The Jeff Austin Band and the 2015 Telluride Bluegrass Festival

[BuckeyeDog]

Tramsden just posted the Jeff Austin Band show from February 6, 2015, Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO on bt.etree in case anyone is interested.

 Listening to: Born in Chicago--Paul Butterfield Blues Band

[Australian fan]

The Dusters are always the best bluegrass band at EVERY festival they play.

I've got to say, I've started playing them and they have rapidly gone to high rotation. Very, very good. ( ok, I am still in love with Greensky but they are very cool)

[KaraJean]

Thank you Billy!

I will make sure the see Jeff Austin he is coming my way!

 

[sarrygarcia7]

Just saw Yonder here in Cleveland. The musicianship is still fantastic, and Allie and Jake add plenty to the show, but the band seemed to be still finding its new identity, and Ben mentioned a new album. It was a good show, not a great show. Here's hoping they find it by June!

(Also saw Greensky last night. Still recovering. The Last Bison opened, and they did blow the doors off.)

Hi Pilgrim! Fellow Clevelander here! Didn't make it to Yonder, way too bad out. Though I have to say if it was old Yonder I would have made it. Was at Greensky though. Fantastic show as always! See at TBF42 or maybe before! 

On the Jeff and Yonder thing, Delfest went with Jeff. No Yonder for the first time since I started going in 2011, maybe longer. Last year was the first year they weren't a headliner. Jeff was there as "Artist at Large" playing with pretty much everybody except Yonder. This year Del went with Jeff.

 Listening to: Steep Canyon Rangers

[BillyBeru]

Thank you Billy!

I will make sure the see Jeff Austin he is coming my way!

 

KaraJean, how was the show?

I saw JAB last night at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Once again, they delivered big time!

[pickingood]

YMSB has been an absolute favorite of mine for over 10 years. That being said, Jeff Band is tremendous, with musicianship that trumps that of all of Yonder's members, although it will take some time for his band to build up even near the momentum, presence, and connected fluidity (and VIBE) that Yonder once had. They had a lot. Even with all the technical and accomplished musicianship in the world, it would be awfully tough to top the magic of Yonder's albeit simple but totally awesome and energy-filled, primarily Jeff-driven, psychedelic bluegrass jams. Unfortunately, Austin got the very short end of the stick, call it got completely shafted if you will IMHO, and I don't think we'll be seeing him at Telluride for some time. The fact that that band he used to lead is still called Yonder Mountain String Band is one of the great jokes and perhaps crimes of recent times in bluegrass, again, IMO. With Allie and Jacob they put on a good show, certainly, and it's better still when they have guests sitting in. But that's not Yonder Mountain String Band and never will be again without Austin.

I'm psyched because I would say that in about 10 years they'll have gotten over their differences enough to decide to get together for a reunion because of how profitable it will be and we'll get to see them together again. Hopefully before that Planet Bluegrass and others like Del Fest will open up the space for Jeff Band to come in instead of only Yonder. I suppose that life isn't always fair at all and it was not pretty one bit with those guys in much of the past several years. It followed of course that the break up wasn't pretty. Particularly for Jeff it would seem from how many scenes he and his band appear to be excluded from, but he's got a tremendous band and he's making his own way and a name for himself in a totally new way. I would love to see him at Telluride or anywhere for that matter.

As far as Yonder not Yonder (as I refer to them now) goes, I have loved all four of those guys for years but had a really difficult time observing the three primary members playing on stage last year at close range. I think the Opera House is a great test for seeing where they're actually at as a band. Seeing them in that intimate setting you can feel every interaction between band members, if you're paying attention. We'll see how it goes this year. Many opinions formed in my mind after seeing the first set of last year's Opera House show and it wasn't pretty. I didn't stick around for the second set as a result.

Yonder was a band very dear to my heart and it's unfortunate what's become of them. I think the fact that Jeff is on his own with a tremendous group of players and is mostly out of the spotlight because the other guys still have the Yonder name that he had such a huge part in building and making what it was over so many years is a bitter pill to swallow. For me at least. just like so many other band break ups, many people have very strong opinions about it. I realize that life is about moving forward and growing and accepting, letting go... But it's tough to get away from some of the feelings that certain things bring up, I suppose.

Anyway, Happy festivaling everyone, and see you all very shortly... :-)

[sarrygarcia7]

Jeff Austin Band killed it at Delfest, so happy they had him there. 2 fantastic high energy shows.