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Leftover Salmon
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BRAND-NEW GOOD OLD DAYS
BY SEAN MCALINDIN
New Year’s Eve with Pimps of Joytime | Dec. 30-Jan. 1 | 8 p.m. | Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay, Nev.
Drew Emmitt is in the midst of a sound check at Washington’s music club in Fort Collins, Colo. Thirty-two years into his career as mandolinist, lead guitarist and singer for jamgrass icons Leftover Salmon, he still loves his job as much as ever.
“It’s my favorite thing to do,” says the free-wheeling, long-haired musician. “I feel very blessed to be able to do this for a living. It’s just a joy.”
As one of the original jamgrass acts, Leftover Salmon was first cooked up when two Boulder County party acts, Left Hand String Band and the Salmon Heads, joined together for a 1989 New Year’s Eve show at The Eldo in Crested Butte. Over the years, they grew from cover band to perennial festival headliner with a vast repertoire of original material and a penchant for mingling musical genres from bluegrass to rock, country, Celtic, Cajun and zydeco.
“We changed tons, especially from the early days when we were a ski town band,” says Emmitt. “I think we’ve all really grown as songwriters. Over the course of time, we developed the nuances of being together and playing together. It’s definitely a process, for sure. There are not a lot of bands that stay together this long. We are very grateful and amazed to still be doing this.”
While personnel has come and gone through the years, the heart of the act remained the same: the virtuosic Emmitt and his hilarious sidekick, Vince Herman.
“We know each other pretty well by this point,” says Emmitt. “He’s like family. I think we complement each other because he’s a really great front man and one of the funniest people around. He’s a nut — the pied piper of partiness. The way he can entertain people is awesome. It gives me a chance to focus more on what I do, which is write and sing and play. We’ve been singing together for over 30 years and have gotten to point now where our voices blend really well.”
The rest of the core lineup has been
“I love that we’re still having fun, still growing and still finding new ways to do this. Everyone is developing on their own as musicians. It’s
enriching. It feel like it’s a better band than it’s ever been. There’s
been some great eras, but this might be the best we’ve ever had.”
~ Drew Emmitt locked in for a while now, too, with Greg Garrison on bass, Andy Thorn on banjo and Alwyn Robinson on drums. After pianist Eric Deutsch left for The [formerly Dixie] Chicks, the group was joined by Jay Starling this summer. Son of The Seldom Scene frontman John Starling, Leftover Salmon’s freshest member plays keyboards and lap steel, but is best known for his work on dobro. He’s previously played with bluegrass 80s cover act Love Canon, Jeff Austin Band and Keller Williams.
“He’s coming from bluegrass royalty,” says Emmitt. “He is really taking the music in some great new directions. He’s quite a player and we’re real excited to have him. I love that we’re still having fun, still growing and still finding new ways to do this. Everyone is developing on their own as musicians. It’s enriching. It feel like it’s a better band than it’s ever been. There’s been some great eras, but this might be the best we’ve ever had.”
The band released its 11th album “Brand New Good Old Days” earlier this year.
“It’s kind of a different record for us, more of an Americana record,” says Emmitt. “It came together, like a lot of the records we do, out of thin air. It’s like okay — let it fly. It was awesome the way it flowed and developed as it went.”
Although the LP was recorded at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, N.C., prior to the pandemic, the sentiment of the album title became prescient by the time the record came out and the world had changed.
“To be off of tour for a whole year was pretty amazing,” says Emmitt. “It’s given us a whole reset. So it is a like a brand new time. Hopefully, we come out of it completely. With all the intensity in the world right now, I think all you can do is be positive. To me, that’s what ‘Brand New Good Old Days’ is all about. In this face of all this adversity, you have to keep on playing music. Ski, ride, mountain bike, turn off the TV, turn off the news. Things like that.”
Leftover Salmon performs Dec. 30, 31 and Jan. 1 at Crystal Bay Casino. After all these years, they’re back playing in a ski town, just like they always have.
“They are the most beautiful places and people have the best time in the ski town,” says Emmitt. “They’re our roots. It’s where we got started, so that’s why we keep coming back.” | leftoversalmon.com n
Festival veterans Leftover Salmon has been feeding audiences with polyethnic Cajun slamgrass since 1989. | John Ryan Lockman
Sean McAlindin is a writer and musician living in Truckee, who loves a secret powder stash just as much as a good jam. You can reach him at entertainment@tahoethisweek.com. Other writings and original music are available at seanmcalindin.com.
