Yonder Mountain String Band- Amos Theater, Charlotte, NC 10/10/13

Yonder Mountain String Band, hit Charlotte for the first time in a few years delivering their definitive blend of the classic, the rocking, and the interpretive. The first set kicked off with “East Nashville Easter,” from their self-titled 2006 album, into offerings from their other studio releases, like Town By Town’s “Loved You Enough,” and a rollicking version of “Criminal” from 2009’s The Show. “Criminal” highlighted the vocals of Jeff Austin, the mandolin player who also finds himself covering most lead singing duties, and his voice was strong and on point during this performance. A real treat came with a mid-set jammed-out version of “The Bolton Stretch,” a tune from Yonder’s first ever studio release, Elevation, put out over ten years ago in 1999. The tune, penned by bassist Ben Kaufmann, is a favorite among old school Yonder fans, and this near-perfect rendition told the story, and no doubt turned a new ear or two in the crowd.

YMSB ran through quick, neat versions of “Ill Never Love Anybody but You,” and the beloved “Idaho”, before starting a long full song sandwich to end the set. “On the Run” morphed into “Hi Cross Junction,” a fairly common medley for the band that pops up often in their live shows, and finding its way back into “On The Run” before seamlessly blending into a beautiful grassy version of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence” to end the set.

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“Rambler’s Anthem” from Town By Town started things stomping after a short set break, and the energy in the crowd had noticeably begun to rise. The jumping and swinging transitioned easily into standard “Kentucky Mandolin,” a classic by bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe, often considered the father of modern bluegrass music. “Spanish Harlem Incident” came next, followed by solid versions of “You’re No Good” and “Rag Doll,” a tune from their most recent release EP 13. Jazz standard “The Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me,” written in 1919, was an interesting cover choice, illustrating that Yonder gleans inspiration from many genres and musicians, more than just traditional front porch fiddle pickin’ and banjo strummin’.

They did, however, give another nod to their genre pioneers, with their own arrangement of ” Sharecropper’s Son” by Ralph Stanley, a bluegrass stalwart known for his distinctive voice and blazing banjo playing. The song also appeared on one of Yonder’s live releases, known as Mountain Tracks. “No Expectations” blended into a lovely lilting “Snow on the Pines” and gave way to a bouncy, fun version of John Hartford’s original “Up on the Hill Where They Do the Boogie.” The encore was short and sweet, with a solid version of “Sangaree” into a fast, nice “Redbird.” This was a fairly typical encore pairing for the band, and a fine way to end a night of foot stomping, twirling, and clapping in Charlotte.

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