Jeff Austin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeff Austin
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Austin performing at the 2007 High Sierra Music Festival
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| Background information | |
| Born | April 25, 1974 Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States |
| Died | June 24, 2019 (aged 45) Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Genres | Progressive bluegrass Jam band |
| Instruments | Mandolin |
| Years active | 1998–2019 |
| Labels | Frog Pad Records SCI Fidelity Records Vanguard Records Yep Roc Records |
| Associated acts | The Bluegrassholes Yonder Mountain String Band 30db Jeff Austin Band |
Jeff Austin (born April 25, 1974 – died June 24, 2019) was an American musician. He played the mandolin and sang. He was most famous for helping to start a band called the Yonder Mountain String Band.
Contents
Jeff Austin's Musical Journey
Jeff Austin was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA. He grew up in Elk Grove Village, Illinois and went to Rolling Meadows High School. Later, he attended the University of Cincinnati.
While in Urbana, Illinois, Jeff met a future banjo player named Dave Johnston. Dave asked Jeff to play in his band, The Bluegrassholes. This was the first time Jeff picked up a mandolin.
After a while, Jeff moved to Nederland, Colorado. Dave Johnston also moved there to improve his playing. At a club called the Verve, Jeff met Adam Aijala and Ben Kaufmann. In 1998, these four musicians formed the Yonder Mountain String Band (YMSB).
Leaving Yonder Mountain String Band
In late 2013, Jeff Austin announced he would take a break from YMSB. This was because his daughter was about to be born. On April 23, 2014, the band shared that they were separating from Jeff. They said it was a friendly split due to different ideas about music and career goals.
The Jeff Austin Band
In 2014, Jeff Austin started his own group called the Jeff Austin Band (jAb). This band had many different members over time. It stayed active until Jeff passed away.
On February 10, 2015, Jeff released his first solo album. It was called The Simple Truth and came out on Yep Roc Records. Many other musicians played on this album. These included Cody Dickinson, Todd Snider, and members of jAb like Danny Barnes.
Jeff Austin died on June 24, 2019.
Other Musical Adventures
Jeff Austin also worked on music projects with other artists. These are often called "side projects."
Songs from the Tin Shed
In March 2004, Jeff released an album with Chris Castino from the band The Big Wu. The album was called Songs from the Tin Shed. It featured calm, cowboy-style music. Other musicians like Nick Forster and Darol Anger also played on it.
Grateful Grass
In February 2006, Jeff recorded a live album called Rex (Live at the Fillmore). He was part of a band called Grateful Grass with Keller Williams and Keith Moseley from The String Cheese Incident. This album was only available to download online. It featured bluegrass versions of songs by the Grateful Dead. All the money from the album went to the Rex Foundation, a charity.
30db
In 2010, Jeff teamed up with Brendan Bayliss from the band Umphrey's McGee. They formed a group called 30db. They released an album called One Man Show on May 11, 2010. To promote the album, they played a short tour of seven shows in May 2010. Cody Dickinson and Nick Forster also joined them on tour.
I Know That Voice
In 2013, Jeff Austin created the theme music and closing songs for a documentary film. The film was called I Know That Voice.
See also
In Spanish: Jeff Austin para niños
