Yonder Mountain urges "Get Yourself Outside"
This is their first studio album with new member, mandolinist Nick Piccininni.
"Nick is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist. He's also a great singer with a magnetic stage presence," said YMSB guitarist and co-founder Adam Aijala. "And he's in such a creative space right now, something that has brought a whole new vibe and dynamic to the band. But, at the same time, it's such a natural fit, where he hits that sweet spot of the Yonder Mountain sound we've come to be known for."
Piccininni joins Aijala, fellow founding members, bassist Ben Kaufmann and banjoist Dave Johnston, and fiddler Allie Kral who joined the band in 2015.
Recorded during the pandemic at Cinder Sound Studio (Gunbarrel, Col.) and co-produced with engineer John McVey, "Get Yourself Outside" (Frog Pad Records) is a musical odyssey of string instruments and sonic textures. "We want the listener to get outside of your own head, get outside the box or container that you've created around yourself — look outside and see what else is out there," said Kaufmann.
What started out as back-and-forth online interactions between the band members soon shifted into Yonder Mountain entering Cinder Sound after several months apart. "We knew we had to take greater advantage of our time off the road. So, we started to collaborate and realized we had all of these songs," Kaufmann said. "It was kind of a trick to figure out how to get together and record safely. But, we're glad that we did and what came from it."
"Some of the song ideas were older. But, a lot of the ideas happened during the pandemic," Aijala said. "It was interesting because Nick had a bunch of ideas that emerged from the pandemic, and he's heavily featured on the record."
"This album was a learning experience for the band, from bringing Nick in, to navigating the shutdown as a nationally touring band to working on new material," Kaufmann said. "There's a blessing to this life to be able to play music for a living, and 'Get Yourself Outside' is a testament to that, which is why it's been such a joy to finally play these songs live."
The track list is:
Beside Myself
I Just Can't
Small House
If Only
Up This Hill
No Leg Left
Out Of The Pan
Into The Fire
Broken Records
Change Of Heart
Suburban Girl
Yonder Mountain also will launch a tour in January in Salt Lake City with dates through May in Cincinnati.
Tour dates are:
Jan. 18 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Commonwealth Room
Jan. 19 - Jackson, WY - Center for the Arts
Jan. 20 - Great Falls, MT - The Newberry
Jan. 21 - Billings, MT - The Pub Station
Jan. 22 - Bozeman, MT - The Elm
Jan. 23 - Missoula, MT - The Wilma
Jan. 25 - Whitefish, MT - The Great Northern Bar & Grill
Jan. 27 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
Jan. 28 - Seattle WA - Neptune Theatre
Jan. 29 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall
Jan. 30 - Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo House Of Music
Feb. 1 - Arcata, CA - Arcata Theatre
Feb. 2 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
Feb. 3 - Nevada City, CA - Miners Foundry Cultural Center
Feb. 4 - Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up Tavern
Feb. 5 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
Feb. 6 - Flagstaff, AZ - Orpheum Theater
Feb. 24 - Denver, CO - Meow Wolf Convergence Station - official album release show
Feb. 26-27 - Steamboat, CO - Winter Wondergrass
March 11 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Live
March 12 - Immokalee, FL - Southland Bluegrass and Wilderness Festival
March 13 - Key West, FL - Parade Grounds at Fort East Martello
March 15 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
March 16 - Savannah, GA - Victory North
March 17 - Live Oak, FL - Suwannee Spring Reunion
March 18 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
March 19 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Bluegrass Festival
March 20 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
March 23 - Fayetteville, AR - George's Majestic Lounge
March 24 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn
March 25 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
March 26 - Dallas, TX - The Studio at the Factory
April 2 - New Orleans, LA - venue TBA
April 28 - Poughkeepsie, NY - venue TBA
April 29 - Baltimore, MD - venue TBA
May 6 - Black, MT - venue TBA
May 7-8 - Cincinnati, OH - venue TBA
More news for Yonder Mountain String Band
- 03/29/24: Beyonce, Lewis, Yonder Mountain release new tracks
- 03/11/24: Scruggs Fest features Tucker, OId Crow, Stuart, Yonder Mountain
- 11/14/19: Yonder Mountain rereleases "Elevation"
- 07/30/18: Yonder Mountain announces dates; band member returns
- 12/08/15: Yonder Mountain sets spring dates
- 09/05/14: Yonder Mountain sets fest line-up
- 08/18/09: Yonder Mountain String Band opens DMB dates
- 06/26/09: Yonder Mountain tours this summer
CD reviews for Yonder Mountain String Band



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