Search - Yonder Mountain String Band :: Town By Town

Four heads, eight hands, one mind

John S. Ryan | Silver Lake, OH | 11/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I mentioned in my review of _Elevation_ that these four guys aren't quite going to displace Railroad Earth at the top of my Favorite Band Currently In Existence list, but they're getting mighty close. And I hereby make it official that they've replaced the String Cheese Incident as my second favorite.Much nearer to "traditional" bluegrass than either of those other two bands (in part because they don't use drums/percussion), the Yonder Mountain String Band plays like one mind with four heads and eight hands. Each of the four (Jeff Austin, mandolin; Ben Kaufman, bass; Adam Aijala, guitar; Dave Johnston, banjo) is just so good, and so in tune with the other three, that they sound as though they could play the phone book, without rehearsal, and make it interesting to listen to.I mildly (very mildly) prefer _Elevation_ over this one as a recommended YMSB "starter" CD, in part because the songs on _Town By Town_ include a couple of oblique references to tunes from the earlier release. But there's a lot to commend this one as well (and even if you don't get it _first_, don't forget to get it _later_).Since I especially like Austin's stuff, I'll single out the near-epic "New Horizons" and "Peace of Mind." They're cool enough songs in the first place. But Austin is just manic on that mandolin, and both these tunes give the rest of the band a chance to shine on their extended instrumental breaks. (Pay special attention to Kaufman's bass work on "New Horizons." His playing seems to be informed by a classical/jazz sensibility, which works wonderfully here. I don't mean to ignore Aijala's frenetic flatpicking and Johnston's banjo pyrotechnics, both of which are awesome; it's just that you don't have all that many chances to hear Kaufman by himself.)The vocal work is tight throughout, but here too Austin's songs have (for me) a special edge: they pair Austin with Kaufman on some preternaturally tight, almost otherwordly harmonies that sound like one voice coming out of two mouths. (Do you remember "Highway Song" from Hot Tuna's _Burgers_ release, on which Jorma Kaukonen and David Crosby sing a harmony so tight that you can't even tell which one of them is which unless you listen very, very closely? Austin and Kaufman are like that all the time.)And in the Credit Where Credit Is Due Department, here's a deep bow to the fine fiddle work of Tim O'Brien. (Darol Anger played on _Elevation_.)If you're just now being introduced to YMSB, I'd recommend starting with _Elevation_ and following it with this one; then move on to the _Mountain Tracks_ releases. But it won't hurt too much if you vary the order. Heck, you can even get them all at once."

Great Bluegrass!

Craig Fisher | USA | 09/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Town by Town is simply one of my favorite albums to come out in the past year or two. I came to YMSB by word of mouth, and bought this disc without having heard them play a note. I was completely blown away! They deliver with incredibly high energy and an intensity rare in many other bands. And they're doing it with just guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass, yielding a very traditional yet modern sound. For my money they far exceed what other bands who incorporate elements of bluegrass are doing (i.e., String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, and Blueground Undergrass). "Rambler's Anthem" and "New Horizons" find the guys in fine form throwing down some impressive and speedy licks. There are also mellower songs of love and loss: "Must've Had Your Reasons" (a favorite) and "To See You Coming Round the Bend". And true to bluegrass tradition, they deliver with a few instumentals including "Wildewood Drive" on which they make excellent use of odd meter. Really, every track is great (including a sweet hidden bonus track). As an aside, for my money this disc is much more consistent than their previous release Elevation, Town by Town is on a different level (just one man's opinion). Call YMSB's brand of bluegrass whatever you want, these guys are the real deal. Don't forget to catch 'em live!"

Jamgrass with lots of spirit and energy

J. Ross | Roseburg, OR USA | 04/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Yonder Mountain String Band has a large legion of young, exuberant fans, and this album demonstrates why. Their sound is distinctive. The lyrical messages of their original material are interesting. Their material is well-rehearsed and arranged. Their songs convey spirit, energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, they sometimes push their musical capabilities and challenge their own skills on their up-tempo pieces. "Rambler's Anthem" and "Easy as Pie" open the album and are examples of this. The album then settles into a groove with songs like Idaho, Loved You Enough, Sorrow is a Highway, and Must've Had Your Reasons. They succeed with the up-tempo showcase newgrass number, New Horizons, written by mandolinist Jeff Austin. The other band members include Dave Johnston (banjo), Adam Aijala (guitar), and Ben Kaufmann (bass), and they all contribute original material to this album. Tim O'Brien also appears on fiddle and bouzouki. The Yonder Mountain String Band doesn't stick to those straight three-chord traditional progressions. They punctuate and accentuate their music with a lot of excitement, and these guys clearly have a lot of fun which, in turn, energizes their audiences. Bluegrass is in good hands with bands like the Yonder Mountain String Band that are drawing a large following of young fans to the music.
--by Joe Ross, moderator/reviewer for "Nwbluegrass""