Town By Town

 (9 customer reviews)

I mentioned in my review of _Elevation_ that these four guys aren't quite going to displace Railroad Earth at the top of my Favorite Band Currently In Existence list, but they're getting mighty close. And I hereby make it official that they've replaced the String Cheese Incident as my second favorite.Much nearer to "traditional" bluegrass than either of those other two bands (in part because they don't use drums/percussion), the Yonder Mountain String Band plays like one mind with four heads and eight hands. Each of the four (Jeff Austin, mandolin; Ben Kaufman, bass; Adam Aijala, guitar; Dave Johnston, banjo) is just so good, and so in tune with the other three, that they sound as though they could play the phone book, without rehearsal, and make it interesting to listen to.I mildly (very mildly) prefer _Elevation_ over this one as a recommended YMSB "starter" CD, in part because the songs on _Town By Town_ include a couple of oblique references to tunes from...Read more

Town by Town is simply one of my favorite albums to come out in the past year or two. I came to YMSB by word of mouth, and bought this disc without having heard them play a note. I was completely blown away! They deliver with incredibly high energy and an intensity rare in many other bands. And they're doing it with just guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass, yielding a very traditional yet modern sound. For my money they far exceed what other bands who incorporate elements of bluegrass are doing (i.e., String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon, and Blueground Undergrass). "Rambler's Anthem" and "New Horizons" find the guys in fine form throwing down some impressive and speedy licks. There are also mellower songs of love and loss: "Must've Had Your Reasons" (a favorite) and "To See You Coming Round the Bend". And true to bluegrass tradition, they deliver with a few instumentals including "Wildewood Drive" on which they make excellent...Read more

The Yonder Mountain String Band has a large legion of young, exuberant fans, and this album demonstrates why. Their sound is distinctive. The lyrical messages of their original material are interesting. Their material is well-rehearsed and arranged. Their songs convey spirit, energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, they sometimes push their musical capabilities and challenge their own skills on their up-tempo pieces. "Rambler's Anthem" and "Easy as Pie" open the album and are examples of this. The album then settles into a groove with songs like Idaho, Loved You Enough, Sorrow is a Highway, and Must've Had Your Reasons. They succeed with the up-tempo showcase newgrass number, New Horizons, written by mandolinist Jeff Austin. The other band members include Dave Johnston (banjo), Adam Aijala (guitar), and Ben Kaufmann (bass), and they all contribute original material to this album. Tim O'Brien also appears on fiddle and bouzouki. The Yonder Mountain String Band doesn't stick to those...Read more