The band has always played music by its own set of rules. Bending bluegrass, rock and countless other influences that the band cites, Yonder has pioneered a sound of their own. With their traditional lineup of instruments, the band may look like a traditional bluegrass band at first glance but they’ve created their own music that transcends any genre. Dave Johnston points out “What could be more pure than making your own music.” Yonder’s sound cannot be classified purely as “bluegrass” or “string music” but rather it’s an original sound created from “looking at music from [their] own experiences and doing the best job possible.” The band continues to play by their own rules on their new record The Show.
The Colorado-based foursome has crisscrossed the country over the past eleven years playing such varied settings as festivals, rock clubs, Red Rocks Amphitheater in the band’s home state, and recently the Democratic National Convention in Denver at Mile High Stadium opening for Barack Obama. Their loyal fanbase has been built from this diverse setting of music venues as fans latched on to their genre-defying original sound.
In between tours the band spent time this last year working on its fifth studio album. Set for a September 1 release on the band’s own label, The Show is the second album with rock producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith, Foo Fighters). While some might scratch their heads as to why a string band would want a rock producer, this decision was a natural choice for the band. “We don’t have a lot of nostalgia for the past,” says banjo player Dave Johnston. “You shouldn’t try to recreate the 1940s. I like to think of us as informed by the past and all the great performers before us. But we also want to look forward rather than give people something that has already been perfected.”
The Show has the similar acoustic instrumentation (Adam Aijala on guitar, Johnston on banjo, Jeff Austin on mandolin and Ben Kaufman on bass with all four singing) as many of its classic bluegrass forefathers. Though once again drums are present (as with the self-titled fourth album) with the great Pete Thomas of Elvis Costello’s bands adding a rhythmic backdrop to Yonder’s still-acoustic sound on six of the tracks. The record consists of thirteen songs all written by Yonder.
The band has long cited such varied influences as the bluegrass of Del McCoury, Johnson Mountain Boys, Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, Osborne Brothers as well as the punk rock of Bad Religion, Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys. Somewhere in between these two tent poles are early 20th Century composers and alternative rock bands like Grandaddy and Postal Service. It’s all funneled through the band’s unique chemistry, honed since they first met at an informal club performance in 1998. With band members writing individually, in different pairings and as a collective, the album proves that this group is a collection of creative peers and you can hear it in the rich tapestry of music that makes up The Show.
Here Yonder offers such traditional bluegrass sounding fare as “Out Of The Blue” and “Casualty.” The band has explored its country roots in the past and does so again this time on “Steep Grade, Sharp Curves,” a song that describes the roads around its home base in Nederland as well as a particularly dangerous femme fatale. A little further from the roots is the impressionistic “Isolate” with its simple but ominous bass line and minimal arrangement. There is also a bevy of rockers like “Complicated,” “Fingerprints” and “Belle Parker,” a gem of a song about a hard-hearted woman. The band even finds some excellent middle ground between bluegrass and rock on “Fine Excuses” thanks in part to a scorching guitar solo from Adam Aijala. There is also the extended “Honestly” -- at eight-minutes, the longest song on the album, with a middle section that is an excellent platform for lengthier live excursions that are as improvisatory as any electric band on the live music circuit.
The band is a regular at bluegrass festivals like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the band's own Northwest String Summit as well as massive multi-stage events like Austin City Limits Festival, Bonnaroo and Rothbury. Fans are no doubt drawn to Yonder’s anything goes attitude, its humor and passion about music, and the band’s ability to stretch out live. “We love that people come to see us,” Johnston points out. “Everyone appreciates good music. Some people want to go to a recital and some people want to party.”
But as its fans know, Yonder Mountain String Band does something a little different, more than just a musical party. The Show is the band’s most varied and versatile album to date, and the summation of the journey that these guys are on together. It’s bluegrass for the masses, acoustic tunes filled with dazzling chops, and it’s fun to boot. The humble Johnston sounds as surprised as anyone by the band’s success, but knows that it all boiled down to chemistry, which has never changed. “Somewhere down there we all kind of recognized that we had something unique,” he explains. “But there is no way I could have imagined the amount of success that the band has had.”
40 Miles From Denver
Yonder Mountain String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's a cold, cold point on your knife
Could I call myself a man if I left by the morning light?
And I'd be 40 miles from Denver when you woke up all alone
I'd be 40 miles from Denver and three days from my home
In that cool mountain air, on an Appalachian trail
Ohh, life is better there
It's a lonely road to travel on
But I've stood here waiting much too long
And I'd rather leave this minute than try to carry on
And I'd be 40 miles from Denver headed east bound on the track
I'd be 40 miles from Denver and trying to get back
To that cool mountain air, on an Appalachian trail
Ohh, life is better there
It's a cold, cold moon out tonight
And it's a cold, cold point on your knife
Could I call myself a man if I left by the morning light?
And I'd be 40 miles from Denver when you woke up all alone
I'd be 40 miles from Denver and three days from my home
In that cool mountain air, on an Appalachian trail
Ohh, life is better there (4x)
The lyrics of Yonder Mountain String Band's "40 Miles From Denver" are symbolic of a person's internal struggles to make a decision between staying in their current situation and leaving everything behind to start anew. The song starts with the singer acknowledging the danger and isolation of the night, stating that leaving would be equivalent to holding a weapon to himself. The mention of the word "man" in the line "Could I call myself a man if I left by the morning light?" suggests that there might be societal expectations and pressures in play.
However, as the song progresses, it becomes evident that the singer has grown tired of the status quo and is ready to take the leap of faith into the unknown. He describes the new destination as a place of respite - the cool mountain air on an Appalachian trail. The distance of 40 miles from Denver represents an achievable distance for the singer, while being far enough to create a physical and emotional separation. The repetition of the phrase "life is better there" emphasizes that the decision to leave and start anew is the right one.
The theme of the song resonates with many people who have had to make a difficult choice in their lives, and it serves as a reminder that sometimes it is better to take a chance and venture into uncharted territory, rather than staying in a situation that does not fulfill our needs.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a cold, cold moon out tonight
The night is dark and uncomfortable
And it's a cold, cold point on your knife
There is a tense atmosphere and danger is present
Could I call myself a man if I left by the morning light?
Leaving in a difficult situation may be necessary but will feel like abandoning responsibility
And I'd be 40 miles from Denver when you woke up all alone
Leaving will bring physical distance and emotional isolation
I'd be 40 miles from Denver and three days from my home
The distance and time it takes to get to a better place makes the change harder
In that cool mountain air, on an Appalachian trail
The destination is a peaceful, natural place that provides relief
Ohh, life is better there
The singer believes that being in nature is worth the journey
It's a lonely road to travel on
Making a tough decision to leave will cause feelings of isolation
But I've stood here waiting much too long
It's time to take action and make a change
And I'd rather leave this minute than try to carry on
The difficult situation is too much to bear and leaving is the better option
And I'd be 40 miles from Denver headed east bound on the track
The journey will take the singer eastward towards a new destination
I'd be 40 miles from Denver and trying to get back
Leaving one place doesn't mean forgetting it altogether
To that cool mountain air, on an Appalachian trail
The destination is a specific location that may hold significance to the singer
Ohh, life is better there
The singer reiterates that being in nature is preferable to their current situation
Contributed by Jayce E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.