Yonder Mountain String Band Plays Freebird

By Phillip Sunkel | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Tobin Voggesser

Yonder Mountain String Band, the headliners of this years Suwannee Springfest, will be making a quick stop at Freebird Live this Sunday.

The Band is comprised of Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Jeff Austin (mandolin, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals) and Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals). Since the release of their album “The Show” in 2009, the Yonder men have been playing shows and festivals nonstop.

Journalist Jarrett Vellini, Reporter for CNN Showbiz Tonight, while Reporting from the All Good Music Festival 2009 noted, “The trophy for best musical set goes to Yonder Mountain String Band who, as the sun began to set, left it all on the stage for an hour and a half. The pickers from Colorado had the audience dancing and shaking, kicking up a joyful storm of dust into the cool summer sky.”

Yonder has always created music outside the realm of standard bluegrass. Their music is a blend of

bluegrass, punk, rock, and even the atmosphere of where they happen to be playing.

With a combination of customary bluegrass instruments, many new to the band would mistake them at first as a regular bluegrass outfit. Once the music starts playing though, you will never forget their sound.

Yonder Mountain String Band will be accompanied by Grandpas Cough Medicine this Sunday.

Be sure to catch them playing alongside Donna The Buffalo, Justin Townes Earle, The Infamous Stringdusters and many more at this years Suwannee Springfest from March 22-25 at the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Fla.