YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND: REVIEW & PICS

Review by Alex Lubinsky & Kieran Prasch, Photos by Doug Potoksky

The Yonder Mountain String Band switched gears and went from funk filled jams into a full blown bluegrass vibe. The dueling sounds of the banjos and mandolin were as fascinating as these masters of their craft took us back to a simpler time while still improvising in a new way. This four-piece played upbeat, super-danceable music that reminds one of traditional bluegrass/country/folk music, that experienced a revival in the feature film "O' Brother Where Art Thou?".

All of the country-bluegrass-folkies donned straw hats and took to the dirt covered dance floor doing self-contained two-step/square-dance improvisation kicking up what the band referred to as the best dust clouds they've seen in a long time. The bouncy and present bass lines played on a modified stand up bass, carried the triple-time banjo solos in-between verses.

After a football-field sized cloud of dust rose into the air, almost blocking view of both stages, frontman Jeff Austin jokingly said,"Mountain Jam, the only festival you can taste". There was a really special moment at the end of the show when Warren Haynes stepped out to perform a killer version of Iggy Pop & The Stooges classic "Death Trip". It's true that there is the feeling of nostalgia when listening to the band, but you also get a real serving of a lost art being brought back into the forefront.