5 Questions for Yonder Mountain String Band

More than a few Oregonians hold a special place in their hearts for the Colorado-based, progressive jamgrass group Yonder Mountain String Band. With nearly three decades of musical output and 20 years of throwing Northwest String Summit at Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, Ore., the five-piece returned in November with its 11th studio album, “Nowhere Next,” after 2022’s “Get Yourself Outside” was nominated for a Grammy. The new record features founding members Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals) and Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals) alongside five-year bandmate Nick Piccininni (mandolin, banjo, fiddle, vocals) and newcomer Coleman Smith (fiddle).

The Source Weekly caught up with Ben Kaufmann prior to the band’s two-night stand at the Volcanic Theatre Pub on Friday, Jan. 17 and Saturday, Jan. 18.

Source Weekly: “Nowhere Next” was just released, and it sounds like it was a very collaborative effort with nine of the 11 tracks co-written together. Does having a lot of cooks in the kitchen help keep things fresh after all these years?

Ben Kaufmann: Songwriting in Yonder has always been a collaborative experience. It can be to greater or lesser degrees, but every song is filtered through each band member. In the early years of the band, we operated in such a way that if someone showed up with a song idea, that person was credited with having written the song. The reality was that nearly every song was co-written. I can probably only name 10 to 15 songs out of the nearly 200 original Yonder songs that were truly written by only one band member. And many of those were written before Yonder was formed.

At some point we decided that it felt more “right” to divide songwriting credits equally among the band, regardless of who had the genesis of the song idea. This is true whether the song was initially shared in a form that was mostly complete or whether it was shared in a vague and unformed state. This certainly isn’t the way most people in this business operate. But it does fit with the spirit of Yonder Mountain as we see it.

As far as keeping things fresh, I think that is more generally to do with staying creative and continuing to feel inspiration for writing songs. But this can very much ebb and flow. It is profoundly helpful to have an entire band of songwriters. There has never been a time when every one of us is in a songwriting dry spell. That alleviates much of the pressure that we might put on ourselves to come up with a new song simply for the sake of having something new to share. And instead, it gives us freedom to explore and sometimes wait for a song idea to show itself to us. That starts leading us into the mystic territory of where songs come from, which we can save for another discussion.

SW: The album also looks to your past with re-recorded versions of 2006’s “River” and 2008’s “Didn’t Go Wrong,” songs that only existed as live recordings on your “Mountain Tracks” series. Why’d you choose to feature these songs from your catalog?

BK: So many original Yonder songs haven’t been recorded in the studio. I can give you a handful of excuses as to why that is, but none of those excuses are any good. And those songs are absolutely deserving of studio presentation, regardless of how many years they’ve been being performed in our live shows.

“River” and “Didn’t Go Wrong” have been live Yonder staples for almost 20 years. Including them on “Nowhere Next” was an experiment of sorts; does it work to have vintage Yonder material alongside brand-new material. Personally, I feel that it does. And there’s a deeper feeling that by including a song that we’ve written and played live, but never recorded, we not only honor it but also allow the song to complete part of its “life cycle.” Again, we get into an esoteric concept here, but there’s a lot of time to think about weird stuff when you live on a tour bus.

SW: Your last record, “Get Yourself Outside,” was nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the Grammys. What was your reaction?

BK: For so much of our career, Yonder has existed outside of any of the music establishment’s clubs or inner circle events. It’s not that we weren’t curious about it, but more like if you spend 20 years not being invited to a party, at some point you’re likely to stop looking for invitations.

I was playing piano at home when the nominations were announced. None of us realized we were even in the discussion for one. My cell phone started getting texts, and initially, I was annoyed at the interruption. Then when they kept coming, I thought something really bad had happened. So I looked at the messages, and they were all from music friends and were mostly short messages saying, “Congratulations.” I had no idea what they were talking about, so I called our manager. She told me about the nomination. I loved the whole experience of it. Getting a new outfit, flying to Los Angeles, going to the awards show, seeing the gathering of fame and talent under one roof. I had an absolute blast. That said, award nominations aren’t a motivation for us creatively.

SW: For your Strummit family out there: NWSS was a wild ride that lasted for 20 years. Now that you’re a few years removed from it. What do you miss? What do you look back on that makes you smile?

BK: I miss absolutely everything about the Northwest String Summit. And I imagine I will continue to feel that way for a very long time. For 20 years, it was the event I most looked forward to. That said, I don’t really grieve for its absence, though I cherish the memories I have, both musical and personal. There’s a practical reality that happens in this business. When the Strummit ended, we looked for something else we could do on that weekend. That’s just how it goes. Would we rather be playing at Horning’s Hideout though? Most assuredly yes.

SW: I imagine NWSS occupied a huge place in your lives both emotionally and as a time commitment. Where have those energies been directed of late?

BK: I guess when I think back on the String Summit, I don’t have the experience that it occupied our energy or time in any oversized way. Instead, I look at it as an experience that gave us more energy than it consumed. It left us feeling more bountiful and more connected. But then, the band members were never the people responsible for rigging the lights and sound systems, or bringing in the portajohns, or negotiating permits or permission from neighboring properties. That work was performed by people who didn’t get the benefit of a crowd cheering for them.

As for it occupying a huge place in our lives, yes it most certainly did. Let me list just some examples: I know people who were married there. I know kids who were conceived there. My father’s final resting place is on that land. I have performed and recorded music with someone who was four years old when his parents first brought him to the String Summit and is now touring the country with his band Broken Compass. The Strummit was one of the great blessings in our lives. My only regret is that I never got to harness a dozen peacocks and have them pull me around the property while wearing rollerblades, under a full moon, at 4 in the morning. I know you can do that in Las Vegas now, but it simply isn’t the same.

Yonder Mountain String Band
2025 Winter Tour
Fri., Jan. 18 and Sat. Jan. 19, doors 7pm, show 8pm; all ages
Volcanic Theatre Pub
70 SW Century Dr., Bend
$35 advance, $45 day of show
tixr.com/groups/volcanictheatre/events/yonder-mountain-string-band-two-nights-117348

This article appears in The Source Weekly January 16, 2025.