Usually, all those elements combine to deliver a high octane, kick-you-in-the-face, genre-bending dance fest. For some reason, Yonder performed a slightly tamer than usual performance Saturday night in Manhattan.

That’s not to say that the show sucked, because it most certainly didn’t. Yonder Mountain was at their best during their fast, more traditional bluegrass numbers, such as the classic “Maid of the Canyon”, or the old time fiddling tune”Little Rabbit”. Mandolinist Jeff Austin looked like a man possessed, his eyes bulging as he annihilated the fretboard, barely able to control his own jamming. This was a stark contrast to the stoic stage presence of guitarist Adam Aijala, whose flatpicking solos are much more controlled and calculated, yet equally impressive. Dave Johnston’s banjo completes the soloing attack, yet he somehow couldn’t carry the weight or impact he typically does.

The group’s skill lies in more than just their instrumental prowess. It’s in their excellent songwriting and singing, as well. Interestingly, some of their best songs in this evening were covers. A second set highlight was the slow bluegrass shuffle of Split Lip Rayfield’s “Used to Call Me Baby”, with lush and passionate vocal harmonies on the chorus. A trio of covers of John Hartford, one of Yonder’s bluegrass heroes and a frequent source of cover material, made their way onto the setlist as well. The second set opened with the fun, fast drinking song “Way Down the River Road”, while the first set ended with the pot smoking song “Holdin’”, which didn’t seem quite as laid back and slow as the song’s lyrical content would suggest.

Many of the songs played were newer tunes that seem to be going in a different direction than the classic YMSB sound. Largely absent from the setlist were songs from the band’s first two albums, Elevation and Town by Town, albums that formed the backbone of many Yonder shows and initially built their reputation for live mind blowing. Newer tunes, like “Complicated” and “One More”, are in a more pop/rock oriented vein. These are good songs, well-written with good lyrics, but they felt flat onstage, much more restrained than the band’s usual offerings. Of the new tunes, the best was the funky show opener, “Shake Me Up”, which got the crowd moving early.

The show’s high point came at the very end, when opening band The Infamous Stringdusters and Noam Pikelny from the Punch Brothers joined Yonder onstage for two extremely energetic songs. Starting with the macabre “Pretty Daughter” and then closing the show with a rocking cover of Danny Barnes’ “Death Trip”, the ten musicians were a powerful and dynamic force that had everybody shaking, their impressive sound filling the room. Austin roamed the stage directing solos, his extroverted persona engaging with individual players as they traded licks, even playing on his back at one point. Bassist Ben Kaufmann and Stringdusters bassist Travis Book had to share a single upright bass, handing it back and forth, and then eventually playing the bass at the same time in a visual/musical showstopper.

Yonder might not be the same band they were in their early years, when they were carving out a sound and picking up fans as they criss-crossed the country. Like many bands, their sound has grown and matured, taken a direction towards a more pop oriented sound. When Kaufmann picked up a bass guitar for a few songs, it almost seemed blasphemous. But YMSB has never been a band to pigeonhole themselves, and that’s why they remain a strong player on both the jam band and bluegrass circuits.

Setlist #1:
Shake Me Up
All the Time
Must’ve Had Your Reasons
Maid of the Canyon
Part 1 (Lord Only Knows) ->
Finally Saw the Light ->
Lay It On the Line
Complicated
Just Like Old Times
Little Rabbit ->
Out of the Blue
Holdin’

Setlist #2:
Way Down the River Road
One More
Far From You
Used to Call Me Baby
Sometimes I’ve Won
Spanish Harlem ->
Keep On Going ->
Ooh La La ->
Keep On Going
Pretty Daughter*
Death Trip*
Encore:
Up on the Hill*

*with the Infamous Stringdusters, and Noam Pikelny from the Punch Brothers

Furthur, moe., and Umphrey’s McGee will head this year’s edition of All Good, set to take place July 14-17 at Marvin’s Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia. Other confirmed heavyweights include Primus, Pretty Lights, John Butler Trio, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Keller Williams.

Galactic, Toots & the Maytals, JJ Grey and Mofro, The Infamous Stringdusters, Papadosio, Toubab Krewe, Big Gigantic, Hot Buttered Rum, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Everyone Orchestra, and Orgone round out the rest of the festival’s initial lineup. Additional acts will be announced in the weeks and months ahead.

Three-day an four-day passes, priced at $139 and $159, respectively, are now available via the festival’s website. VIP packages are also available.

The 2011 festival season lineup news continues to roll in, as Colorado’s Telluride Bluegrass Festival has announced the beginning (emphasis on beginning) of the lineup for its 38th incarnation. Leading the list of familiar names are Robert Plant & Band of Joy, The Decemberists, The Sam Bush Band, and Béla Fleck & the Original Flecktones (‘original’ refers to the groups 1991 lineup, which recently regrouped). Further highlights include Emmylou Harris and Yonder Mountain String Band. Bush and Fleck will also be part of the Telluride House Band, set to feature Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Bryan Sutton, and Stuart Duncan, all bluegrass icons in their own rights.

Other acts of note on the bill include Railroad Earth, a solo-set for Meyer, the Punch Brothers, Peter Rowan, Cornmeal, and The Infamous Stringdusters. For a complete rundown of the lineup announced so far, check out Telluride’s festival outlook page. Stay tuned as more artists are announced.

Planet Bluegrass, the company behind Telluride, also recently revealed the lineup for their 39th annual RockyGrass Festival. Steven Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers top the preliminary announcement, along with the Del McCoury Band and the Sam Bush Bluegrass Band. Complete details and artists list for the July 29th-31st event can be found here.

The Telluride Bluegrass Festival goes down June 16th-19th in Telluride, CO. Tickets for both festivals are currently on-sale here, or by calling 800-624-2422. The fest’s website makes note of “a limited number of discounted holiday-priced tickets,” so if you want to give someone bluegrass for the holidays, get your tickets now.

On October 9th at Broomfield, Colorado’s 1stBANK Center, Colorado’s own The String Cheese Incident, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Vince Herman & Drew Emmitt from Leftover Salmon will take the stage for a once-in-a-lifetime experience coined “Four Mile Canyon Revival”, reports Hidden Track. And to make the event even more delicious, Phish’s Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell, and Trey Anastasio will be making a special appearance on the eve of their fall tour. While the entire group will be there, Phish is not expected to perform a complete set.

Tickets for the benefit, priced at $60, will go on sale Tuesday, September 21st at 10 am Mountain Time (12 EST) over at KBCO. All proceeds from the concert will go directly to the Boulder Mountain Fire Relief Fund. To avoid scalpers taking advantage of the event, all passes are non-transferrable, paperless tickets, and there is a limit of four per transaction.

The names that stand out are frankly shocking gets for a free and ticketless festival: Joan Baez, Elvis Costello and the Sugarcanes, and the Godmother of Punk herself, Patti Smith. Other old guys include Richard Thompson, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle and the Dukes, and some Grammy-winning singer-songwriters in The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue (Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald, and Boz Scaggs). Oh, and right off the heels of Toy Story 3, Randy frigging Newman. Yeah.

There’s stuff for the cool kids too: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, The Avett Brothers, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Umphrey’s McGee, Jenny & Johnny (Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice), Lucero, The Felice Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Gillian Welch, and…drumroll…SF hero Mike Patton as Mondo Cane.

Other notable acts include Emmylou Harris, Hot Tuna Electric, The Del McCoury Band, T-Bone Burnett and Friends, Indigo Girls, Moonalice, Fountains of Wayne, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller, Doc Watson and David Holt, The David Grisman Quintet, Bonnie “Prince” Billy & the Cairo Gang, The Flatlanders, and Railroad Earth.

There are plenty more acts, and you can see the full list here. The website promises additions, so begin rumor-mongering. This thing goes down the weekend of October 1-3; check back here for updates.

As previously mentioned, the lineup announcement will work something like this. Unlike previous announcements, the 2010 bill will not be unveiled all at once, but rather throughout the day, with the goal being to “generate conversations about the lineup a few acts at a time.” Starting at 10 AM EST (barring any early leaks), bands will begin announcing their participation via various social media outlets and bonnaroo.com. It’s basically like one giant, procrastinating-inducing puzzle. Fortunately, just in case we don’t figure it out by then, Bonnaroo will end our agony by announcing the full lineup later tomorrow night.

Given all this, it only makes sense that we start an open thread, where you guys can chat, complain, and post any discoveries you find. We’ll of course keep track as well!

7:30 pm Update: 90 minutes left! LCD Soundsystem, Les Claypool, Lucero, Kris Kristofferson, Martin Sexton, and Deadmau5 among the newest additions.

5:30 pm Update: Add The Dodos, Tori Amos, Tenacious D, Damian Marley & Nas, Lotus, Blitzen Trapper, Calexico, Mumford & Sons, Aterciopelados, and John Butler Trio to the mix. Still waiting for Neil, Pavement, and Roger Waters…

3:30 pm Update: A few more worthwhile confirmations: The Dead Weather, They Might Be Giants, The Melvins, Dave Rawlings Machine, John Prine, Mew, Dr. Dog, Clutch, and The Bakerton Group. Also, a few more expected: Alicia Keys, Pavement, and Spoon.

2:00 pm Update: So far, we’ve been going at this for a good five hours and we still only know about a 1/4 of the acts. Of those however, there are certainly a fair share of early highlights, including Jay-Z, The Flaming Lips, Regina Spektor, The National, Disco Biscuits, Jeff Beck, Norah Jones, Weezer, She & Him, and Phoenix.

We can also confirm the participation of Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band, Stevie Wonder, Dropkick Murphys, and Zac Brown band. As for what we can expect to see in the hours ahead? Neil Young, Spoon, Broken Social Scene, and Deadmau5. Also don’t be shocked if Roger Waters (performing The Wall), Pavement, and My Morning Jacket make an appearance.

Update: Here is the initial lineup…

Against Me!, Aeroplane, The Avett Brothers, B.o.B., Baaba Maal, The Black Keys Bassnectar, Baroness, Blitzen Trapper, Blues Traveler, Brandi Carlile, Calexico, Chromeo w/ Darryl Hall, Clutch, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Damian Marley & Nas, Dan Deacon Ensemble, Dave Matthews Band, Dave Rawlings Machine, The Dead Weather, Deadmau5, Diane Birch, Disco Biscuits, The Dodos, Dr. Dog, Dropkick Murphys, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Entrance Band, The Flaming Lips (w/ Stardeath and White Dwarfs) performing Dark Side of the Moon, The Gaslight Anthem, GWAR, Here We Go Magic, Hot Rize, Jamey Johnson, Japandroids, Jay-Z, Jeff Beck, John Prine, Kid Cudi, Kings of Leon, Kris Kristofferson, Ingrid Michaelson, Isis, John Fogerty, Julia Nunes, LCD Soundsystem, Les Claypool, Local Natives, Lotus, Lucero, Manchester Orchestra, Martin Sexton, Mayer Hawthrone & the County, Medeski Martin & Wood, Melvins, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Miike Snow, Miranda Lambert, Monte Montgomery, Mumford & Sons, The National, Needtobreathre, Neon Indian, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Norah Jones, OK Go, Phoenix, The Postelles, Punch Brothers, Rebelution, Regina Spektor, Rise Against, She & Him, Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers, Stevie Wonder, The Temper Trap, Tenacious D, They Might Be Giants, Thievery Corporation, Tinariwen, Tori Amos, Tokyo Police Club, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Wale, Weezer, The xx, Zac Brown Band

Here are other expected and rumored acts.

Now, buckle up kids! It’s going to be a long and wild ride!

Feature image courtesy of Ryan Mastro…

The band’s travels, which come in support of the recently released Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, will begin on May 28th in Hartford, CT. Highlights that follow include a two-night stint at New York’s Citi Field and three nights at Gorge Amptheatre, a venue which the band has grown quite fond of over the years.

But perhaps the biggest highlight will come in the form of a headlining appearance at this year’s Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, TN. The band is expected to close out the festival on Sunday, according to multiple sources.

Among the DMB’s set to tour throughout the extensive endeavor include Ben Harper and Relentless7, Gov’t Mule, Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Brett Dennen, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, and Zac Brown Band. Find the band’s entire schedule (w/ openers) below.

An online ticket request period begins this Thursday, January 28th, and continues through Monday, February 8th, at the Warehouse. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on February 26th via Ticketmaster.com.

Dave Matthews 2010 Tour Dates:
05/28 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre *
05/29 – Hartford, CT @ Comcast Theatre *
06/01 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre #
06/02 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center #
06/04 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center #
06/05 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center #
06/07 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center %
06/08 – Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center %
06/15 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center ^
06/16 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
06/18 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center ^
06/19 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center ^
06/22 – Columbus, OH @ Huntington Park ^
06/23 – Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Center @
06/25 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center @
06/30 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center @
07/01 – Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center @
07/03 – East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre $
07/04 – East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre $
07/09 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium $
07/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park $
07/13 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts &
07/14 – Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain &
07/16 – New York, NY @ Citi Field $
07/17 – New York, NY @ Citi Field $
07/20 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre &
07/21 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre &
07/23 – Washington, DC @ Nationals Park $
07/25 – Louisville, KY @ HullabaLOU Festival
07/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood ~
07/28 – Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre ~
07/30 – West Palm, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre ~
07/31 – West Palm, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre ~
08/14 – Wichita, KS @ InTrust Bank Arena +
08/17 – West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre =
08/20 – Chula Vista, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre =
08/21 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater  =
08/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Ball !
08/25 – Concord, CA @ Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord !
08/27 – Marysville, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre !
08/28 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre !
08/31 – Boside, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
09/03 – George, WA @ Gorge Amptheatre x
09/04 – George, WA @ Gorge Amptheatre x
09/05 – George, WA @ Gorge Amptheatre x
09/10 – Woodlands, CA @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion +
09/11 – Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center +
09/14 – Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center +
09/15 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center +

* = w/ Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
# = w/ The Felice Brothers
% = w/ Yonder Mountain String Band
^ = w/ Robert Earl Keen
@ = w/ Martin Sexton
$ = w/ Zac Brown Band
& = w/ Amos Lee
~ = w/ Gov’t Mule
+ = w/ Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
= = w/ Brett Dennen
! = w/ Raphael Saadiq
x = w/ Ben Harper & Relentless7

Situated on top of Mulberry Mountain, the property features two permanent stages, the Main Stage and the smaller Backwoods Stage, in addition to two smaller tents. Surrounding the property are rivers and trails, leading you to a 20-foot waterfall and a swimming area following a 25-minute hike. What could make this even better? All the other fun of Wakarusa is back, but in a more compact area that’s not constantly patrolled by park police. The best new feature is that all the camping is situated around the stage areas eliminating any long commutes. By all accounts, organizers stepped things up this year found the home the festival needed.

Thursday, June 4th

Unlike most four-day events, which don’t start Thursday’s music until later in the afternoon, things matriculated at the crack of noon with Cornmeal opening up the Main Stage for the first of two sets over the weekend. A cold front that passed through the day before kept the heat at bay as the dancing started up (it dipped into the ’40s that night). It’s never too early for bluegrass, especially for these festival favorites that ripped through songs with flip-flop kicking energy. It was great to see such a turn out for the early sets, especially in contrast with past years where the site felt empty until the evening acts. You could tell immediately that something was different. The energy and the enthusiasm was back and bigger than ever.

Over in the Revival tent, Joe Purdy provided some folk rock in the vein of Bob Dylan and The Dead. As a result, people spread out blankets and relaxed. Purdy is an imaginative folk singer with a love of folklore and John Henry, which provide his inspiration. The first half of his set was acoustic as he sang stories with a harmonica being the only other punctuation. For the last few songs, he brought out a band that helped him tear through his ’60s inspired rock, lighting a fire under his set.

Time flies when there’s live music around, and to help welcome the evening The New Mastersounds and Perpetual Groove kicked the jams into high gear. Trombone Shorty stopped by again this year to bring his New Orleans funk and soul to a bigger stage. The man is a true master of ceremonies as he worked the crowd into a frenzy showing off his trombone flavor with some serious power coming from the rest of his brass section.

Thursday’s headliners, heirs to southern rock and festival kings, Gov’t Mule stopped by for a two-hour set. Naturally, the crowd went apeshit. After all, guitarist Warren Haynes is one of the hardest working men in rock today, touring with the likes of The Dead and The Allman Brothers. His heavy and intricate guitar work, paired with brutal drums, shook the old wooden stage, concerning few if any. Throughout the flawless set, Haynes ripped into note after note without showing any signs of tiring. What could have been a killer closer turned out to be the start of the night, and at one in the morning.

As part of the bill, the festival organized what they called, an Interstellar Meltdown. In other words, it was a late night of up and coming electronic acts and DJs. One of the more anticipated sets of the weekend, Pretty Lights mixed samples and original beats in a DJ Shadow kind of way. This was held in the other, smaller Outpost tent that was well over capacity both in people and glow-sticks. For those that couldn’t fit in, however, fan-created light shows were set up outside the tent. The free spirit attitude of the day was only magnified at night as body paint and costumes came out, stirring up the festivalgoers’ alter egos.

Late night wasn’t all about electronica. Also getting their late night groove on, Colorado Springs’ biggest export, Yonder Mountain String Band, kicked off a late night set with some signature rock ‘n’ roll fused bluegrass (Newgrass if you want to get specific). People came in troves, packing the tent for what would be a drug and whiskey fueled barn dance. The air was filled with dust and smoke as everyone hooted and hollered for more. Yonder delivered back, feeding off the energy, turning the set into a bluegrass revival. For some, it was a hell of a way to end a great first day. For others, it was only the beginning of a long night that wouldn’t end until the sun came up again.

Not too shabby for the first day.

Friday, June 5th

Nights here at Mulberry Mountain are surprisingly cold, but it’s only temporary. When the sun comes up, so does the heat. That probably kills any hope for sleep that the late night party people had, but given it was only day two, there would be plenty of time for rest and relaxation later.

Musically, Friday would prove to be one of the better days with some of the bills’ top acts taking the stage. Thing started out with the funky surf jams of The Heavy Pets in the Outpost tent, and the country fried gypsy punk of Dirtfoot in the revival tent. Dirtfoot has begun to collect quite a following as a result of its rowdy live shows, and this time was no different bringing some backwoods country flavor to the fast paced, punk inspired tunes. The early afternoon also brought back Cornmeal, this time with a little help from Railroad Earth for a few songs.

Every year, festival organizers invite some of indie rock’s up and comers to break up the jam bands and bluegrass that cover the line up. In the past, this has been everyone from Spoon to Dr. Dog, and Tilly and the Wall (even though they got rained out). This year was no different, you just had to look a little harder to find them. Wax Fang provided this break with their loud psychedelic southern rock, echoing whistles, and intricate solos. The show had lead guitarist Scott Carney jumping back and forth from power chords to a theremin while drummer Kevin Ratterman worked the keys and the kit at the same time. It was impressive to say the least, but still one that was missed by most. For those that did happen to stop in, they couldn’t stop talking them up all weekend.

On tour in support of his new record, out later this summer, Matisyahu stopped by for an early evening set that brought out reworked old favorites, as well as some new material. When compared to past shows, this was more instrumentally focused, featuring extended versions of “Youth” and “Jerusalem” which segued into what appears to be a slightly new direction for the man. Sadly, even though he was putting his all into the set, the audience seemed to be focused on something else. Matisyahu even commented, observing, “You guys are really quiet today.” What he meant to say was, “You guys want me to bring out Les Claypool?”  As his set drew to a close, people began to stream in and take spots for Col. Claypool.

No matter what form Les Claypool arrives in, be it with the Frog Brigade, his Bucket of Bernie Brains, or just by himself, he manages to slap, strum, and pluck his way through an always mind blowing set. This time around he was backed by some friends on a cello, xylophone and two drum kits that would later go head to head with his earth rattling bass lines. Claypool broke out songs about battling intelligent fungus and other oddities from his mind, all brought to life by riffs that only he could muster. There will never be another musician like him, and his live sets only further his legend as every song sounds like something out of the Dr. Seuss books your parents wouldn’t let you read. While not wardrobe changes per say, he did break out his monkey mask and safari hat. Since the two are touring together, Matisyahu came out for a song, but it was over quickly as people just wanted Claypool.

Once the sun had gone down and the brisk cool air crept in, it was time for the night’s electronic acts to come out. Friday night was also host to a costume contest that saw almost everyone getting into some kind of character. Glowing fairies, a box of jellybeans, and Mario and Luigi all made appearances as thousands of glow sticks and other florescent objects were passed around. After some technical issues with the drum machine, The Egg took over the beats for electronic music that mixed house with catchy new wave hooks and vocoder-layered vocals. While musically the band was great, technical issues kept them from having a smooth flowing set. This, and the anticipation for one of the weekend most talked about bands slowly thinned the crowd as they left for the main stage.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 has been able to do what few bands have, and that is build a live empire that has enabled them to keep control of all their music. Their set at Waka fared no different as the field would be packed with moving, glowing bodies all surrounded by the music. The musicianship of this band has always been impressive as they’re able to play long, intricate sets that fuse trip-hop with jam rock for a bass pounding combination. Every time a key note would drop, the crowd would instantly respond like a studio audience at a sitcom taping. Fans set off fireworks during the huge climaxes, adding to the now literal musical explosion. Even though they were billed for another late night set on Saturday, their Friday night show easily became one of the weekend’s best.

As for the rest of the night, the music by no means stopped there. It would go right on through to daybreak again with 20/20 Soundsytem, EOTO, Galactic and Perpetual Groove leading through. It’s a weird sensation waking up at 6 a.m. with the bass from the Outpost tent still running strong, but as the old saying goes, “If you can’t beat’em, join’em.”

——