Concert Review: Yonder Mountain String Band @ The Depot

by Austen Diamond

Posted // 2010-08-17 - Sunday's Yonder Mountain String Band hoe-down proves that bluegrass music is the best music for white people to dance to. With limbs akimbo—jittering and juking with no need for hip rhythm—to the Colorado quintet's syncopated strings, dancing ensued for three solid hours by a large faction of Yonder-heads (Tall pony-tailed man in the blue shirt dancing at the front, viewers' left: I'm talkin' about you. Actually, this review is dedicated to you, you wild-footed string-fiend. Nice work.).

Waving towards his head region, charismatic, mandolin player Jeff Austin, said, "Last night's Las Vegas show was the reason for this." One can only imagine what a bunch of renegade acoustic rockers partially-responsible for the renaissance in bluegrass could do in a town like Las Vegas, but they kept their composure for an evening of about 30 songs (I lost count). Showing versatility in the first set, the band hit fast-strumming heights on instrumentals—like the third, a Darol Anger tune—one song then slowed it down—like on "Too Late Now"—so the crowd could catch a breath the next. And, the band shouldn't be pigeon holed to just bluegrass, they branch out into the charted waters of rock-grass and jam-grass; largely, the music evokes a good time, to be sure.

Consummate storytellers Austin and bassist Ben Kaufmann related tales about travels and rock 'n' roll fantasies intermittently. Mid-first set, Austin told about the band's first gig playing at the shut-down Zephyr many years ago. "We played for two people: the bartender and the door guy. Then walked in eight younger-looking people ... and they sat in the very back because they didn't want to hear us either. Then! ... walked in the Domino's delivery guy: Our music made the eight people hungry for our music," said Austin, who remarked that actor Keifer Sutherland stopped by for about 20 minutes that evening as well. They've come a long way, now playing to several hundred people and touring around the country. Additional first set highlights included a John Hartford tune and "You Left Me In a Hole," all made better by Austin's ever-imppressive Hendrix-like facial expressions when picking away on his instrument.

The second ferocious set was even more spirited for jittering and juking. Taking the stage, Austin dedicating the upcoming set to a group of under-age youths who'd traveled to Salt Lake City from Las Vegas, after loving that show, only to be turned away for not being of age; they were outside listening on The Depot's street-side speakers. After playing the set opener, Austin began talking about how being on a stage on Sundays is like being at church for the band and wasted no time launching into an upbeat, gospel-grass "Jesus on the Mainline." They played a Bray Brothers song, then a couple tunes about trains (a bluegrass or country concert isn't complete without a couple of these, to say the least) followed by "20 Eyes." The set highlight, backdropped by tonight's impressive light show, was a fiery "New Horizons" with the chorus pounding like an eminent storm: "With the thunder and the lightning/ With the rain is pouring down." The song's Austin/ Kaufmann duo was superb. All-in-all, an excellent show made all the better by a lively, lovely crowd with unnecessary Summer beards and flow-y skirts dancing fervently to a hoe-down of a good time.

Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
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