Yonder Mountain’s ‘Black Sheep’ Tour

Marking YMSB’s sixth full-length effort, Black Sheep is due out June 16 on its own label, Frog Pad Records. The LP is the first to be produced by the band itself, as well as the first to feature the traditional five-piece bluegrass lineup – guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and bass – throughout the entire album.

Since mandolinist Jeff Austin split with the group in 2014, the new era of YMSB features Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), Allie Kral (violin, vocals), and Jacob Jolliff (mandolin, vocals).

“This record sounds more like Yonder than any record we’ve ever done,” Kaufmann says. I’m hoping that when people are finished listening to it, they’ll just hit play and listen to it again.”

The band is running a contest as they count down to Black Sheep’s release date. Fans are asked to send in photos via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter that remind them of the album’s title. Each week, through June 16, the band will pick its favorite photo and the winner will receive a merch package from the faults. The final week of the contest the fans who snapped the top photo will get a deluxe Black Sheep prize pacakage. Be sure to use the hashtags #BlackSheep and #YonderMountain.    

In between the spring and summer tours the band will appear in Columbia, Md., to honor the late frontman of the Grateful Dead. “Dear Jerry: Celebrating The Music of Jerry Garcia” takes place May 14 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.

The summer tour kicks off June 13 with an appearance at Blue Ox Festival in Eau Claire, Wis. Last stop is an Aug. 21 hometown show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside of Denver, featuring the band’s good friends Greensky Bluegrass and Fruition.

In addition to playing Blue Ox and three nights at Northwest String Summit in North Plains, Ore., additional festivals on the schedule include Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Electric Forest, All Good Music Festival and Santa Cruz Mountains Sol Fest.  

Here’s the itinerary:

June 13 – Eau Claire, Wis., Whispering Pines Campground (Blue Ox Music Festival)
June 17 – Telluride, Colo., Telluride Conf. & Perf. Arts Center (Telluride Bluegrass Festival)
June 19 – Telluride, Colo., Sheridan Opera House (Nightgrass)       
June 20 – Telluride, Colo., Telluride Town Park (Telluride Bluegrass Festival)
June 24 – Oklahoma City, Okla., Starlight Amphitheater @ Frontier City (appearing with Widespread Panic)             
June 25 – Memphis, Tenn., Lafayette’s Music Room
June 26 – Louisville, Ky., Headliners Music Hall     
June 27 – Bloomington, Ind., Bluebird Nightclub    
June 28 – Rothbury, Mich., Double JJ Resort (Electric Forest)        
July 1 – Portsmouth, N.H., Prescott Park (Prescott Park Arts Festival)
July 3 – Stroudsburg, Pa., Sherman Theater  
July 4 – Cincinnati, Ohio, Moonlite Gardens At Coney Island        
July 7 – Brooklyn, N.Y., Brooklyn Bowl      
July 8 – Ridgefield, Conn., Ridgefield Playhouse    
July 10 – Baldwinsville, N.Y., Budweiser Paper Mill Amphitheatre            
July 11 – Summit Point, WV Berry Hill Farm (All Good Music Festival & Campout)       
July 12 – Felton, Calif., Roaring Camp (Santa Cruz Mountains Sol Fest)
July 17 – North Plains, Ore., Horning’s Hideout (Northwest String Summit)
July 18 – North Plains, Ore., Horning’s Hideout (Northwest String Summit)
July 19 – North Plains, Ore., Horning’s Hideout (Northwest String Summit)         
Aug. 1 – Des Moines, Iowa, Water Works Park (Hinterland Festival)         
Aug. 18 – Aspen, Colo., Belly Up Aspen     
Aug. 19 – Aspen, Colo., Belly Up Aspen     
Aug. 21 – Morrison, Colo., Red Rocks Amphitheatre (appearing with Greensky Bluegrass)