Yonder Mountain String Band earned their reputation on stage where instinct, chemistry, and fearless improvisation set the tone for a new way forward in acoustic music. Their shows are spontaneous: tight when they need to be, loose when they want to be, and always anchored by connection with the audience.

Founding members Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), and Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals) have spent nearly three decades shaping that foundation. Their connection and grit continue to steer the band’s direction. Nick Piccininni (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), now in his sixth year, brings versatility and edge that sharpen every performance. Coleman Smith (fiddle), in his third year, adds tone, intuition, and a presence that pushes the music into new realms..

In 2026, Yonder enters a new chapter with a studio album and a long-awaited vinyl release. March 27 brings Good As True (2026), the band’s 12th studio album. Recorded live in the studio, it’s built around all-new original songs that explore communication — the conversations that carry us forward and the ones that fall apart, the things we say, the things we mean, and everything that gets lost in between. The tracks span the full terrain Yonder has always embraced, from hard-driving bluegrass to songs shaped by folk, rock, and indie influences.

Later in the year, they celebrate the 20th anniversary — two years late but right on time — of Mountain Tracks, Vol. 3(2004) with its first-ever vinyl pressing. Captured live in 2003 at their Kinfolk Celebration at Planet Bluegrass, the album documents a defining moment in Yonder’s rise and reflects their lasting connection to Colorado, where they were later inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame.

Twenty-seven years in, Grammy-nominated Yonder Mountain String Band remains an unrelenting force in acoustic music — restless, real, and always worth showing up for.