Bluegrass band has broad appeal

Last Thursday night, four young pickers from Colorado brought their own brand of knee-slappin', toe-tappin' bluegrass to the Bluebird Nightclub, 216 N. Walnut St. Before the band took the stage, the club teemed with a diverse crowd, a testament to the Yonder Mountain String Band's ability to turn a wide variety of people onto a distinct genre of music.\nA true string band, the YMSB consists of Adam Aijala on acoustic guitar, Ben Kaufman on upright bass, David Johnston on banjo and Jeff Austin on mandolin, an impressive musician who picked up the instrument just five years ago.\nWhen they started playing, Austin encouraged the crowd to "gather around" and "start drinking," and the audience happily obliged. While the band played their opening tune "Easy as Pie," everyone huddled around the stage and prepared to get down to a night of funky bluegrass. \nThe first few songs, like "Steam Powered Airplane" and "Father's Arms," served to get both the band and the crowd warmed up. \nDuring this time, it was apparent that the YMSB is a young group. Each member is extremely talented, but it took a few songs for them to start playing as a unit. Sometimes the timing was a little off, and precision is key for solid bluegrass. But after a few songs, the band definitely hit their stride and played off each other well.\nTo end the first set, the band jammed through several energetic tunes, which highlighted the group's jamband influences. First, they played "The Boatman," a popular song featuring a rowdy bass solo by Kaufman. After the solo, the band led the song into the original "Snow on the Pines." \nDuring the vigorous jam, Austin's pick skipped across the strings on his mandolin, creating a more rocking sound. The song also featured Aijala's most impressive guitar work. While the rest of the band maintained the rhythm, he furiously picked the highest strings on his acoustic guitar, driving the crowd into a frenzy. \nAfter a short intermission, the band continued the high level of intensity, playing songs like "Sharecropper's Son" and "Granny Won't You Smoke Some Marijuana." The highlight of the second set came when they played the Grateful Dead's "New Speedway Boogie." The crowd clapped the beat while Austin funked up the vocals. Unfortunately, the tempo of the show decreased toward the end of the second set, and the band chose not to play an encore. Despite a lackluster beginning and ending, the YMSB remained upbeat and personal throughout the entire performance, talking to each other and the crowd between almost every song.\n"They seem to care about the music and the people that see them," said non-student Patrick Metsker, who traveled from Kokomo to see the show. "Last time I was here, there were only 40 or so people, max."\nWith good originals and talented musicianship, the Yonder Mountain String Band should continue to satisfy fans with their energetic, "jamgrass" style of picking.