Colorado jamgrass rockers Leftover Salmon stormed into Hollywood at the House of Blues and played a footstompin’ set of their unique blend of bluegrass and cajun infused rock. The band played one of the most energetic sets of music I have seen in a long time, and they did so with such easy flowing grace that it almost makes you forget that you are listening to very talented musicians.
Vince Herman, the guitarist, vocalist and overall bandleader, makes the crowd feel right at home with his infectious smile and witty banter, especially when he got things going early with one of Leftover Salmon’s newer tracks “Liza.” The song is off their latest album Aquatic Hitchhiker and is quite catchy. Herman does his classic ranting vocals that are both downright hilarious and really impressive.
Drew Emmitt is arguably Leftover Salmon’s most skilled performer, as he can play many different instruments including guitar and fiddle – although his main weapon of choice is mandolin, which he plays the hell out of. The band invited Jason Carter from the Del McCoury Band to play the whole set with them on fiddle, so Emmitt stayed on mandolin and guitar for most the night to my liking.
The opening band was Camper Van Beethoven, and their lead guitarist David Lowery is from the 90’s band Cracker. Lowery came out and played his most famous track “Low” with Leftover Salmon backing him. It was fun to see, but I was ready for some more footstompin’ goodness.
The rest of the set was the same high energy slamgrass that Leftover Salmon has made a living off of for over twenty years. A highlight of the show was the always fun “Zombie Jamboree,” which had the hollywood crowd in a frenzy. The instrumental title track “Aquatic Hitchhiker,” written by banjo player Andy Thorn, had me feeling like I was in circus for about five minutes. Leftover Salmon is just a plain old fashioned good time. Go see ’em live…Festivaaaall!!!
Leave a Reply