Yonder Mountain String Band

Episode 202: The String's look at the improv-heavy jamgrass community continues with a band at the heart of it all, Yonder Mountain String Band. Bass player Ben Kauffman and guitarist Adam Aijala talk about how Colorado became their laboratory for a new, dance-friendly, freewheeling take on bluegrass music in the 1990s and beyond. We discuss how they negotiated the departure of founding member Jeff Austin and how two new members in recent years contributed to the varied material on the new album Get Yourself Outside. Also in the hour, a chat with Craig Ferguson, longtime director of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, where Yonder have been kingpins for 20 years and where the jamgrass sound has been celebrated.