Yonder Mountain String Band performed with special guest, Larry Keel Experience on Wednesday, November 5 at Turner Hall. These blue grass ensembles kept the audience dancing until 1 am.
The opening band, Larry Keel Experience, was started by the incredible guitarist, Larry Keel, after splitting from Magraw Gap. The band consists of Larry Keel whom many consider to be the best acoustic flat picking guitarist of our day, Will Lee on the 5 string banjo and Jenny Keel on the upright bass. Larry Keel Experience’s latest album was released in 2000 but Larry Keel’s most recent album titled, “Classic,” was released in March of 2012 with his band Natural Bridge.
Larry Keel Experience’s performance on Wednesday was impressive. Their musical talent is impeccable and it sent shivers down my spine. There is nothing better than watching raw talent live. Their originals and covers were amazing, innovative, and high-energy, keeping the audience happy and grooving until Yonder Mountain String Band hit the stage. I may not have been a fan of them before but I most definitely am now. Their performance exceeded my expectations and their appeal extends farther than just blue grass lovers.
Yonder Mountain String Band aims to modernize bluegrass by infusing it with some rock ‘n roll amongst other influences. The band consists of Adam Aijala on the guitar, Dave Johnston on the banjo and Ben Kaufmann on the bass. YMSB performs often (including Wednesday night at Turner Hall) with award winning mandolin player, Jake Jolliff and the amazing Allie Kral on the fiddle. YMSB has released 11 albums. Their most recent album was released in 2013 titled, “EP 13.”
The second Yonder Mountain started to walk on stage the crowd went crazy. They talked about the midterm elections saying that they didn’t feel connected with what was happening here, “but then we walk up here on stage and I look out here and we see all of these beautiful people. We know that you have our back, we want you to know that we’ve got your back and you look around here and these are the people, this is our community.”
This began their connection with the audience. As I watched them on stage I could tell that they felt our love and energy for their music. The energy continued to rise as they began to strum and tune their instruments just like a symphony would do. The best concerts to go to are when the live music is better than their recorded music and that was true for this concert. They displayed each of their own talents with impromptu solos, which aren’t heard on their albums.
Special guests, Jake Jolliff and Allie Kral were astounding. I personally had no idea that a mandolin could be played like that. Jolliff blew my mind. His finger picking was done with speed and ease. Allie Kral’s solos were equally beautiful and her voice was fantastic. We were a lucky crowd to be able to hear all five of these talented musicians perform on the stage.
Yonder Mountain not only did one set but after a short break they kept the good times rolling and played a second set. About half way through they brought Larry Keel back on stage to pick alongside them. As the band exited the stage after their second set, as classic Milwaukee audiences always do, we cheered for an encore and Yonder Mountain did not disappoint. They walked back on stage with all of the members from the Larry Keel Experience and all eight of them performed “Bloody Mary Morning” together for an amazing finale. All in all there is nothing negative to say about this performance. The audience was happy and welcoming, the music was spectacular and the venue was great.
Yonder Mountain String Band’s Fall Tour with Larry Keel Experience ends on November 15 in Brooklyn, New York.