By Emily Coleman
The traditional banjo of bluegrass mixes with progressive electric guitar and drums are becoming a fresh genre called newgrass in Yonder Mountain String Band''s recently released self-titled album.
Under the creative talent of rock producer Tom Rothrock (Foo Fighters, Elliot Smith, Beck and James Blunt), Yonder Mountain heads in a new direction with their album, released today (May 9, 2006).
'It definitely was the challenge that was ready to be taken on,' said Jeff Austin, mandolinist for Yonder Mountain. 'For me, it was a necessary step that the band had to take, just because we''ve always been about letting ourselves experiment to the full width of the spectrum. It was just a part of us that was dying to come out.'
Yonder mountain isn''t the first band that has tried the newgrass mix. Other bands such as New Grass Revival use a lot of the progressive guitar and drum rhythms, but can still be traced back to the styles of classic bluegrass bands like Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys.
Bluegrass has been progressing since it''s creation during WWII. The earliest bluegrass music began in the mid 1940''s with the band 'Bluegrass Boys,' making Bill Monroe, the leader of the band, the founder of bluegrass music.
Bluegrass encompasses the genres of blues, ragtime, jazz and old-time music. Musical instruments for traditional bluegrass include banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar and bass fiddle.
However, bluegrass has added some new instruments such as drums, electric versions of the guitar, piano, harmonica and mouth harp. These different instruments and styles combine to make what some call progressive bluegrass, or newgrass.
This is the first time Yonder Mountain has added drums to the mix of banjo, bass, mandolin and guitar. Bassist Ken Kaufmann appreciates the new perspective.
'All of a sudden our perspective got a little broader,' said Kaufmann. 'We ended up with an album that''s got rippin'' bluegrass on it, but approached in a non-traditional way, which really appeals to me because we are not a traditional band. It''s always been forward-thinking and this is the first time we''ve captured that in the studio.'
Bluegrass is similar to rock and jazz in that melody instruments - like guitar, drums and brass - take turns playing improvisational solos while the rest of the band reverts to playing backup.
'There are places where the banjo and the mandolin become rock instruments,' said Kaufmann. 'We draw from personal influences that bridge - for us - our love of heavier rock music, with lyrical imagery that''s clearly traditional. There''s a fiddle in the solo sections, but it''s clearly channeling the spirits of the rock guitar gods.'
The inspiration for mixing rock with bluegrass comes from the band''s love for rock music. In fact, none of the band members had any background in bluegrass music before they met. But a growing interest in bluegrass music brought the band together at a free-for-all jam session in Boulder.
'It was an eye-opening experience because we heard a unique sound,' said banjo player Dave Johnston. 'Something coalesced that night.'