Yonder Mountain String Band is an American progressive bluegrass group from… Read Full Bio ↴Yonder Mountain String Band is an American progressive bluegrass group from Nederland, Colorado.

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.”

Idaho
Yonder Mountain String Band Lyrics

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From Stanley up to Sunbeam
From Clayton on to Chalice,
Heading down the Salmon river
To a rangeland palace
Sage brush all around

Where the deer and elk do roam
This place I may call home

Where the flatlands stretch for miles
And the mountains touch the sky
And the sun always shines

Chorus:
In Idaho, ohhhh
In Idaho, ohhhh
In Idaho, ohhhh
In Idaho

My mind is filled with images
Of saw-tooth bridges
Where the snow melt forms
Cold mountain creeks
Flowin' through the valley down below

I was standing 'neath the pine trees
On a bed of wild grass
This place has captured me, well far I can see
There ain't no place I'd rather be.

[Chorus - "Than Idaho, ohhh..."]

Overall Meaning

The song "Idaho" by Yonder Mountain String Band is a tribute to the beauty of Idaho and the natural landscape that makes it stand out. The song features a strong sense of place, painting a vivid picture of the state of Idaho. The lyrics are connected to specific locations in Idaho, including Stanley, Sunbeam, Clayton, Chalice, the Salmon River, and the "rangeland palace" where "the deer and elk do roam." The song emphasizes the flatlands stretching for miles and the mountains that touch the sky, along with the year-round sun that shines down on the state. The chorus repeats the name of the state, emphasizing its importance to the songwriter.

In the second verse, the lyrics shift to the poet's perspective on the state. The song's narrator speaks of the images that come to mind when he thinks of Idaho, including saw-tooth bridges, snow melt forming cold mountain creeks, and valleys below. The song's narrator waxes poetic about the way that Idaho has captured his imagination, and how he stands beneath the pine trees on a bed of wild grass with no place else he'd rather be.

Overall, "Idaho" is a song that celebrates the natural beauty of Idaho and the way that it captures the hearts and imaginations of those who have experienced it. The song's lyrics capture the sense of place that defines this beautiful state, and its chorus repeats the state's name to emphasize its importance.

Line by Line Meaning

From Stanley up to Sunbeam
Travelling through the towns located from Stanley to Sunbeam

From Clayton on to Chalice
Journeying from Clayton to Chalice

Heading down the Salmon river
Travelling along the Salmon river

To a rangeland palace
Arriving at a beautiful rangeland palace

Sage brush all around
Seeing sage brush all around the area

Where the deer and elk do roam
Observe deer and elk moving freely

This place I may call home
Considering this place a potential home

Where the flatlands stretch for miles
Observing flatlands that extend for miles

And the mountains touch the sky
Seeing mountains reaching toward the sky

And the sun always shines
Noticing that the sun always shines in Idaho

Chorus: In Idaho, ohhhh
Expressing fondness for Idaho through the chorus