Leftover Salmon Biography

It is impossible to reject the impact of Leftover Salmon over the past 25 years. A band created at the end of 1989 in Boulder, the Colorado slamgrass pioneers took their style of fierce bluegrass to rock and roll bars at a time when it wasn’t so common, helping Salmon become the foundation of the jam band scene and accidental architects of the jamgrass genre. Today, Leftover Salmon is made up of: Vince Herman (vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard); Andy Thorn (vocals, acoustic and electric banjo); Greg Garrison (vocals, acoustic and electric bass); Drew Emmitt (vocals, acoustic and electric mandolin, electric guitar, fiddle); and Alwyn Robinson (drums). Although the lineup changed over the years, the foundation of Leftover Salmon remains rooted in the relationship between co-founders Emmitt, banjoist Mark Vann, and Herman, and proceeded through a decade of constant growth and nonstop touring. At 39, Vann lost his battle with cancer on March 4, 2002. Herman issued in memoriam: “Mark lived life to its fullest and he would insist that we do so as well,” so LoS carried on through a succession of replacement players including Scott Vestal, Noam Pikelny, Matt Flinner and Tony Furtado, but then took a break from touring at the end of 2004. The Leftover Salmon legacy would have been secured if they never played another song but in the summer of 2007, the band were ready to hit the road again. Soon after, banjo phenom Andy Thorn was brought into the group. A new album titled Aquatic Hitchhiker, was recorded and released in 2012 to critically acclaimed, NPR’s Mountain Stage who described the group as “one of the most beloved acts on America’s summer-festival circuit.” On the band’s resumption, Drew Emmitt said, “The time is right for this band to come back on a lot of levels. It’s taken us a little while, but I think we’re finally there.” At the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN on September 15, 2014, Herman announced a brand new joint, High Country, set for release on November 28th which was a Black Friday, to Record Store Day indie outlets nationwide. High Country has a tracklist of 12 songs with a rock/country/bluegrass/blues masterpiece, featuring 10 spanking new LoS offerings, including Thorn’s rollicking title track complete with requisite blistering banjo solo, Herman’s Cajun-flavored kick off, “Get Up And Go,” and also sporting 2 covers - a Payne/Robert Hunter tune called, “Bluegrass Pines” and a Lowell George/Keith Godchaux classic, “Six Feet Of Snow,” immortalized on Little Feat’s, Down On The Farm. Then Emmitt’s progressive ramble n’ roll, “Two Highways,” was destined to become an LoS classic. Overall, High Country slips seamlessly in and out of character, disposition and style offering the full palette of Leftover Salmon’s aesthetic, from lightening-powered pick n’ grin to thoughtful blues balladry and all in between. The record is a classic and not bad for a band looking to celebrate their silver anniversary.

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