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.”

Must've Had Your Reasons
Yonder Mountain String Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Must've had your reasons when you left without a call
I don't want you thinkin' that I shed too many tears
I never felt the need to cry for all the wonderin' why
I don't think love can ever feel that way again

I searched this whole town 'round for a whisper of your name
I don't need you thinkin' that you got the best of me
And it doesn't shame me that I spent a lot of time

Wonderin' if love can ever feel that way again

Chorus:
I wouldn't bet you're thinkin' 'bout me now
But that's all the same to me 'cause I don't think that much of you
Since those couple nights I spent alone,
Sitting home waiting for you to call
And you never called at all

The reason why I'm singin' this ain't that you done me wrong
It's not because I'm worried, I've left all that stuff behind
It's just I find it funny how you chose to treat a friend

[ Chorus - x2 ]

A friend of ours has seen you and he said you're lookin' fine
He was talking 'bout your beauty and I was asking 'bout your mind
Besides it's not your face I find a-missin' in the end

I don't think love can ever feel that way again
I don't think love can ever feel that way again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Yonder Mountain String Band's song, Must've Had Your Reasons, demonstrate the aftermath of a relationship that ended without warning. The singer suggests that their former partner must have had a reason for leaving without any explanation. However, the singer does not want their former partner to think that they were devastated or shed too many tears over the situation, implying that they have moved on from the relationship. As the singer searches the town for any sign of their ex-lover, they wonder if they will ever be capable of experiencing love in the same way as before.

The lyrics explore the idea of not wanting to dwell on past relationships and instead remaining positive and moving forward. The singer states that they are not worried about the past, but are instead interested in how their former partner treated them as a friend, highlighting that the relationship was more than just a romantic connection. Furthermore, the final lines suggest that the singer doesn't even miss their ex-partner's face, emphasizing the idea that the emotional and mental connection was the most important and valuable aspect of their relationship.

Overall, the song indicates that while the end of a relationship can be distressing, it's possible to move on and find love once again. The lyrics encourage listeners to focus on life's positive aspects, let go of negative emotions, and appreciate the connections that they have with others.

Line by Line Meaning

Must've had your reasons when you left without a call
I know you left without telling me the reason, but I assume you had a good one.

I don't want you thinkin' that I shed too many tears
I don't want you to think that you hurt me enough to make me cry over you.

I never felt the need to cry for all the wonderin' why
I never cried over wondering why you left, because I wasn't that invested in our relationship.

I don't think love can ever feel that way again
I don't think I can ever feel love the way I did with you again.

I searched this whole town 'round for a whisper of your name
I looked all over for any mention of you, but I couldn't find you anywhere.

I don't need you thinkin' that you got the best of me
I don't want you to think that I was defeated by you leaving me.

And it doesn't shame me that I spent a lot of time
I'm not ashamed that I spent a lot of time thinking about you.

Wonderin' if love can ever feel that way again
I was wondering if I could ever feel love like I did with you again.

I wouldn't bet you're thinkin' 'bout me now
I don't think you're thinking about me now at all.

But that's all the same to me 'cause I don't think that much of you
But it doesn't matter to me because I don't think much of you either.

Since those couple nights I spent alone, Sitting home waiting for you to call And you never called at all
Ever since I waited for you to call for a couple of nights and you never did, I realized that it was time to move on.

The reason why I'm singin' this ain't that you done me wrong
I'm not singing this because you wronged me in any way.

It's not because I'm worried, I've left all that stuff behind
I'm not singing this because I'm worried about you or our relationship. I've moved on.

It's just I find it funny how you chose to treat a friend
I find it ironic how you treated me, a friend, by leaving without a call.

[ Chorus - x2 ]
Repeating the chorus about not caring if the other person thinks about them and how they've moved on.

A friend of ours has seen you and he said you're lookin' fine
I heard from a mutual friend that you're doing well physically.

He was talking 'bout your beauty and I was asking 'bout your mind
Our friend was talking about your physical appearance and I was curious about your thoughts and feelings.

Besides it's not your face I find a-missin' in the end
Ultimately, it's not your physical beauty that I miss.

I don't think love can ever feel that way again
I don't think I can ever feel love like I did with you again.

Contributed by Penelope F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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