Relix Presents: Yonder Mountain String Band, Railroad Earth, and Keller Williams & The Keels Live at The Eastern!
What more can I say except Atlanta loves their bluegrass and jam bands? On April 11th, Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB) announced a Fall tour presented by Relix for later in 2023 that would feature Railroad Earth and Keller & the Keels (Keller Williams and Larry & Jenny Keel). I am here to tell you from experience that this is one of the best bluegrass/jam/jamgrass tours of 2023! Not only did Relix snag Yonder Mountain String Band and Railroad Earth, but they also got Keller & The Keels to come along for this wild and crazy ride. It is not often that a tour comes around that features so much talent and musical experience between all the touring bands on this bill.
My girlfriend and I knew that we would be attending the tour stop at The Eastern in Atlanta no matter what. So, we quickly purchased tickets when this show was announced just in case I was not approved for photography. Between the crossover of musical genres between all three bands and the eclectic fanbase that attends these shows, I knew that this was going to be a memorable night of Flatpicking and dancing for us all. The vibe with the crowd was at an all-time high from the time the door opened for those who waited patiently in line outside the venue.
Kicking off the festivities, Keller and The Keels is a supergroup formed by combining the powers of Keller Williams with Larry and Jenny Keel. Keller & The Keels have released three (3) LPs together since 2006 with Speed being their last release in 2019. What makes this tour special for me is that this little supergroup decided to reunite for this tour with other amazing and very talented musicians.
Keller Williams is a bluegrass/folk/alt-rock/jazz/funk/reggae/electronica/dance singer/songwriter from Virginia who has been performing since 1991. Keller has released seventeen (17) LPs, two (2) Live albums, one (1) children's album, and eight (8) collaboration albums. This would be my first time watching Keller perform live and I know I have missed out on some great shows.
Larry Keel, with his wife and bassist Jenny Keel, are Bluegrass royalty and have been performing together in various bands over the years. I have seen The Keels perform previously and sometimes even when it was just Larry joining someone else on stage. Regardless of the times, I am a big fan of the Keels and all the performances that I have witnessed. Tonight would be no different. This would be one of my favorite sets of the night hands down. Especially near the end of this blistering set when Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth) and Dave Johnston (YMSB) came on stage to join Keller & The Keels to create some magic for the fans! I hope that we can get another Keller & The Keels tour sooner rather than later. A dream tour would be Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway with Keller & The Keels co-headline tour.
Follow this link to check out Chris Griffy’s album review of Speed by Keller & The Keels exclusively over on Concerthopper.com.
Next up, Railroad Earth is a folk rock/progressive bluegrass/Americana/jam band from New Jersey that formed back in 2001. Currently, the band consists of Todd Sheaffer (guitar/harmonica/vocals), Tim Carbone (violin/accordion/electric guitar/vocals), John Skehan (mandolin/bouzouki/piano/banjo/vocals), Carey Harmon (drums/hand percussion/vocals), and Dave Speranza (acoustic bass/electric bass/vocals). While on tour, Mike Robinson (acoustic guitar/steel pedal/banjo) and Matthew Slocum (keyboards) also lend a helping hand in melting the faces of everyone who comes to their shows. We got to see Railroad Earth on tour at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Ga. back on May 10th, so I can say that I was well prepared for what the crowd was witnessing during their incredible set. I was very happy that they started off the night with “Elko” and “Slippin’ Away” back-to-back. By the end of their set, their diverse mix of bluegrass mixed with rock and country kept the crowd happily dancing along with their music.
Check out Railroad Earth’s set list from this night at The Eastern below:
· “Elko”
· “Slippin’ Away”
· “Old Man and the Land”
· “Potter’s Field”>
· “Mourning Flies”
· “Dandelion Wine”
· “Any Road”>
· “Walk Beside Me”
Finally, Yonder Mountain String Band (YSMB) is a progressive bluegrass band (also can be described as jamgrass) from Colorado that started in 1998. The band consists of Ben Kaufmann (bass/vocals), Dave Johnston (banjo/vocals), Adam Aijala (guitar/vocals), and Nick Piccininni (multi-instrumentalist/vocals). According to Discogs.com, YMSB has released nineteen (19) LPs, one (1) EP, and has been featured in one (1) compilation. I knew that the night was going to end on a great note when YMSB opened their set with a Marc Anthony cover of “I Need to Know”. Between their progressive bluegrass jams to their foot-stomping traditional bluegrass tunes, to me, YMSB is one of the best jamgrass bands on the touring circuit today. The night ended with an epic all-star jam of “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” featuring Tim Carbone, Larry Keel, Matt Slocum, and Carey Harmon.
Check out YMSB’s fiery set list from The Eastern (09/22/2023) below:
· “I Need to Know” *
· “Just the Same”
· “On Your Dime”
· “Used to Call Me Baby”
· “Fire on the Mountain” > “Granny Wontcha Smoke Some Marijuana”
· “If Only”
· “Little Maggie”
· “On the Run” > “Mother’s Only Son” > “On the Run"
ENCORE:
· “Shady Grove”
· “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” #
* Marc Anthony cover
# King Harvest cover
You can read my previous coverage of YMSB from the 11th annual Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que from their Saturday, October 15th set. You can also check out Chris Griffy’s album review of YMSB’s Get Yourself Outside exclusively over on Concerthopper.com.
You can still catch this tour with the last two remaining dates below.
September 28th Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium Spartanburg, S.C.
September 29th Devils Backbone Roseland, VA.
September 30th Baygrass Festival Annapolis, MD.
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