Eaton scored his bass from one of the crashed cars mentioned in the song.
Snider‘s songs are all about the lyrics, which are equally hilarious and insightful. I’m always happy to hear “Conservative Christian Rightwing Republican Straight White American Males” and “Statistician’s Blues” with Snider playing by himself, but the whole crowd was extremely appreciative when bassist Ben Kaufmann and mandolin player Jeff Austin of YMSB joined Snider for his final four songs. They closed things on a high note with a superb version of “Sideshow Blues,” one of Snider‘s songs that has become a staple in Yonder’s catalogue.
At 7:30, it was time for Yonder to hit the stage. They were playing all of their sets this weekend with Andy Hall, the insanely talented Dobro player from The Infamous Stringdusters. I had expected the opening song to be something a little slower, but they kicked everyone in their respective faces with “Shady Grove” into “Wheelhoss” back into “Shady Grove.” Right then, I knew what kind of weekend it was going to be. The rest of the set featured newish tunes like “All The Time,” “Don’t Worry Happy Birthday,” “Straight Line,” and “What The Night Brings.” I was sure nothing was going to beat the “Shady Grove” opener, and yet somehow Yonder kicked it up another notch with a brilliant take on The Grateful Dead‘s classic “Shakedown Street.” The crowd was in utter bliss as the first set ended.
The fun was not done, however. The second set began with Jeff‘s song, “New Horizons,” about a family trying to escape a flood. Ben pulled out the bow to create a loud and super-low tone on the bass, and then the band went into a nice, long version of The Beatles‘ “Dear Prudence.” Dave Johnston, the banjo player, and guitar player Adam Aijala busted out another newer song, dubbed “Pass This Way.” That song, along with the other new material, seemed to resonate quite nicely with the audience.
They finished “On the Run” and, after “Pockets,” brought out Larry Keel for their final three songs. The first with Larry Keel was “My Gal.” Yonder has a great intro to this song, where Ben sings the first couple of lines and in between Jeff and Adam each get to rip lengthy solos before the song actually begins. Well, with Larry Keel and Andy Hall on stage, that tradition was taken to a whole other level. Each musician got to showcase his chops, but Keel‘s guitar battle with Adam was basically solid ear gold.
Greensky Bluegrass was the only band to play before Yonder on Friday, and they played an energetic set that was short on songs but long on jams. There was a cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” fairly early on in the set, followed by “Lose My Way” and “Dust Bowl Overture.”
I was really looking forward to Yonder‘s first set of the night, as this was the one that was picked exclusively by fans. The band didn’t disappoint, playing a set filled with rarities and covers I haven’t ever heard them play. They kicked things off with “Rambler’s Anthem,” the other Yonder song about ramblin’ that doesn’t get played very often. An Adam-led cover of the traditional song, “Jack A Roe,” came soon after. The band dipped back into their Elevation days with “High on a Hilltop”, then Ben pleased the crowd with a mini-Sheriff’s Saga consisting of “Part 1 (Lord Only Knows)” and “Mother’s Only Son,” complete with Dobro wizardry from Andy Hall.
Yonder then dusted off the uber-rare “Gilpin Swing,” a jazzy, swingy number that had the whole place grooving. Later, Ben swapped his standup bass for an electric as he and Adam crooned The Beatles‘ “Hey Bulldog.” The band saved the best for last, however, with a face-melting super jam led by Jeff that featured a long cover of Phish‘s “Sand” sandwiched between fan favorite “Peace of Mind.” It was a half-hour of pure shredding, and a great way to end the fan-inspired set..
Soon came a rollicking version of “Ten,” with “Funtime” and the aforementioned dance party in between. After some good-natured teasing by Ben about Adam‘s age, Ben proclaimed, “There are very few songs that we sing that are older than Yonder Mountain String Band, and this is one of them.” Adam then took the spotlight on his most popular song, “Left Me In a Hole.” Next, a cover of John Hartford‘s “Holdin'” had people scrambling for their lighters, but not to hold aimlessly in the air.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t give props to Dave Johnston. Jeff and Ben are great in their co-frontmen roles, and Adam is the most talented musician when the band is in their normal lineup, but Dave‘s steadying influence is underrated. Serious bluegrass junkies often malign his banjo playing, but his style suits Yonder perfectly. He writes great songs, and his playing, from background melodies to solos, was on point all weekend. His long, technically sound solo during “Traffic Jam” made that clear.
