Yonder Mountain String Band – Nowhere Next
The 21st century popularity of bluegrass is not something I would’ve predicted a couple decades ago – I knew it mostly as something my hillbilly neighbors played (too loudly) while growing up in Upstate New York. But, even before it began to peak (via Billy Strings) over the past five years, it was on a slow but steady rise. Turns out, the stellar musicianship required to succeed in our most American form of music also lends itself to jammy-ness, and it’s been that melding of two summer-ready genres that’s made jamgrass/newgrass a huge concert draw, especially at Red Rocks. Fortunately for Yonder Mountain String Band, they formed in just the right place – beautiful Nederland, Colorado – roughly a quarter century ago. Their newest album – Nowhere Next – continues to provide ample amounts of their mountain-ready bluegrass, while also pushing deeper lyrically, serving the song as well as the jam.
Nowhere Next’s title track is emblematic of a modern bluegrass band honing its sound for an album cut. What can be a 30-minute rambler in concert is sharpened into a bass-heavy (courtesy of Ben Kaufmann) mover about – eventually – finding your own way to live: “‘Cause I tried so hard to be happy/Livin’ how they said I should.” The album’s first single, “Here I Go,” is one of three to feature Dobro master Jerry Douglas. With guitar and mandolin bubbling under, the song finds the band fighting for independence – “Take me if you can/Leave me if you can’t understand” – while also searching for a better self – “Wish that I could be the version of me in my dreams.” Topped off, of course, with an excellent Douglas solo.
Bluegrass, though, relies most on musicianship, and YMSB has been bringing that since late last century. Some of the best moments of Nowhere Next come via the fiddle of Coleman Smith, joining the band in the studio for the first time. “Didn’t Go Wrong” features one of those stellar fiddle solos, followed up by another Douglas appearance. “Secondhand Smoke” gives us a knockout mandolin solo for Nick Piccininni. And album opener “The Truth Fits” is a fast-forward romp that sports fantastic mandolin/banjo interplay from Piccininni and Dave Johnston. But candid lyrics are what set this record apart from other bluegrass offerings. “Leave the Midwest,” in particular, advocates for actively seeking happiness. A mid-tempo number that shows off Adam Aijala’s guitar work, the lyrics allude to the band’s rustbelt origins – “He’s as sad as an oil stain/He’d give anything to roll again.” When the narrator finds his happy place “in the land of the Grateful Dead,” it’s clear, too, that Yonder Mountain String Band is just where they want to be.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Secondhand Smoke” – featuring the most well-rounded example of the band’s full musicianship, this rollicking tune also calls out the damage done by idle gossip – “Has about all I can take of secondhand smoke/And firsthand heartbreak.” That’s one of the secrets of the best bluegrass – peeling back the music to find the truth..
Nowhere Next was produced by Yonder Mountain String Band and John McVey, recorded, mixed and engineered by McVey and Adam Aijala and mastered by David Glasser. All original songs written by Yonder Mountain String Band (“Didn’t Go Wrong” written by Shawn Camp). Yonder Mountain String Band is Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), Nick Piccininni (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, vocals) and Coleman Smith (fiddle). Also appearing on the album – Jerry Douglas (Dobro).
Go here to order Nowhere Next (out November 8):https://yonderwear.myshopify.com/
Check out tour dates here: https://www.yondermountain.com/tour/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Yonder Mountain String Band “Get Yourself Outside”
