Yonder Mountain String Band is strumming its way into the new year. The bluegrass quintet from Colorado—composed of Dave Johnston, Allie Kral, Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, and Nick Piccininni—announced their forthcoming album Friday, Dec. 3. The record, titled Get Yourself Outside, is set for a February 25 release and is the first body of work completed with new band member Nick Piccininni.
“Nick is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist. He’s also a great singer with a magnetic stage presence,” YMSB guitarist and co-founder Adam Aijala said. “And he’s in such a creative space right now, something that has brought a whole new vibe and dynamic to the band. But, at the same time, it’s such a natural fit, where he hits that sweet spot of the Yonder Mountain sound we’ve come to be known for.”
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This evolving yet consistently excellent Yonder Mountain sound emerged from a series of collaborations between the YMSB artists while on the road. “This album was a learning experience for the band, from bringing Nick in, to navigating the shutdown as a nationally touring band to working on new material,” Kaufmann said. “There’s a blessing to this life to be able to play music for a living, and Get Yourself Outside is a testament to that, which is why it’s been such a joy to finally play these songs live.”
“We want the listener to get outside of your own head, get outside the box or container that you’ve created around yourself—look outside and see what else is out there,” Kaufmann continued.
“For me, it was the accessibility and the ease of bluegrass,” Aijala added. “I really liked that the music could achieve this really high energy, and it was just acoustic instruments, your voice, and a microphone—it’s a beautiful thing.”
In conjunction with their album announcement, YMSB dropped the first single off of the album. Listen to “Into The Fire,” below.
Photo by Jake Cudek / IVPR