Yonder Mountain String Band still may be touring behind its 2009 release “The Show,” but that doesn’t even matter.
The four band members so creatively reinvent their songs on stage, every performance sounds fresh even when they play songs from deep in their catalog.
“We have become known for improv and jamming,” bass player Ben Kauffman said. “Especially with our lineup and instrumentation, we are continually excited [about] and engaged with this material. We always attempt to do something different in those moments.”
That’s just what “The Show” offers, too, of course. Although the 13 songs on the album are clearly from the band’s signature voice that is based on classic bluegrass, you’ll hear plenty of spontaneity, too. That’s especially true on the six tracks on which drummer Pete Thomas, of Elvis Costello’s band, is a guest.
The band has been extraordinarily busy these days with a wealth of tour dates. Still, the members took time out to host a sold-out charity event — the Fourmile Canyon Revival — to aid those whose homes and property were devastated by a September fire that raged through a community near Boulder, Colo. Phish, the String Cheese Incident, Leftover Salmon and many others played at the event.
“You don’t often get a chance to help out in such a tragedy,” he said. “When we get the chance, we take it.”
Not that the band members haven’t been working on new music, some of which they’ll likely play live on songs throughout the tour.
For Kauffman, his latest inspiration has come from listening to classic Tower of Power especially the classic bass parts on songs such as “What Is Hip.”
“We are definitely making plans for a new album,” he said, noting that while he and his band mates still enjoy playing past albums, they’re ready to weave new songs into their repertoire. “You make an album and you’re into it and then you are ready for the next thing. The cool thing about our band is that we have four songwriters so if one person is in a dry spell, chances are the other guys aren’t.”
