Music Box: Leftover brings Aquatic grooves

By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com)Jackson, Wyoming - Before 2004, Leftover Salmon did it non-stop; tour, that is. And while the Colorado quintet has offered a handful of “reunion” shows in the years since ’07, Jackson is a stop on what will be the first extended tour in seven years. The choice to crank it up also means a new album of original material, and plans to keep the bus moving towards summer festivals.To understand the grassroots following that Leftover Salmon has built since forming in 1989, is to know its beginnings, and the environment in which it prospered. As a member of The Salmonheads in Boulder, vocalist/guitarist Vince Hermann bridged the gap when he asked members of the Left Hand String Band—Drew Emmitt (vocals, mandolin, electric guitar, fiddle) and the late Mark Vann (banjo)—to fill-in on a gig. By accident, the synergy worked. Leftover Salmon was born, and those three members would remain at the core of a lineup that would fluctuate over the years.After the independent release of debut album Bridges to Bert in 1993, and the 1995 live follow-up Ask The Fish, Leftover Salmon gained a spot on the H.O.R.D.E. festival tour. H.O.R.D.E. helped define a new era of jamband music, unifying smaller bands for amphitheater shows. A contract with Hollywood Records followed, producing Euphoria and the eclectic “polyethnic Cajun slamgrass” style that mingles bluegrass, rock, country, and Cajun/Zydeco.Hermann—who has been on Teton County stages many times in recent years as the bandleader of Great American Taxi—remembered the first time that Leftover played the Mangy Moose.“I rode up with a friend that I met up with in Salt Lake and got lost on the way,” he laughed. “We ended up making it just in time before the show started. I walked in, plugged my shit in and went to start the first tune and kicked over a pitcher of beer that went into the mess of cables in front of me. It took about an hour to sort things out.”Along with Hermann and Emmitt, the current lineup includes Greg Garrison (bass, vocals), Andy Thorn (banjo), and Jose Martinez (drums). Leftover’s first album in eight years, Aquatic Hitchhiker, was recorded in Portland, Oregon, features tunes from four members, and will be released independently on April 21 on vinyl.“We’ve collaborated more on this record than ever before,” Hermann said. “I’m more excited about this album than any of the others. It felt really fresh in the studio. Steve Berlin of Los Lobos was producing, and we had Jason Carter from Del McCoury Band playing some fiddle on it.”Other Leftover Salmon releases include The Nashville Sessions (1999, featuring scores of famous Nashville artists and session musicians as collaborators), Live (2002, the first recording with a new rhythm section), O Cracker, Where Art Thou? (2003, featuring Cracker members David Lowery and Johnny Hickman as the backing band), and Leftover Salmon (2004, the first studio record since the passing of Vann). The band announced it would take a break in 2005 to spend time with family and soon after, side projects Drew Emmitt Band, Emmit-Nershi Band, and Great American Taxi took prominence.The rebirth is now. Poppa Presents will host Leftover Salmon at 9 p.m., Wednesday, at the Pink Garter Theater. Tickets are $25/day-of-show and available at PoppaPresents.com or at the door.