It’s hard to believe Leftover Salmon has been going at it longer than arena stalwarts Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews Band. Yet, while Leftover Salmon won’t be headlining the Hollywood Bowl anytime soon, they probably don’t give a shit. This Drew Emmitt and Vince Herman were shouting “festival” a decade before Bonnaroo and really are the OGs of the modern bluegrass scene. In fact, they have gotten the nod from the king of the bluegrass cool Billy Strings, who has appeared with them live and appears on Salmon’s most recent album Grass Roots– released May 19, 2023.
While Grass Roots is a covers album by almost any description, a majority of the tracks have been a part of Salmon’s live repertoire for years including their early years as The Salmon Heads and The Left Hand String Band. Collaborating with Strings, Oliver Wood, and Darol Anger, and with the recent addition of Jay Starling on resophonic guitar, lap steel and keys; the band has come full throttle on these ten smokin’ tracks that reinvent songs from Bob Dylan, David Bromberg, and The Grateful Dead.
While Grass Roots has been out for a couple of months now, its still summer season in the sheds so its no better time to revisit the ten tracks of Grass Roots. Glide got an exclusive from the Leftover Salmon themselves where they routed to us their thoughts….
“Country Blues”
“Country Blues” is a fiddle and banjo-driven track that opens the record. The song is sung by mandolinist and band co-founder Drew Emmitt who learned the song from the version Tim O’Brien sang with Hot Rize, his first mandolin lessons being with Tim O’Brien whom he first met after he moved to Colorado. Additionally, Darol Anger, also on the track, has been a big influence on the band since his days with the David Grisman Quintet. Appearing at many of the same festivals over their career, he’s been a part of the Leftover Salmon jam family for years.
“To me, this one is a nod to Dock Boggs, one of the greatest performers ever. It presented a chance to have Darol Anger join us for a track. He’s been a mentor to so many and an important part of bluegrass history. He was a founding member of The David Grisman Quintet, a band that changed the way people heard bluegrass music, the way Dylan changed songwriting.” –Vince Herman
“Blue Railroad Train”
Leftover Salmon has known Billy Strings for years and asked him to join them on the album. Strings steps out on “Blue Railroad Train,” which serves as the perfect track to showcase Strings and Emmitt’s tight vocal harmonies.
“‘Blue Railroad Train’ was already on the short list for the album, and when Billy came to the studio it seemed like the perfect song to do with him.” – Drew Emmitt
“We wanted to include this song as a nod to old Nashville. Leftover Salmon has been friends with Billy Strings for years and we’ve been wanting to do something with him. This song is a perfect vehicle for him and Drew to duet on and it gives Billy a chance to help us tip the hat to Doc Watson and Tony Rice.” -Vince Herman
“Riding On The L&N”
“I (Vince) learned this song when I first moved to Boulder. You can’t talk about bluegrass music without talking about train songs and this one is also a good opportunity for Leftover Salmon to play some slamgrass.” -Vince Herman
“Simple Twist Of Fate”
Leftover Salmon reaches into Bob Dylan’s catalog for “Simple Twist of Fate”, delivering an up-tempo version featuring Herman on lead vocals that spotlights the band’s all-around instrumental prowess.
“We always like to do a Dylan song and these lyrics and chord changes offer good ground for Leftover Salmon to walk on.” -Vince Herman
“California Cottonfields”
Newest LoS member, Jay Starling, brings the bluegrass classic “California Cottonfields” to the project. It’s a song that Jay’s father, John Starling, sang with The Seldom Scene, a band that was an important early influence on Leftover Salmon.
“It’s just a classic country song recorded bluegrass style by The Seldom Scene. Leftover Salmon has been accused of just being a jamgrass or newgrass band, but their influences go much deeper. Covering this song is a way of extending the through line between traditional bluegrass, as opposed to closing the circle. The Scene was an extension of traditional bluegrass, and they brought the genre forward through their selection of material. LoS is just an extension of The Seldom Scene, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, NewGrass Revival, and everyone that has come before.” –Vince Herman
Re: Jay Starling
“Having him in the band feels great as a way of continuing the influence of the Scene. He’s a great dobro player, which helps on the more bluegrass-leaning material. He is also a great keyboard player, and with Leftover Salmon’s history of using keys in their band, (Little Feat co-founder Billy Payne was with LoS for a few years and appeared on their live 25th Anniversary album) the band is able to cover their full repertoire (LoS is on tour with Little Feat in the summer of 2023).” –Vince Herman
The progressive bluegrass world was a big influence on Leftover Salmon, and The Seldom Scene, as one of the first acoustic/trad bluegrass bands doing rock covers, was always an inspiration.
Jay Starling (LoS dobro/keyboard player) is Seldom Scene co-founder, John Starling’s son, and his ability to play dobro, lap steel and keys helps cover the LoS history and repertoire. Jay sings lead on “California Cottonfields” in a similar way that his dad, John, sang it with The Seldom Scene.
“Fire and Brimstone”
Originally conceived of as a tribute to The Neville Brothers, bassist and producer Greg Garrison instead steered the song in the direction of Link Wray’s early ‘70s version, and it serves as the perfect vehicle for an impromptu collaboration with Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers. The cut also gives long-time LoS drummer, Alwyn Robinson, a chance to shine, anchoring the “bluesgrass” interpretation with a deep percussive pocket. Continuing in the progressive vein, LoS pays homage to their self-coined genre of “Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass” with the New Orleans-styled cooker, “Fire and Brimstone.”
Drew Emmitt first met Oliver Wood at the 10,000 Lakes Festival years ago with the Wood Bros duo and again at Col Bruce’s 70thbirthday party and final performance. It’s the only real non-bluegrass song on the record, but it represents a big part of the Leftover Salmon history.
“‘Fire and Brimstone’ is a song that has been in the Salmon repertoire for many years. Previously, we covered it more based on the Neville Brothers version, but for this record we decided to cover the original Link Wray version that is rawer and funkier. This seemed like a perfect fit for Oliver Wood’s guest vocals and slide guitar work.” -Drew Emmitt
“New Orleans music has always played a big part in the Leftover Salmon repertoire. (Had to get tagged with Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass somehow!) We didn’t have a set plan for Oliver Wood when they got in the studio with him, but this song popped up and seemed like a perfect fit for Oliver to do that thing he does so well.” –Vince Herman
“Had a ton of fun playing this funky tune with this band I’ve always admired – honored to be included on the record!” – Oliver Wood
“Black Peter”
Banjo player Andy Thorn takes the lead on lead vocals with a version of the Grateful Dead’s “Black Peter,” a song that exemplifies the unique hybrid sound that has entranced Salmon fans for the past 30 years.
“Grateful Dead is an obvious influence on Leftover Salmon. They are the grass roots of the whole jam band scene. They laid out the template and were the school that bands like LoS came from. Creating energy with a crowd is a big takeaway from the Grateful Dead. So doing a Dead tune, bluegrass style, was essential, and was a great opportunity to feature Andy Thorn (banjo) on vocals.” -Drew Emmitt
- “The New Lee Highway Blues”
On “The New Lee Highway Blues,” the band offers a tip of the hat to David Bromberg, the folk/blues icon who had a huge influence on Herman, both for his solo work and for his role as producer of the genre-defining John Hartford album, Aereo-Plain. The song has been in Salmon’s live repertoire for years, but the band was inspired to cut it during the tracking sessions at Compass Sound Studio, which happens to be where Hartford recorded his legacy project in 1971.
“This song has been a part of the Leftover Salmon set for at least 10 years. The album was the first opportunity to refine it in a recorded format.” –Drew Emmitt
“David Bromberg has been a huge influence on me, and it was important to acknowledge that on this record. He also had a hand in influencing much of the music that has, in turn, influenced Leftover Salmon, e.g. John Hartford’s Aereo-plain album.” -Vince Herman
“Nashville Skyline Rag”
“‘Nashville Skyline Rag’ is one of my favorite banjo tunes. It’s a Bob Dylan song — one of the few he ever wrote without lyrics — but we play it more in the style of Earl Scruggs. When Billy Strings came to the studio, he pumped up the speed, and we tried to hang on!” -Andy Thorn
“Fireline”
The song, “Fireline,” was originally written by John H. Doan, and Vince first learned the tune from the bluegrass band, McGraw Gap.
“With the danger of fire becoming more of an everyday thing, it seemed like the right time to record it.” -Vince Herman“We learned ‘Fireline’ from Larry Keel’s old band, McGraw Gap. After seeing raging wildfires through our bedroom windows these past few years, this song hits home more than ever. We’re so thankful to the firefighters who keep us safe up here with firelines and other tactics. You can feel the urgency in this song. For people who live in wildfire zones, it’s a feeling they know.” -Andy Thorn
