Yonder Mountain String Band Plays (and Plays!) at Meow Wolf Denver

Yonder Mountain String Band visits Meow Wolf Denver's Convergence Station exhibition before their album release show for "Get Yourself Outside." (Photo by Tara Gracer)
On Yonder Mountain, a record release party is an intimate experience. It’s sharing new thoughts, new sounds, new ideas. It’s presenting the result of a year of work, craft, and dedication to a vision. It’s a singular, unique moment: the first chance for fans to hear new songs and the opportunity for our band to play those songs live for the first time. Taking all of this into consideration, we wanted to release Get Yourself Outside in a space that felt singular, unique, and intimate. Meow Wolf Denver is all of that.
If you’re not familiar with Meow Wolf, think of it as if a museum met a choose-your-own-adventure book, with a whole lot of psychedelia thrown in. The Perplexiplex, the music venue inside Meow Wolf, is likewise unique. The walls, floor, and ceiling are projection-mapped and interactive. In theory, you could transport a band and audience to anywhere an artist could envision. We found ourselves performing in an enchanted forest, one that moved, breathed, and came alive throughout the evening. We shared an experience that felt “outside.” Outside with respect to landscape and soundscape, outside the preconceptions a band and audience might have about an “indoor” show.
We were also given the extraordinary opportunity to spend time in an exhibition called the Convergence Station the evening prior to our concert. After the doors closed to the public, we carried our instruments throughout the venue looking for special places to play and record. As the following photos show, what a playground it was!
Click on the first photo in the gallery below to see full-size photos by Tara Gracer with captions from Yonder Mountain String Band.
- In Meow Wolf Denver’s Convergence Station, four worlds converged, each one a different dimension. We tried to navigate all of them. We can’t share all the photos because part of the experience is finding clues to figure out the storyline and the artistic theme. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- We recorded some videos in Numina, a vast organic landscape that exists beyond linear time and contains an infinite amount of universes within its cells. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Numina. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Adam and Dave warming up in Numina. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Trying to navigate QDOT — Meow Wolf Denver’s Quantum Department of Transportation. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- We loved the interdimensional experience of C-Street. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- C-Street was the dump of the universe before the Convergence happened. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- The cathedral in Eemia. We were so fortunate to roam this world after hours and have the place to ourselves. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- The Eemian people are dedicated to the study of stars. Dave really got into the culture! (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- In every Meow Wolf, there are clues to help you figure out the story, but we never quite figured this one out. Anyone who did, please message us. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- This is the world of Ossuary. The story is written in the medallions on the floors and ceilings. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Preparing for reentry to earth just before we left the Convergence Station. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Running new tunes before the show. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Running new tunes before the show. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- The Perplexiplex is the name of the music venue at Meow Wolf, but it also doubles as a memory cleansing spa. Travelers may rinse off Earth memories before entering the Convergence Station. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Meow Wolf is immersive, psychedelic, and mind bending … just like tuning a banjo. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- “If Only” we could take this video package on the road with us! (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- The first time Yonder Mountain played “Broken Records” in front of a live audience. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Nick and Dave share a banjo solo. (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- “Get Yourself Outside” is here and we think you should get yourself a copy! (Photo by Tara Gracer)
- Thank you Meow Wolf Denver for making this release so special! (Photo by Tara Gracer)