Jeff Austin

Mandolin player Jeff Austin -- a founding member of Yonder Mountain String Band -- struck out on his own in early 2014, forming bands and getting on with some new recordings. Here, the band -- Austin, Danny Barnes on banjo and guitar, Ross Martin on guitar and Eric Thorin on bass -- gets dirty on some classic bluegrass compositional structures. Austin’s always had a way with vocals, and his irreverence and humor shine on the band’s first album, The Simple Truth. His press team touts “hints of power pop, country ballads, bluegrass and rock,” and that’s spot-on. This isn’t the sort of in-the-pocket jam/bluegrass stuff that Austin had been spending his career crafting. The live show is sure to impress, but you can tell these guys were very much interested in nailing down their writing approach first and foremost. Sounds like it’s paid off. (Sandy)