Jeff Austin

Jeff Austin
Background information
Born	Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States
Genres	Progressive bluegrass Jam band
Instruments	Mandolin
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Frog Pad SCI Fidelity Vanguard Yep Roc Records
Associated acts	Yonder Mountain String Band 30db The Bluegrassholes
Notable instruments
J75 D'Addario Strings

Jeff Austin (born in Arlington Heights, Illinois) is a mandolinist and singer best known for being a part of the Yonder Mountain String Band.

Although Austin was born in Arlington Heights, he grew up in Elk Grove, Illinois and attended Rolling Meadows High School. Austin attended the University of Cincinnati, but soon made his way to Urbana, Illinois, where he met future banjoist Dave Johnston. Receiving a request from Johnston to perform in his band The Bluegrassholes, Austin picked up the mandolin for the first time. After some time, Austin moved to Nederland, Colorado; Johnston, after seeking improvement in his playing ability, also moved to Nederland. While attending a club called the Verve, Austin met Adam Aijala and Ben Kaufmann, with whom he and Johnston would form the Yonder Mountain String Band.

In late 2013, Austin announced that he would be taking a leave of absence from Yonder due to the pending birth of his child. In a statement, he said the following:

In late January 2014, my incredible wife and I are going to be welcoming the newest addition to our family into the world…a beautiful baby girl…an experience that we are both as excited about as new parents can be. This event also happens to coincide with the first Yonder Mountain tour of 2014. After much thought and a final decision by all parties involved, I wanted you all to know that I won’t be able to be a part of that tour. Nothing in this world is bigger in life than family…and in this case, not even the music I love so dearly.

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Wikipedia