Yonder Mountain String Band have announced that Jeff Austin will be leaving the group. The band released a statement on their Facebook page this afternoon that reads:

Yonder Mountain String Band is all about family, and through the support of our family of fans, we have been able to play music for you for the past 15 years. We couldn’t be more proud about our successes and experiences performing at the best venues and festivals in the country, and for the most dedicated fans any band could ever wish to have. With this said, YMSB would like to share some news about the future of the band. Collectively, after long, heartfelt discussions, we’ve all decided to move forth with a newly formed line-up due to varying career goals and creative pursuits. As of today, all future YMSB shows will be performed with Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), and David Johnston (banjo, vocals). We will welcome exciting special guests throughout the rest of the year and we look forward to a new permanent line-up in 2015. YMSB fully supports Jeff Austin and his emerging solo career.

Yonder Mountain String Band will perform all scheduled dates throughout 2014 with the new line up and special guests. Jeff Austin will be announcing more dates for his solo endeavors in the coming months. The band wants the fans to know that this decision did not come easily, and we’ll certainly keep all of our fans up to date with the new Yonder band-member line-up information.

We greatly look forward to seeing everyone out on the road this Summer and Fall!

With Gratitude & Respect,
Ben, Jeff, Dave & Adam

As previously reported, Yonder Mountain String Band played a number of tour dates earlier this year without Austin. Members of the Travelin’ McCoury’s, who were also co-headlining the shows, filled in for him for during the hiatus. There is currently no word on who will be performing in his stead during Yonder’s upcoming gigs.

Austin has already played a number of shows with his other band, The Here and Now, and he has also scheduled a number of other dates with a different band that features Danny Barnes (banjo and vocals), Eric Thorin (bass and vocals) and Ross Martin (guitar and vocals). Additionally, Austin has also confirmed that he will be recording an album with Barnes, Thorin and Martin this May.