The Yonder Mountain String Band soldiered through their Thursday night Campfire Stage set at Summer Camp Music Festival without recent mother and fiddle player Allie Kral. Given the lineup, bassist Ben Kaufmann decided Yonder needed a temporary name change to reflect the band’s sudden loss of estrogen, though Kral did arrive the next day in time to play with Yonder on the main stage. Under the moniker Yonder Mountain Sausage Party, the band kicked off the weekend’s festivities, with mandolin firebrand Jacob Jolliff offering some fierce psychedelic breakdowns to make up for Kral’s absence.
Yonder has a long history of delivering memorable sets at Summer Camp over the years. They’ve been coming to Chillicothe, Illinois, since the very beginning of the festival, becoming a perennial favorite for those looking to hear some fine bluegrass and boot scoot the night away. Yonder wasn’t letting anything stop them from delivering the best show they could on Thursday night, and between their virtuoso playing and charming stage banter, the packed hill overlooking the Campfire Stage was all smiles and dancing as the band raged ’til 4 a.m.
Helping fans have a good time is nothing new to Yonder though. Wherever they go, the band does what they can to leave the world a better place than where they found it—including at their upcoming festival, the Northwest String Summit, in Oregon. Once again, the band will help raise money for a wonderful cause: the Lillian Trippe Foundation in support of Chelsea’s Closet, which provides fun costumes as much-needed distractions for kids in the hospital battling life-threatening diseases.
This year, our own Rex Thomson, who shot the videos below, will have his head shaved onstage at Northwest String Summit, to help promote the cause. Check out the charity’s fine works here, and donate if you can. As Yonder has proved time and again over the years, a little love goes a long way. Okay, now that we have that done, check out these exclusive clips from the “Yonder Mountain Sausage Party” set below!
“Kentucky Mandolin”
“Rambler’s Anthem”
“The End Is Not In Sight”