Photo by Todd Powers
It is not a well guarded secret that Nashville, TN is known for its rich musical ecosystem, characterized by collaboration and innovation within the framework of traditional American music. While the glitzy lights of Broadway and the Grand Ole Opry draw conventional country music fans to Nashville, the intimate music halls, trendy clubs, and seedy bars host the essence of musical evolution for modern string band music. Yonder Mountain String Band’s second stop of Winter Tour 2013 did little to invalidate this conception of Nashville. In their annual endeavor to eradicate cabin fever, YMSB with special guest Jason Carter of the Del McCoury Band, romped through imaginative originals and expressive covers that acknowledge traditional influences while expounding the bounds of folk music with a little help from some special “Nashville” friends.
An uncharacteristically warm and muggy January Friday night, in an unassuming warehouse district, provided the setting for an uncharacteristically potent show. The Marathon Music Works, a converted brick warehouse, hosted the evening’s festivities with a retro industrial ambiance. Early in the evening a diverse crowd, spanning multiple generations and genres of music enthusiasts, lined the uneven sidewalk. Tie-dyed hippies, horned rimmed hipsters, and dated geriatrics, all waited anxiously to grab prime floor space as the doors opened around 7:30pm. As fans streamed in, Austin based Wood and Wire, a traditional 4 piece string band steeped in Texas singer-song writer and swing, warmed the crowd with a cache of expeditious original numbers.
Shortly after 9:00pm Yonder Mountain String Band took the stage to a raucous roar from a fervent and passionate set of admirers. After a quick tuning and a brief hello, YMSB commenced with “Illinois Rain,” a torrential down pour of speed mandolin upstrokes, banjo rolls, fiddle runs and guitar noodles, leaving little doubt toward the direction of the evening’s amusements. 40 Miles from Denver frolicked past with longing vocals pleading for “cool mountain air”. “Loved You Enough” began with an inside joke amongst the band about “some new lyrics” and concluded with a rambunctious multitude of bouncing audiophiles. The instrumental ode “Strophe” switched the tone to a more exultant mood inspiring cheerful ruminations. Changing gears again, “All the Time” scampered forward as each member took a crack at imaginative solo ventures.
As the first set escalated, Flecktones’ percussionist, Futureman (Roy Wooten), joined the band on his custom Pearl drum box. The relationship between YMSB and Futureman began on the 2004 Acoustic Planet tour, and burgeoned as YMSB shared duties with Bela Fleck, the Flecktones and Keller Williams on a nightly basis. The set took an ethereal turn as “King Ebeneezer” slithered into the well timed resolution with the Marley-esque “2 Hits and the Joint Turned Brown,” complete with the obligatory crowd sing along. Following a declaration from Austin expressing “the need for more bass and drums in his life”, Kaufmann and Wooten took charge with a funky drum and bass beat down complete with a crowd dance off. Dave Johnston took the lead with orbital banjo licks and a trace of the high and lonesome on “Don’t Worry Happy Birthday.” A rather concise “Idaho” breezed past with collective sprint. Closing the set, Angel with its cathartic vocals, led the crowd into an emotional liquidation resulting in a boisterous and sustained round of applause broken only by a mad dash to beer lines and bathrooms.
Photo by Todd Powers
The second set opened with the guitar styling of Aijala on “Jail Song.” A special highlight appeared early in the second set as the band treaded delicately into Garcia’s “Althea” featuring Carter’s fiddle work. “Althea” is one of those unique songs that stylistically lends itself for treatment by a string band with opportunities for soul stirring fiddle counter melodies and banjo and mandolin peppers, intricate guitar work and a sliding base line. “Althea’s” raw emotion provided a scaffold for melodic interpretation that resonated well with this particular audience. After an unusually long ovation, Austin expressed gratitude with a sincere aside stating “That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing.”.
As the second set continued, Austin commented that “Confetti and plastic champagne glass were still on the floor from the Del McCoury’s Band NYE show” and subsequently introduced mandolinist Ronnie McCoury, fresh from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium. McCoury joined the band for “Katy Hill,” a traditional bluegrass standard made popular by Bill Monroe. McCoury stayed on board for “New Deal Train” and “Pretty Daughter,” trading mandolin licks with Austin in rock star fashion while demonstrating an innate melodious connection with McCoury band mate Carter.
After receiving a hospitable ovation, McCoury exited the stage as the fellows scuttled through the middle miles of the second set taking turns on an extensive “Honestly.” “ Smiles Like She’s Always Been a Friend” made its second appearance after its debut in Boulder on New Year’s Eve. Continuing with the banjo theme, “You’re No Good” steamrolled into a fearsome old school bluegrass breakdown.
The second set ended with an ambitious transitory passage beginning with “I’d Like Off” and escalating with a furiously paced “Ten.” As “Ten” dwindled, Carter’s fiddle slowly drifted into a whiff of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” with Austin crooning “Brother, Brother”. Breathing for just a moment, the band then ripped into a “Looking Back Over My Shoulder.” The impact on the audience was instantaneous as bobble heads nodded in the warmth of the stage lights. The energy of the transient jam back into Ten was visibly reflected in tantric expressions of the entranced fanatics. “Ten” charged to a sweltering halt leaving the crowd in ecstatic reverie.
Well after 1:00 am, the crowd clamored for an encore and was successively not disappointed. YMSB retook the stage with Futureman in tow for a two song finale. Frank Zappa’s “Slime” oozed through the speakers as Austin encouraged the audience “Don’t that dial”. In closing the band espoused a sense of clairvoyance and a heaving dose of foreshadowing as “Bloody Mary Morning” wrapped up a sore legged night of auditory stimulus. In an interesting turn of events, two fire trucks showed up during the encore with lights blazing and sirens blaring. It is unclear whether their arrival had anything to do with incendiary nature of the show. The evening ended with little pomp as the red-eyed crowd spilled into the cramped streets with visions of Bloody Mary’s dancing in their heads.
In the end, Yonder Mountain’s unique ability to tip the hat toward tradition, nod to the influences of one’s elders, and keep an eye continually focused toward innovation made for a powerful and pleasant evening of musical exploration.
