Yonder Mountain String Band to play Vail’s Ford Amphitheater during GoPro Mountain Games

The Vail Valley Foundation on Monday issued the following press release on Yonder Mountain String Band joining the GoPro Mountain Games music lineup (already stacked with Bob Weir and Wolf Bros June 11-12) for a June 10 concert at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail:

Athletes, art, music, and mountains: these are the four pillars of the best all-around mountain experience available anywhere in the world, The GoPro Mountain Games.

Today, the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the event each June in Vail and also manages the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, announced that Yonder Mountain String Band will provide the opening performance to kick off three nights of concerts at the Ford Amphitheater as part of the 2021 GoPro Mountains of Music.

• June 10, Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
• 6 p.m. gates | 7 p.m. showtime
• Tickets go on sale Friday, May 28 at 11 a.m. MST at grfavail.com.
• Ticket prices: Pavilion G/A $15, Lawn G/A $10
• Full-capacity concert at The Amp, no special public health restrictions

Yonder Mountain String Band June 10 will be followed by two nights of Bob Weir and Wolf Bros (sold-out) to create perhaps the most high-profile music lineup in the near 20-year history of the GoPro Mountain Games.

It is all part of a four-day celebration of athletes, art, music and mountains. Sign up to participate in one of the events many athletic competitions, or learn more about spectating and enjoying the return of this iconic event, at mountaingames.com.

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About Yonder Mountain String Band

Pioneers. Innovators. These are but a few of the monikers that Yonder Mountain String Band has worn since their inception. From the first Yonder shows in the fall of 1998 to their drive-in tour of 2020, this touring force has brought their adventurous musical spirit to countless venues for nearly a quarter century. 

Yonder Mountain’s early success was fueled by their desire to make a sound distinctly their own, whether performed on crowded stages or selling out the hallowed Red Rocks Amphitheater. Their traditional take on bluegrass sound was fused with their diverse musical influences ranging anywhere from punk rock to the Grateful Dead. 

The combination of the band’s unique personalities, extended musical improvisations, their jam band fan culture and their collaborative effort on writing and arranging original songs which span multiple genres—attracted more of a freewheeling jam crowd than the traditional bluegrass scene which, in turn, exposed a whole new generation of fans to Bluegrass.

No band that has stood the test of time is without transformation and Yonder Mountain has had their fair share of change. In 2014, Yonder Mountain and Jeff Austin announced they were parting ways. Austin went on to tour full time with his side project, The Jeff Austin Band, with a rotating lineup of musicians playing with him until his unexpected death in 2019.  

Founding members Adam Aijala on guitar, Ben Kaufmann on bass, Dave Johnston on banjo, alongside the 2015 addition of Allie Kral on fiddle, and newcomer, multi-instrumentalist Nick Piccininni handling duties on mandolin, second fiddle, and anything stringed. 

With their instrumental prowess and adventurous musical spirit, Yonder Mountain String Band were — and still are — a pioneering group in the emerging progressive bluegrass scene that now includes marquee acts like Billy Strings, Railroad Earth,  Greensky Bluegrass and the Infamous Stringdusters.

– Rolling Stone

This past April, the band recorded their ninth studio album, scheduled to be released in late 2021.  The band will road test the new material this summer and fall.

Catch a Yonder Mountain date here: yondermountain.com/tour