The music of Leftover Salmon radiates its high country Colorado origins without overlooking its Appalachian roots-- yet there is something about it that feels at home in Chicago. LoS made the city a regular stop in the band's legendary first chapter, building up a loyal following over the course of a few dozen dates. At first the city seems like a weird place for a "festival" band to take hold, but between our street fest culture and convergence of varied musical ideas and practitioners, it turns out the Salmon has a lot in common with the city. But the band paused, and though they've brushed up close on tour a couple times since officially reuniting, New Year's Eve at The Vic Theater marks the first proper Chicago show since 2003.
When they do take the stage, it will be with a renewed sense of purpose, a slightly different feel, and perhaps a couple of surprises. I got a chance to speak with Salmon's Drew Emmitt about how this upcoming gig fits in with Salmon's legacy, his history with our city, and the spirit of New Year's Eves past.
From a fan's perspective, New Year's Eve is one of the most anticipated dates of the year. Emmitt readily agrees, and confirms that there is similar energy from the other side of the stage, "It's a great way to celebrate the new year. It's always a very festive time and great night to have a gig."
"For Salmon, we're such a festive band, we always like to do something special. So for New Year's there's no telling what's going to happen," Emmitt adds. "We've done parades. Last year we had Brazilian dancers. We've had a marching band."
Sometimes it's the energy and the circumstance that makes a memorable show. "We had an especially great [New Year's Show] on the millennium at the Fillmore in Denver. Everybody thought things would go completely haywire, but it turned out to be just an epic celebration as the calendar turned from 1999 to 2000."
A hallmark of Salmon's festive approach is their eagerness to collaborate. Guests on that night included Salmon influences and newgrass pioneers like Sam Bush, John Cowan, and Peter Rowan. These days, the roles may be somewhat reversed -- with Salmon fulfilling the role of elder musical statesmen. The Lee Boys will support the holiday run and Emmitt seemed suitably charged up about the potential to do a little jamming. "They're an amazing band and great bunch of guys. They play some really supercharged music so between the two of us -- I think we'll be able to get it riled up. We're excited to have them on the bill for sure."
Promising to be "good and warmed up" by the time the band hits Chicago, this year, Salmon will lead up to the big night with a handful of shows, including one in Indianapolis and a pair in St. Louis. Additionally, as Drew and I spoke, he was just a few hours away from heading to the airport to fly down to Mexico, where he and the rest of the band will participate in the multi-day Strings & Sol pickfest, a destination event that is further evidence of just how far string bands have come. With bands like Punch Brothers, Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons entering the mainstream consciousness, banjos and mandos have provided a bit of a countervailing force to other purely electronic forms of music that seem to dominate these days.
"Like any roots music -- blues, jazz, reggae -- anything that's not subject to trends and fads, I think bluegrass has always had its own undercurrent of popularity," Emmitt explains. "It is such a true American music that it's always been a force. In a lot of ways, it has become seriously popular, more mainstream and more acceptable."
He has bore witness to the transformation with his own eyes, and continues to see a progression; admitting that things are different than they were in the days before Salmon broke through, "[Bluegrass-based bands] can get out and tour and people will come see you. Leftover Salmon has been lucky to be part of the surge." He also give credit to a few other Colorado bands that emerged in the nineties, String Cheese Incident and Yonder Mountain String Band, and offers Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, and Infamous Stringdusters as more recent carriers of the musical flame. "It's great that these bluegrass musicians can play the same clubs and theaters that rock and jambands play."
With nine years between Chicago stops, many are curious about what to expect. Lots of clues can be found in the excellent, Steve Berlin produced Aquatic Hitchhiker, which sounds a bit like the old Salmon, but with some revamped personnel and plenty of fresh ideas and influences, opens up new possibilities for the band's sound . "In some ways it is a continuation because it's keeping the Salmon dream alive, but the more I think about it, it's a completely new era," Emmitt explains. "It's totally rejuvenated. and having [banjoist] Andy [Thorn] is a whole new energy for us. He loves playing with us."
"We had three years to reassess where we were at -- to start our side projects and get away from the constant grind that Salmon had become."
"It's fun again," Drew summarizes. "Yes, we're touring again, but not relentlessly. It feels like that when we get together, we have so much fun playing music together. It feels like anything can happen -- it's a whole new world."
So does this mean more new songs, more new music? "We have a plan to make another record in the spring. While we're on a roll, we figure we might as well ride it! I've been doing side projects and still have them but Salmon is the focus again for all of us."
In any case, Emmitt has a musician's savvy when it comes to hyping the upcoming New Year's Eve show. "So many great times in Chicago... we always get treated well!"
Together, we fondly recollected some of the great gigs from the city's past. I'm partial to an April Fool's gig at the Old Town School where the crowd "tricked" the band with handheld Vince Herman masks as they took the stage, while Drew was quick to point out a more recent swing through town with the Traveling McCourys and Jeff Austin as a high point. But we definitely agreed that the 1997 run at the Vic was a standout, a discussion that may have also yielded more clues about the New Year's gig. Regarding the '97 show, Drew gets noticeably excited, "That was a rager! Pete Sears was on piano and Sugar Blue sat in. We had a blast! Who knows, maybe Sugar will show up for the New Year's gig, too..."
