Description
*This is a Vinyl LP*
Release Date: 2022
Label: Frog Pad Records
Track List
Side A
- Beside Myself
- I Just Can’t
- Small House
- If Only
- Up This Hill
- No Leg Left
Side B
- Out Of The Pan
- Into the Fire
- Broken Records
- Change of Heart
- Suburban Girl
Notes
With the album Get Yourself Outside, Colorado-based quintet Yonder Mountain String Band once again echoes out into the universe its place as not only a pioneering jam-grass act, but also one of the most innovative, intricate groups in the live music scene – something the groundbreaking ensemble has proudly held high for the better part of a quarter-century.
“The whole thing has always been about the energy and the connection with all of us onstage and everyone out in the audience,” says guitarist Adam Aijala. “And with this iteration of Yonder Mountain, we’re really tapping into that onstage connection once again.”
This “third chapter” of YMSB is one of many facets. Aside from the obvious nature of the new album, it’s a complete restart for the live music industry. Internally, it’s also a fresh start for the group in welcoming its newest member, multi- instrumentalist Nick Piccininni. “Nick is an incredibly talented musician. He’s brought a whole new vibe and dynamic to the band,” Aijala says. “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.”
Recorded during the Covid pandemic shutdown at Cinder Sound Studio (Gunbarrel, Colorado) with co-producer John McVey, Get Yourself Outside (Frog Pad Records) is a musical odyssey of string instruments and sonic textures. There’s the usual foot-stomping melodies and sorrowful ballads that reside at the core of the Yonder Mountain signature sound. But, there’s also a deep, honest sense of renewal and rejuvenation running through the heart of the record.
“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,” says bassist Ben 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 – this genuine, intrinsic urge within each musician to capture the unique chemistry and magic of playing live in the studio.
“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 says. “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.”
From selling out Red Rocks Amphitheatre at a time when that was unheard of for a string act, to standing at the microphone in front of tens of thousands at festivals like Bonnaroo, Yonder Mountain was the initial spark in an acoustic inferno decades ago that endures headlong into the 21st century – one burning brightly in an ongoing movement that now includes marquee names like Billy Strings, Greensky Bluegrass, and The Infamous Stringdusters.
