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Leftover Salmon has always been a band of diversity. The group describes itself as "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass," and rightly so - they fearlessly plunge into bluegrass, rock, zydeco and folk music, and have no regrets about combining any of those genres. Mandolins and organs, washboards and electric banjos, Leftover Salmon blend these musics into, well, Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass, I guess.
The band's needed such diversity and adaptability in recent years after going through major overhauls in their lineup: After banjo wonder Mark Vann passed away in 2002, only two founding members of Leftover Salmon remained. Drew Emmitt, a mandolin and electric guitarist, and Vince Herman, singer and acoustic guitarist, stayed at the heart of the band while other pieces - bassist Greg Garrison, Bill McKay on keys, Noam Pickelny on banjo and José Martinez on drums - have been added to keep the group swimming strong.
While co-founder Drew Emmitt acknowledged that Leftover Salmon's sound has changed over time, he never felt like the group was starting over.
"It's been a gradual process," Emmitt reflected. "But we've been touring so much over the past few years, it never felt like we were making a new band."
Leftover Salmon's current lineup has been together for almost two years now, and such a relentless tour schedule really has let the band gel together; listening to their recently released, self-titled album, the group's ability to sound so full without stepping on each other's toes is quite remarkable - you can focus on the chop of the mandolin, the rumbling banjo, the sparkling of keys, or just sink into their deep, rolling sound.
Emmitt has enjoyed the changes brought by this newer lineup. "With Jeff [Sipe] and Tye [North] as our rhythm section we used to be more jazzy," Emmitt said. "But I feel this band's more settled in a way - the groove can get really deep. They support the tunes very well."
As the band has been gigging for over a decade, creating a self-titled album now makes a bold statement as to the status of Leftover Salmon's new cast. "This is the first album representing the new lineup," Emmitt said from the band's tour bus. "I feel this album shows who we are now - it's very important to establish ourselves."
The infusion of so many styles into their music has garnered Leftover Salmon an eclectic fanbase and allowed them to play in a range of different festivals, from Jazzfest to Austin City Limits to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
"We've always been able to tailor the band to the situation," Emmitt mused. "On some nights we're more of a bluegrass band, on some nights we're a little more Cajun."
That bluegrass sound might be a little more prominent this upcoming weekend when Leftover Salmon plays at the Old Settler's Bluegrass Festival. The band will play three shows at the festival, twice by themselves and again with straight-ahead bluegrass thumpers The Del McCoury Band. Emmitt said he was looking forward to playing with the Del McCoury Band again. "We did a tour in the fall with them and had a blast - it's great jamming with them."
So at Old Settler's Leftover Salmon might be playing a lot of bluegrass, but don't be surprised if you hear the rattle of a washboard, the soulful blast of an organ, or a thick groove laid down by the bass and drums. Diversity. Leftover Salmon thrives in it, and despite any obstacles in their path, the band's still going strong.
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