Yonder Mountain String Band Releases EP Recorded By Original 4 Members In 2010

Yonder Mountain String Band today released an EP record in 2010 by the original members of the jamgrass outfit, guitarist Adam Aijala, banjoist Dave Johnston, bassist Ben Kaufmann and late mandolinist Jeff Austin. I’d Like Off consists of five songs, including the standout Austin original “What The Night Brings.”

“There’s songs that get finished in 15 minutes and are never edited,” Austin said in a 2011 interview. “I have a song I wrote called ‘What the Night Brings’ and if you look at the original piece of paper that it was written on‚ there’s one line crossed out and replaced with something else and that’s it. I wrote it in about 15 minutes‚ it just came.”

The seeds of Yonder Mountain String Band were planted in the mid-1990s when Austin met Johnston who was a student at the University of Illinois in Urbana. Johnston encouraged Austin to pick up the mandolin and the two formed a short-lived band.

Austin and Johnston separately left Illinois and moved to Colorado. In 1998, after meeting Kaufmann and Aijala, the four musicians formed Yonder Mountain String Band. Austin remained a member of Yonder Mountain String Band through 2014 when he left the group to pursue a solo career.

A press release accompanying I’d Like Off described the recordings finally coming to light:

Written, recorded, and performed over a decade ago –– during a time when mental health awareness and support structures did not commonly exist within the music industry – –the songs that make up I’d Like Off are a valiant representation of the darkness we all harbor, bolstered by the necessary delivery of profound compassion and care.

The family of Jeff Austin, who died in 2019 at age 45, responded to the new release by writing:

Our family was a little shocked to hear that there would be a new EP featuring all four original members from Yonder Mountain String Band. We hope that you’ll honor Jeff’s legacy as an iconic musician by downloading/streaming any version you prefer on March 29.

We love you Jeff and we hope this makes you proud.
Love, Devlyn, Lily Rose, Penelope, Jude & Mom

Rounding out I’d Like Off are longtime YMSB live staples, “Ripcord Blues,” “Pockets,” “Don’t Lean on Me” and the title track. Stream I’d Like Off below:

The current lineup of YMSB – Aijala, Kaufmann, Johnston, Nick Piccininni, and Coleman Smith – is on tour. Scroll on for a list of Yonder Mountain String Band tour dates.