YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND
April 11, 2007 (Wednesday)
The Wilma Theater
Missoula, MT

Source: soundboard > xlr analog cables > Tascam DA-P1 DAT (44.1 kHz)
Transfer: master DAT/DA-P1 > hdd (via coax > Audiophile 2496 soundcard) > Sound Forge 6.0 (minor edits, fades, normalized to -16dB) > CD Wave Editor 1.94.8 (tracking, sbeok) > Flac Frontend (level 8)
Recorded & transferred by Pastor Tim <YonderArchive AT yahoo DOT com>

Please support the fine musicians who always show us such a good time and who allow us to tape and trade their live shows.  Get out and buy (never burn!) Elevation, Town By Town, Old Hands, Songs From the Tin Shed (Jeff & Chris Castino), Mountain Tracks Volumes 1, 2, 3, & 4, and the 2006 Vanguard release Yonder Mountain String Band.
http://www.YonderMountain.com

DISC ONE [61.38]
Set 1:
01  tuning...  1.28
02  On The Run  6.35
03  Rain Still Falls  4.31
04  Raleigh & Spencer  7.45
05  Red Tail Lights  3.50
06  Goin' Where They Do Not Know My Name  3.33
07  Elzic's Farewell >  7.05
08  Jesus On The Mainline  7.56
09  Must've Had Your Reasons  4.37
10  Steep Grade Sharp Curves >  6.01
11  Midwest Gospel Radio >  3.12
12  Angel  5.00

DISC TWO [77.48]
Set 2:
01  tuning...  0.58
02  Ruby > Follow Me Down To The Riverside >  Ruby >  12.05
03  Cuckoo's Nest  5.42
04  Sometimes I've Won >  3.30
05  Not Far Away  4.20
06  Left Me In A Hole  7.00
07  Fastball >  1.00
08  The Bolton Stretch >  2.37
09  Sidewalk Stars  6.15
10  I'd Like Off >  4.20
11  Dawn's Early Light >  11.50
12  Home On The Range tease >  0.55
13  Boatman  5.14
14  crowd...  2.55
Encore:
15  Cryin' Holy Unto My Lord *  3.47
16  Two Hits & The Joint Turned Brown  5.12

NOTES:
Night 2 of the Spring Tour
* bringing the house down, literally! the proscenium arch over the stage started crumbling plaster dust on the band!


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THE BANTER:
"I remember my first set of headphones..." - Hines, during Cuckoo's Nest
"The only member of Yonder Mountain to be trampled by a moose..." - Ben
"I know my tube is a powerful tube... for those of you paying attention, I'm sorry." - Jeff
"Montana was one of the first places that was ever really nice to us when we came and played away from home so thanks for returning the favor yet again... We love you!" - Jeff
"It's close enough for Jesus, it's close enough for Jesus..." - Jeff, off-mic right before Cryin' Holy Unto My Lord

THE SCENE:
   I had a nice quiet drive over from Bozeman to Missoula with Sandy & Stella caravaning behind me, though I later learned that my over-sized tires mean that when my cruise control is set a little over the speed limit I'm actually going considerably faster than the speedo shows.  Gee, could that have been responsible for the 93-in-a75-zone ticket I got a few years back on the way to Yonder's 02-02-2000 show in Bozeman?  Nope, different vehicle. ;^{)}=>+ )  Sandy stopped and picked up a fishing license and then we all headed up to Bob & Molly's for a little while.  
   The pre-show party started at El Cazadero, just down on the corner from The Wilma, a full hour before the restaurant was even expecting us but the head cook told us that as long as we kept drinking beer it wouldn't be a problem.  Guess he had our number, eh?  We filled a long table with probably 16 people including Kevin Kilday, Shawn & Lisa, Montana Bob, Sandy & Stella, John, Storm, Damian, and a host of other folks whose faces have now become a bit of a blur.  We chowed on some great authentic Mexican food, drank several pitchers of cerveza, greeted the band and crew as they came in (though we made no room for them at our table - chuckle...), and had a grand time discussing music, family, and the upcoming festivarian season.  I love pre-show Kinfolk gatherings!

THE SHOW:
   This evening's fun began as I was setting up my recording rig and a guy just entering The Wilma called over, "Dewd, weren't you on the third live one?"  Took me a moment to realize he meant my "Kinfolkin' A!" comment after checking the yee-haw factor at the October 2003 Kinfolk gathering, but it sure put a smile on my face to feel like a little 'rockstar' for a moment.  Everyone was smiling and easy-going (typically Missoulian) as the house filled up, and people shared hugs and made room for one another in the increasingly tight space at the rail.  The front was packed by the time the guys took the stage but there was a nice clear path along the left wall so I could go back and forth pretty easily between Hines at the soundboard and Kevin at the monitor board.  It was also fun to meet the battery-powered light-up gnome people (that's "gnome" as in dwarf, not "Noam" as in Pikelney the banjo player, which becomes important later when Jeff's comments about "transvestite gnomes/Noams" could lead to confusion), and I sure hope they bring 'the boys' along to String Summit's night sets this year.  Those little plastic guys danced their butts off at head-height all night long!
   Like Bozeman the night before, there was a sweaty piled-up energy like the crowd had been waiting for this one for a loooong time.  ON THE RUN, RAIN STILL FALLS, and RALEIGH & SPENCER kicked things off in high-gear, the epitomy of which is Adam's first solo break in R&S - whoa!  Everyone was ON from the get-go, and Hines had the sound dialed in like it was already mid-tour.  "My goodness gracious, you're feelin' it tonight!!!"  Everyone knew this was going to be a hot show, but Jeff kindly called out for a "take-a-step-back," and everyone gave each other a little more breathing room in the front before the next song.
   The Dave-side got a nice RED TAIL LIGHTS that slowed the tempo just a little and made for a more relaxed Missoula groove.  Dave's voice is clear and clean here, and his rolls come soft and smooth.  "He thanks you for the clap."  LOL!  It's at this point that Jeff realized I was listening in on the monitor-line, and I wondered how that might skew things since Kevin's the only one who usually hears this back-of-the-stage banter.  Trust me, folks, if I ever got to record even one hour of this feed you'd probably die laughing.  Okay, back to the music.  Gee, should they do something fast?  The crowd roars its approval and GOIN' WHERE THEY DO NOT KNOW MY NAME kicks the dancers into high gear again all the way from the rail to the top of The Wilma's deep balcony.  It was a little scary to watch people dance so wildly so close to the low rail of the balcony, but no one did the nasty drop and clearly it was the best dancing space of the night.  I was standing with Kevin at the monitor board at this point and it was fun to watch how the guys actually whipped even MORE energy out of this already crazy crowd.  Sheesh!  
   This intro to ELZIC'S FAREWELL had me completely stumped for quite a while... just me holding my setlist book with my pen poised and absolutely no idea what to write until Jeff started the faniliar lick, and even then I wasn't quite sure for a moment.  (Old Fart recollection: I still can hear this song from back in 2000 when Jeff would 'stab' a "Watermelon!" right in the rhythmic break.  Those who were there back then will know just what I mean.)  This leads into a most-welcome JESUS ON THE MAINLINE, one of those old traditional gospel numbers that never sounds old or traditional when Yonder gets their hooks into it.  Dave & Jeff's voices blend perfectly on each chorus, just like back in The Bluegrassholes days.  When Jeff calls out wanting "a little rhythm" from the crowd it may be hard to remember that you're listening to a soundboard recording, but it also makes me want to hear Sandy Alexander's AUD recording from about row 10.  Jeff drives this "big ol' tent revival" like the southern baptist preacher that he's not, and it leads into a powerful little "do you feel it!" scat that seems to drive folks NUTZ!  Amen, brother!!!
   MUST'VE HAD YOUR REASONS is into'd as "a little love song just to keep you all wound up," and Jeff's laugh at the end of the intro gives you a sense that even the guys were a little overwhelmed by this friendly audience's passion.  There's a long break after this tune because the guys were trying to figure out where a certain 'rumble' on-stage was coming from, but Kevin reassured them it was simply that the PA stack was directly on the stage (rather than flying) so they just adjusted their own expectations of how the whole show would 'feel' on-stage and in the in-ear monitors.  
   Any chance that things had been calmed down was shot to the moon when the guys kicked into STEEP GRADE SHARP CURVES, a song that the gals seem to LOVE!  (Could this be Yonder's big "chick-tune"?)  I was caught completely off-guard by the transition into MIDWEST GOSPEL RADIO, a song I've grown to love more and more ever since I first heard it on the 'new' album in May 2006.  The audience went from dancing their asses off to swaying and swinging in tempo with this lovely slow rhythm, and I even made Kevin lean forward to take a look at that point.  Everyone just looked so HAPPY!  That led into ANGEL, the song many of us consider to be the sleeper-tune of the 2006 release not least of which because of Dave's great lead vocal line, which seemed to settle the crowd back into some semblance of normalcy (okay, so normal for Missoula) during the slow section, but got them just as frenzied as ever with the fast-paced instrumental section.  Definitely time for a much-needed setbreak: Water - beer - water - beer, folks -- it's not just for String Summit anymore.
   SET 2:  Not everyone was back in the big beautiful beaux arts theater when the band started into RUBY but by the time the band hit that first crescendo and Jeff yelled out her name, people were streaming in as fast they could.  Given the energy of this crowd, I had a feeling this could be a RUBY-CIDE night so I wasn't surprised (but mighty pleased!) when the left turn came into FOLLOW ME DOWN TO THE RIVERSIDE.  Could this crowd possibly get pumped any higher???
   I have to tell a little story about what happened during CUCKOO'S NEST.  I was back at the soundboard between Hines & Robin (who kindly invited me on to the deck so I wouldn't get hit in the back of the head by her fazer's fake-smoke) when this young guy came up and motioned that he'd like to listen in on my headphones.  I handed them across, he slipped them on, and I swear this guy disappeared into the music in less than a heartbeat.  He started dancing, holding the cans tightly to his ears, and he had this huge "insane smile" on his face.  Then he turned to face the stage, started dancing even harder (as if such a thing was possible), and Hines leaned over to say, "Yeah, I remember my first set of headphones..."  I about busted a gut laughing, but it was so cool to watch this guy 'go deep' with those cans on his head, and when the song ended I thought he was going to jump over the table to give me a hug.  I only hope he gets to download this show so he can relive his bliss because I know I sure loved it.
   During SOMETIMES I'VE WON I was again struck by how energized the crowd was up at the rail, and the small safety-barrier between the stage and the fence-rail was getting to look mighty small.  Oh, and Screaming Girl finally decided to give it a rest even if it was only for one song.  Really, I swear this girl was just trying to make a spectacle of herself, and you'd think she'd have gotten it from the glares of the one-eared deaf all around her.  Nice transition into the Burle-penned NOT FAR AWAY, and Dave's banjo fills are really sweet here even though you have to listen pretty closely because he's a little low in the mix.  
   The next little bit of banter is pretty funny as Ben inadvertently informs the crowd that his favorite song is "Two Princes by The Spin Doctors," only Adam isn't buying it.  LOL!  The big-fat feedback intro to the next song really caught me off-guard, and this FASTBALL absolutely RIPS, coming in at exactly one minute!  Robin had asked Hines what "Fastball" was and how she should light it, and all Hines said was "It'll be really fast," to which I added "Just make it flash a lot."  That led into an equally fast BOLTON STRETCH, and then if you listen closely you'll hear a tiny tease of "Home On The Range" (it must've been a band-based dare to work it into every single show or something) as the guys do a feedback transition into SIDEWALK STARS.  If anyone had caught their breath during the lull, it was right back to dancing frenzy for the crowd.  All of the feedback bits sound SO GOOD (though I expect some will object) because they really add to the song and to the energy in the house -- plus, it really catches you off-guard.
   Montana gets a really nice shout-out again here, and you can tell the love is very mutual.  Here's hoping Yonder always remembers their roots (The Ritz! aka "Uncle Sean's House of Feedback." The Elks' Club! LOL!) and keeps coming back to Big Sky Country again and again.
   I know I've heard I'D LIKE OFF a couple of times before (debuted at12-31-2005, I think?), but this one really packs a gut-punch.  In the same way that Split Lip Rayfield's "Crazy" is a really sad song, this one has gotten under my skin and I'm finding myself singing it all the time even though I don't know all the words yet... know what I mean?  I want to hear this one a hundred more times.  I know it sounds like the song stops here but they really were trying to make a segue into DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT only it takes a moment for Adam to click in and out of 'electric mode.'  Unfortunately, during Adam's solo (he barely misses a beat) a young guy jumped the stage and I ran out the side because the kid managed to get back into the crowd, but a security guy put a light on him and I took hold of his wrist while the rest of the crew came to get him.  I really don't like being the beat-down crew but it makes me mad when people jump the stage so I just held on to the guy's wrist.  As he stared dead-eyed at me, he leaned his entire 112 lbs away to escape my grip, so I just took hold with both hands and showed him what 285 lbs pulling the other way can do; it was "down in the valley, two against one."  [chuckle...]  Security escorted the dead-eyed kid out "in-to the night" as I looked up to see Kevin laughing by the monitor board (he just loves it when I sub in as the beat-down crew), but I also have to say that it's embarrassing as a Montanan to know that every show in our state in the last three years has included stage-jumpers.  And people wonder why there are more barriers between the crowd and the stage?  That's why!  Sure it makes you feel a little further from the musis but that's the price we're going to pay for having people storm the stage.  Just think "Naked Guy" at String Summit last year, which was anything but funny if you experienced it from the stage side of things.  Just ask Kevin sometime.
   There's such a big tease of "Home On The Range" in the next transition that I actually tracked it out, and this goes into a very pumped-up BOATMAN that got the crowd using up every last ounce of energy they'd been holding in reserve.  This is one of the songs where everyone seems to move in absolute unison so you can watch the entire crowd bounce as one from the rail to the balcony, and that was all I needed to get a huge smile back on my face.  
   Because I was on the far side of the stage just before the encore, I really couldn't hear Jeff's comments to the crowd about "the next person who gets a little squirrely might want to think twice when a 6-foot-5 preacher comes at 'em," but I could tell it was something funny because all the guys were looking at me and laughing.  But then I did hear Jeff's off-mic shouts of "He's just a hippie! He's just a hippie!" that the guy's friends had been yelling.  (By the way, for the record I'm only 6-foot-3.)  CRYIN' HOLY TO MY LORD was soooooo welcome, and it cracked me up to hear Jeff say "It's close enough for Jesus" as Adam and Dave were finishing tuning.  Near the end of the song some plaster dust started coming down from the top of the proscenium arch directly above Jeff & Adam's heads, and Jeff immediately moved his mic back like he was afraid the whole house was going to come tumbling down.  All I know is Yonder literally rocked The Wilma!  [chuckle...]  
   Ben starts playing a Hendrix lick that led perfectly into TWO HITS & THE JOINT TURNED BROWN, and as if the crowd needed any encouragement, Jeff shouts, "Fire it up!" and they certainly did.  (By the way, Yondermeisters in Missoula always sing the opening lyric as "Bob & Molly and their reggae band."  Okay, not really.)  Adam does some really nice string-bending in his solo, Jeff does those little chromatic waterfalls in his, Dave keeps the rolls spilling over, and Ben's big fat bass-line rumbles underneath it all.  And then it was over, the crowd shouted their thanks and love one more time, and Hines sent us out into the night with some lovely crooners, including Andy Williams' 'Moon River' a little later.

   Well, sorry it took me two weeks to get this one uploaded but here's hoping you'll share the joy around with others.  A few zealous Missoulians have been pounding on my door almost daily for this one, so y'all can stop now.  [chuckle...]

+ Pastor Tim <YonderArchive AT yahoo DOT com>, 04-24-2007
