Bluegrass music is a genre that Dave Johnston finds hard to describe — even though he’s a member of Yonder Mountain String Band, which has bluegrass roots.
“There’s a stereotypical rural folk tradition of bluegrass,” said Johnston, who is a founding member of the band formed in 1998. Yonder Mountain will be part of the Morris Museum of Art’s Southern Soul and Song at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Imperial Theatre.
Others, he said, ascribe to the theory that only Bill Monroe created bluegrass music.
And then there’s Yonder Mountain, a group of five string players who play bass, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and banjo, fusing traditional sounds with other genres such as classic rock and punk.
Johnston said he didn’t listen to much music growing up. The sounds of talk radio filled his house. It wasn’t until high school and college that he began exploring musical styles.
As a teen, he said he listened to the “angsty” sounds of punk rock bands. He liked The Smiths, The Clash and Siouxsie and the Banshees. He also listened to the early music of the Grateful Dead, which has more country influence. In college, he discovered bluegrass through The Seldom Seen Band.
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One thing all the music has in common are the harmonies and similar messages. The melodies aren’t usually complex.
While the band has a set list, no two concerts are the same.
Frequently, they become jam sessions.
Sometimes, they peg a spot in the concert to allow the music to simply flow, but other times, a spontaneous sound occurs.
Three of the original quintet members are still part of the group. They all know each other well and can follow their leads.
One thing that is special about that portion of the show is that the musicians get to enjoy each other’s playing as though they were in the audience while still being on stage. It makes for a unique experience, he said.
“It’s really fun to be part of,” he said.
Johnston said the band used the pandemic to work on the next recording which is scheduled to be released in February 2022.
Tickets are $20-$50 and are available at imperialtheatre.com or by calling the box office at (706) 722-8341.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
