Yarn’s ability to persevere ought to come as no great surprise, especially for a band that
spent two years honing their chops during a Monday night residency at the famed
Kenny’s Castaway in New York’s Greenwich Village. In effect, it allowed them to
rehearse onstage, mostly in front of audiences that often ranged in size from five to a
hundred people on any given night. Five studio albums followed -- Yarn (2007), Empty
Pockets (2008), Come On In (2010), Almost Home (2012) and Shine the Light On (2013).
The band then took to the road, playing upwards of 170 shows a year and sharing stages
with such superstars as Dwight Yoakam, Charlie Daniels, Marty Stuart, Allison Krauss,
Leon Russell, Jim Lauderdale and The Lumineers. They performed at any number of
prestigious venues -- Mountain Stage, Daytrotter, the Orange Peel in Asheville, the Fox
Theater in Boulder, the 9:30 Club in D.C, South by Southwest, the Strawberry Festival,
Rhythm and Roots, Meadowgrass, Floydfest and more, eventually surpassing 1,000
shows, half a million miles and performances in nearly every state. They’ve driven
nonstop, made countless radio station appearances, driven broken-down RVs and
watched as their van caught fire. They’ve paid their dues and then some, looking forward
even as they were forced to glance behind.
Indeed, the accolades piled up quickly along the way. They have landed on the Grammy
ballot 4 times, garnered nods from the Americana Music Association, placed top five on
both Radio and Records and the AMA album charts, garnered airplay on Sirius FM,
iTunes, Pandora, CNN, and CMT, and also accorded the “Download of the Day” from
Rolling Stone. Shine the Light On found shared song writing credits with John Oates (the
Oates of Hall & Oates fame), and when audiences expressed their admiration, it brought
the band a populist following of diehard devotees, popularly known as “the Yarmy.”
As odd as that might seem, it’s proof positive that the Brooklyn and Raleigh based band -
- which is currently comprised of Blake Christiana, Rod Hohl, bassist Rick Bugel, and
drummer Robert Bonhomme -- have made their mark, and in dealing with their emotions,
scars and circumstances, they find themselves in a position to share those experiences
with others who have juggled similar sentiments.