Wayward Mountaineers

We welcome the Wayward Mountaineers’ debut appearance at Focal Point and the release of Jill Jonas’s new CD of original songs, Through the Countryside.

Wayward Mountaineers blur the lines between Folk, Bluegrass, Americana and Old-Time music. The band was founded in 2009 by Michael Jonas, a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from High Ridge, Missouri. Joined with some of the area’s best bluegrass pickers, they enjoyed local success until 2011, when Michael and his family moved to Colorado. The name comes from an original song written by Micheal about a young man who leaves home to chase his mountain dreams. In 2015 the Wayward Mountaineers name was reborn when Michael and his wife Jill Jonas began performing as a duo. Jill is a talented songwriter, honest vocalist, and anchored guitarist. In 2022,  Jill and Michael’s son Wyatt joined the band to round out the sound on bass. Wyatt is a gifted musician who plays anything from classical to rock and everything in between. The trio’s vision is to showcase their original music and select covers to honor their greatest influences. They are excited to debut their 2024 release, Jill Jonas – Through the Countryside, a collection of Jill’s original songs featuring Michael and Wyatt along with special guests Jeremiah Evans, Geoff Seitz, Ian Walsh, Jack Petracek, Rachel Draskovich and Oscar Evans.