Yonder Mountain String Band has announced the departure of mandolinist/vocalist Jeff Austin, who is leaving the group to pursue his solo career, and support his upcoming solo project which he discussed with us several months back.
In a statement issued this afternoon, the remaining members indicate that they will continue to perform together, bringing in a number of guests throughout the rest of this year until a permanent new member is chosen.
Yonder Mountain String Band is all about family, and through the support of our family of fans, we have been able to play music for you for the past 15 years. We couldn’t be more proud about our successes and experiences performing at the best venues and festivals in the country, and for the most dedicated fans any band could ever wish to have. With this said, YMSB would like to share some news about the future of the band. Collectively, after long, heartfelt discussions, we’ve all decided to move forth with a newly formed line-up due to varying career goals and creative pursuits. As of today, all future YMSB shows will be performed with Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), and David Johnston (banjo, vocals). We will welcome exciting special guests throughout the rest of the year and we look forward to a new permanent line-up in 2015. YMSB fully supports Jeff Austin and his emerging solo career.
Yonder Mountain String Band will perform all scheduled dates throughout 2014 with the new line up and special guests. Jeff Austin will be announcing more dates for his solo endeavors in the coming months. The band wants the fans to know that this decision did not come easily, and we’ll certainly keep all of our fans up to date with the new Yonder band-member line-up information.
We greatly look forward to seeing everyone out on the road this Summer and Fall!
Austin had no comment at this time, but we will try to catch up with him soon for more details about his future plans.
