NWSS has been canceled again this year so won't be getting my YMSB fix. That is the best fest in the west IMHO. In fact, aside from the Grateful Dead, I think I have seen YMSB more than any other single band. They are not my favorite band but they play almost every night at NWSS so I have ended up seeing them a lot by default over the years.
I always thought they were a very well matched grouping and I enjoyed every single member's contributions equally. Especially Ben Kaufman's singing, and adam's fla picking. I probably saw them a hundred or so times over those years including ten or so NWSS'. I was bummed when Jeff left the band, but really a little relieved that maybe they had matured and decided it was time to drop the stage antics and get right down to just playing grass. I checked out the Jeff Austin band a couple times, and the "spark" was definitely there but in my estimation the band was still less then the sum of its parts.
so I went to two yonder shows with Allie krall and jake jolliff, and walked out of the second show when I realized the feeling I had tried to resist all those years - that Jeff alone was dominant source of YMSB X factor, and the realization that the first iteration of the band really, truly did equal more than its parts combined.
to me.
but string summit is still without question the best in the pnw, and along with high Sierra; the very best in the west.
_____YMSB_________
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
NWSS has been canceled again
NWSS has been canceled again this year so won't be getting my YMSB fix. That is the best fest in the west IMHO. In fact, aside from the Grateful Dead, I think I have seen YMSB more than any other single band. They are not my favorite band but they play almost every night at NWSS so I have ended up seeing them a lot by default over the years.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
I always thought they were a
I always thought they were a very well matched grouping and I enjoyed every single member's contributions equally. Especially Ben Kaufman's singing, and adam's fla picking. I probably saw them a hundred or so times over those years including ten or so NWSS'. I was bummed when Jeff left the band, but really a little relieved that maybe they had matured and decided it was time to drop the stage antics and get right down to just playing grass. I checked out the Jeff Austin band a couple times, and the "spark" was definitely there but in my estimation the band was still less then the sum of its parts.
so I went to two yonder shows with Allie krall and jake jolliff, and walked out of the second show when I realized the feeling I had tried to resist all those years - that Jeff alone was dominant source of YMSB X factor, and the realization that the first iteration of the band really, truly did equal more than its parts combined.
to me.
but string summit is still without question the best in the pnw, and along with high Sierra; the very best in the west.
RIP Jeff. And love to his kids too.