Yonder Mountain String Band (Night 1)

1245 Chicago Avenue,Evanston IL 60202

03 February, 2023

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COVID-19 PolicyPlease review our current COVID-19 policy here: www.evanstonspace.com/covidpolicy GENRE: Bluegrass ABOUT THE ARTIST With their latest album, “Get Yourself Outside,” Colorado-based Yonder Mountain String Band once again echoes out into the universe their place as not only a pioneering jam-grass act, but also one of the most innovative groups in the live music scene — something the groundbreaking ensemble has proudly held high for the better part of a quarter-century. “The whole thing has always been about the energy and the connection between all of us onstage and everyone out in the audience,” says guitarist Adam Aijala. “And with this iteration of Yonder Mountain, we’re really tapping into that onstage connection once again.” Looking back on those early days, the members of Yonder Mountain can’t help but shake their heads in awe — of where it all originated from, and what the live music landscape looked like at that time. “When we started, there was nothing else like we were doing. We were the only example of what we were trying to do, if even then we might not have known what it was we were trying to do,” Kaufmann notes. “You can see a four-piece bluegrass band at a rock festival now. But, there was a time, back when we started, where something like that was incomprehensible — it’s mind-blowing to think about it in the context of where the scene is today.” “And that was a big part of why we had all of those opportunities early on,” Aijala adds. “They would ask us to open for The Allman Brothers Band or Willie Nelson, or to go on after Widespread Panic. And we say yes to it all — everything was wide open in those days to try and do something different.” And it’s the fearlessness of youth — of being present within the serendipitous whirlwind of artistic collaboration and musical discovery — that remains a thick thread of inspiration and ambition within Yonder Mountain. “From the first time we got together in a room and played together, it felt predestined. I’ve never doubted for a second that this band wouldn’t work,” Kaufmann says. “And that’s a wonderful experience to have known that early on — to not have fear or doubt in the creative experience. And when you think of it, how unlikely of a journey has this been?”