Yonder Mountain String Band

Mandolinist, vocalist and songwriter Jeff Austin is unstoppable. He is celebrated for his fleet fingers and penchant for improvisation on stage, but those qualities also speak volumes about how he chooses to live. Austin has cultivated his natural musical abilities and allowed himself to be driven by his boldest instincts. In this way, he has been able to build positive, exciting momentum around his life’s greatest passion.

In just a week, on July 18th, it’ll be that time of the summer again. That time when people from all over the country storm the state of Oregon with their families, their banjos, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, etc., and head to the small town of North Plains. Slowly they will wind their way through towering green trees and down a curvy road, until finally, they find themselves in a clearing surrounded by peacocks and shimmering shades of green. Not a bad tradition, if you ask me.

The 12th Annual Northwest String Summit returns to Horning's Hideout (North Plains, OR) with the finest acoustic pickers and standout electric bands from July 18 - 21, 2013. Located just 20 miles outside of Portland, OR, Horning's Hideout stands as one of the most scenic festival sites in the country. A family-friendly and locally-sourced festival, Northwest String Summit caps its capacity at 4,500 attendees to ensure an intimate experience for all festival-goers at an incredible ticket price.

All Good Presents and Grateful Dead tribute band Dark Star Orchestra hosted their second annual Dark Star Jubilee Music Festival over the Memorial Day weekend, and from the turnout, it seemed that the challenge made at 2012’s festival by emcee “Toast” was met by the fans of 2012’s Jubilee, where attendees and fans of the band were asked to “Bring a friend or two to next year’s (2013) Jubilee to m

At the first Wakarusa Music Festival they were invited to, Jeff Austin, mandolin player for Yonder Mountain String Band, says the band was so unknown he was frisked by security because they didn’t believe he was a band.

Now playing the tenth Wakarusa Music Festival, the band is in a very different place.

Walkarusa. Mudarusa. Funarusa. There are lots of alternative names for Wakarusa here on Mulberry Mountain. Although most of them aren’t very clever we use the names anyway. So far, it’s been more Mudarusa than anything. But I’ve only been here a mere day, and I can’t wait to see what this weekend gives us!

Jeff Austin will join The Travelin' McCourys for The Bluegrass Ball at Shoe Fest this year. Shoe Fest is a three day outdoor music and camping event, featuring live music performances, which will take place September 6-8, 2013 at Camp Shaw-waw-nas-see in Manteno, IL.The Giving Tree Band, Henhouse Prowlers, This Must Be the Band, Old Shoe and Chicago Farmer will also be joining the Shoe Fest lineup this year.

Just as summer is heating up, the folks at Yonder Mountain String Band’s Harvest Festival are already putting the finishing touches on their fall-time event. Set to take place at Mulberry Mountain in the majestic Ozark Mountains, the music and camping experience will span October 17, 18 and 19 in 2013.

In all death there is rebirth, and following Joe Cahill’s (long time and beloved Fox Theater, Boulder Theater, and Leftover Salmon lighting designer) tragic death just a few short weeks ago I witnessed a community re-born, bound together after calamity.

During the early 1990s while growing up in middle America I was making the transformation from teenager to adult.  My personal changes were not unlike what the country in general was going through.  The awkward years of George Bush gave way to the prosperous reign of President Clinton. During this time there was another interesting transition going on in popular music and culture.  The dominant days of hair metal bands were fading (like my stone-washed jeans), and the glam gave way to grunge which ushered in a new era of rock n' roll.