Nick Piccininni to Yonder Mountain String Band

Yonder Mountain String Band has announced a change at the mandolin position effective in 2020. Jacob Joliff, who had been the group since Jeff Austin departed in 2014, is leaving to pursue his own Jacob Joliff Band, and YMSB is bringing in multi-instrumentalist Nick Piccininni in to fill his shoes.

Nick is a young picker from upstate New York who is recognized for his skill on mandolin, as well as guitar, fiddle, and banjo, plus his strong singing voice. In recent years he has been a part of a number of acts, including Floodwood, The Delaney Brothers, and a duo project with Jason Barady called Nick & Jay. He has also worked widely as a solo performer.

It was his association with Barady that first opened Piccininni to the sounds of alternative grass, outside of the mainstream and traditional bluegrass world he had been inhabiting. You can see him with Yonder this winter as they tour throughout January and February.

The band shared the news thusly to their fans yesterday…

“The new year brings some changes for Yonder Mountain String Band. As of January 1, 2020, we will be saying farewell to our brother and fellow musician, Jacob Jolliff. This comes to you as a deeply considered decision. We are grateful for the music, the memories and friendship we forged with Jake and are in full support of his future endeavors with The Jacob Jolliff Band. We hope to join forces with them down the road. Of course, Jake will play out the rest of the 2019 calendar, including our Colorado New Year’s run.

At this time, we also have the honor of welcoming multi-instrumentalist Nick Piccininni, who will be touring with us this winter.

We first discovered Nick when he was a member of the band Floodwood. In addition to performing as part of YMSB for a few shows earlier this year, Nick has shared the stage with many acts over the years, including The Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, Stephen Marley, The Del McCoury Band, Leftover Salmon, Lettuce, and more.

Thank you all for your continued support. We look forward to creating more incredible moments with you all in 2020!”

You can keep up with Yonder Mountain tour dates online.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.