by David Barnes
Daily Lobo
The Yonder Mountain String Band isn't afraid to combine traditional bluegrass with rock 'n' roll. Just don't call it a jam band.
The band formed in 1998 with Jeff Austin on mandolin, Dave Johnston on banjo, Ben Kaufmann on bass and Adam Aijala on lead guitar. The quartet's traditional bluegrass arrangements, which are combined with a fondness for rocking out, won the group a devoted fan base.
"We have very diverse fans, and that is something we're grateful for," Austin said. "These are people who have paid to come to our shows. And God knows how many more concerts they may come to in the future, so we're going to give them what they want."
Austin said the term "jamgrass," which was coined by some critics to describe the group's sound, irritates him.
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"I hate the words 'jamgrass' and 'jam band,'" he said. "Those words are creations by people who don't want to spend any time actually thinking about what the music means. They would rather just say, 'Oh, they play to a bunch of young kids who dance, so they must be a jam band.' That's such a weak statement for anyone to make."
Although Austin said the group might continue to be described in this manner, he is quick to point out that whatever the terms people may find for his music, the members of Yonder Mountain String Band will continue to do what they love.
"We like to think that we're always going to do the best we can," he said. "The audiences we get come with a hunger to see what we're going to try next. And that's good, because it allows us to keep experimenting."
The group's newest release, Mountain Tracks Volume 3, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart.
Austin said the group will continue to make music, even if it upsets the traditionalists.
"The traditional bluegrass audience has definitely had a problem with what we do, but it's not anything that we're going to let destroy us," he said.
Austin said combining the old and new is part of their success.
"We straddle the void between traditional bluegrass and modern bluegrass," he said. "That's what we are."
Yonder Mountain String Band
El Rey Theatre 620 Central Ave.
Friday at 8pm
242-2353
