Yonder Mountain String Band, the five-piece ensemble with origins in Colorado, brought their unique take on progressive bluegrass to the Joy Theater on Thursday, February 16. This marked Yonder Mountain’s first time playing in New Orleans with new additions Allie Kral on fiddle and Jake Jolliff on mandolin.
G. Love + Special Sauce started the night off with some bluesy riffs and R&B feels accompanied by quick rhythmic raps. The openers closed out the set welcoming on stage saxophonist Dave Mullen for “Cold Beverage” while G. Love freestyled about the Mardi Gras-lovin’ city of New Orleans.
Yonder Mountain String Band took the stage around 10:00 PM and kicked the night off with a hefty “All The Time” weaving through “Train Bound To Gloryland” only to seamlessly return to “All The Time”. A King Harvest original “Dancing in the Moonlight” made an appearance helping engage the crowd, followed by a brief “Ever Fallen in Love”.
When introducing the next song, bassist Ben Kaufman mentioned it just might be the song’s first appearance in their five weeks of touring – oh, and it includes lyrics referencing Cadillacs and pork chops. “Deep Pockets” was a fun jivin’ number that lead us to our next sandwich series: Scent Of A Mule > Black Sheep > Scent Of A Mule.
“Scent Of A Mule” starts with an intense bass solo splashed with some electric notes, moves swiftly through the vocal components, then concludes with an electrifying feature on Jake Jolliff (mandolin) and Allie Kral (fiddle) before quickly moving to “Black Sheep”. We see some of the band’s heavy rock and punk backgrounds shine through in the last minute of “Black Sheep” for an all-band-on-deck peak right before transitioning back to “Scent Of A Mule”. Banter amongst band members followed taking note of the rare occasion that two songs with the word “Pocket” in it along with two songs about farm animals had just occurred in one set.
Later on, “Southern Flavor” provides for a short and sweet instrumental that has Allie Kral absolutely shredding on the fiddle while still allowing all members to shine in their own light. Up next, “I’d Like Off” gives the crowd a chance to slow down and recuperate before launching full throttle into an epic 38 minute long “Traffic Jam” with a fully worked “All Aboard” in the middle to finish the one-set show off. This is when fellow KLSU DJ The Meterman turned to me and said, “Write down FAT JAM”. Here is yet another noteworthy jam with high energy and a beautiful cohesive progression. Perhaps something you’ll hear on The Jamboree come Saturday? *wink wink*
As for the encore, we were treated to an Eagle’s original “Life In The Fast Lane” preceding “Loved You Enough” – a tasteful conclusion as the band continues their tour tomorrow and the day following in Texas and Arizona.
Overall, this show was a gem that had the crowd kicking the entire night. If New Orleans is graced with this band again give them a try, especially if you have any appreciation towards jam bands or bluegrass. Great venue, kind crowd, and immensely talented band.
Two thumbs up from yours truly,
DJ Elemental and The Meterman