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.”
Traffic Jam
Yonder Mountain String Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Laughin' at the people as they drive as fast as they can
But five miles an hour won't get them very far
They'll still be sitting in their car
Sitting on a hilltop lookin' at the rushed out crowed
The words that they're yelling have got to make their mamas proud
But at the rate their goin' its gonna be about a year
I'm sitting on a hilltop lookin at the city move
It makes a lot of noise but it cant seem to find a groove
People took my advice they tried to slow things down
Stop and take a look around
See me sitting on a hilltop lookin' at 'em look at me
They see a smile on my face and my hair blowin in the breeze
Maybe just one of them will stop and say hello
And sit awhile before they go
It's time to time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to get things started for another show tonight
It's time to put on make up
It's time to do something right
It's time to play the music on the Muppet Show tonight
The lyrics to the Yonder Mountain String Band's song Traffic Jam portray a person sitting on a hilltop, watching a traffic jam in the city below. The individual laughs at the people in their cars, driving as fast as they can but not making any progress due to the slow-moving traffic. The first two stanzas of the lyrics express the frustration of trying to rush through life and getting nowhere fast. The words that the masses yell add to the chaos and stress of the moment, yet their behavior seems futile. In the next part of the song, the singer is still sitting on the hilltop, but they are now looking at the city's movement rather than the stagnant traffic. The city is noisy, but it cannot seem to find a groove. This part of the song suggests that people need to slow down, stop and take a look around at their surroundings. The final verse gives the message that the individual sitting on the hilltop hopes that one person will stop and say hello and sit a while before they go.
Overall, the message of the song is that people need to slow down and appreciate their surroundings, rather than constantly rushing through life. The lyrics are written in a light-hearted tone, with a touch of humor, to drive the message home.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting on a hilltop looking at a traffic jam
Observing a crowded mishap from a bird's eye view
Laughin' at the people as they drive as fast as they can
Finding humor in the people's rush despite their limitations
But five miles an hour won't get them very far
Realizing the slow pace won't get the people to their destination
They'll still be sitting in their car
Awareness that the folks will still be in the same predicament
Sitting on a hilltop lookin' at the rushed out crowed
Overlooking a frenzied group who's in a hurry to go nowhere
The words that they're yelling have got to make their mamas proud
The exhausted and restless group is likely to have proud parents
But at the rate their goin' its gonna be about a year
Estimated time of travel considering the slow speed
Before they get to second gear
Implying that the rush isn't worth it for the people to speed up to another gear
I'm sitting on a hilltop lookin at the city move
Observing the hustle and bustle of the city
It makes a lot of noise but it cant seem to find a groove
Recognizing that there's chaos despite the noises of the city
People took my advice they tried to slow things down
People followed a suggestion to slow down
Stop and take a look around
Stopping and looking at the surroundings
See me sitting on a hilltop lookin' at 'em look at me
Trying to draw the attention of the people who I am observing
They see a smile on my face and my hair blowin in the breeze
Noticing that I am calm and relaxed in contrast to their restlessness
Maybe just one of them will stop and say hello
Hoping that someone will take a break and have a friendly chat
And sit awhile before they go
Taking a break before resuming their journey
It's time to time to play the music
Indicating the beginning of a music show
It's time to light the lights
Preparing for the show by turning on the lights
It's time to get things started for another show tonight
Getting ready for another performance of the night
It's time to put on make up
Preparing the performers by putting on makeup
It's time to do something right
Ensuring everything is set up correctly
It's time to play the music on the Muppet Show tonight
An announcement that the performance will begin soon
Contributed by Isaiah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.