The jam band movement has long included bluegrass as part of the scene. Even going back to the Grateful Dead, the sort of prototypical jam band, the group would occasionally go acoustic and incorporate bluegrass, and Jerry Garcia was a member of the bluegrass band Old and In the Way. Over the years, Colorado has been a sort of nexus for the jam-grass scene, with the bands the String Cheese Incident, and this week’s group Leftover Salmon. Their new album, marking 35 years as a band, is called Let’s Party About It.

Leftover Salmon got its start when mandolinist Drew Emmitt, who was in a bluegrass band called The Left Hand String Band and guitarist Vince Herman, who was in a sort of Cajun-influenced group called The Salmonheads, played a joint gig with the two groups sharing a stage in Colorado on New Years Eve 1989.The combination with Emmett and Herman, along with another founding member, the late Mark Vann came up with the name Leftover Salmon while on a drive to a gig, combining the names of their two groups. The band has been at it ever since, through various personnel changes, and a hiatus from 2004 to 2007. They have become a fixture on the jam band scene, and help bring a bluegrass aspect to jam band music. Their new recording Let’s Party About It is their 16^th album, including some live recordings. The current lineup includes Greg Garrison on bass who also plays with the funk band the Motet and was member of the Punch Brothers; Andy Thorn on banjo, Jay Starling, son of John Starling founder of the Seldom Scene, on Dobro and Alwyn Robinson on drums.

The new album features the band’s usual mix of bluegrass, rock, blues, some country and even some funk. There are guest appearances by a horn section featuring Jeff Coffin of the Flecktones and the Dave Matthews Band. The guest list also includes bluegrass great Del McCoury, New Grass Revival founder Sam Bush, and fiddle player Jason Carter from Del McCoury’s band.

Opening is one of the bluegrass oriented tracks, Big Wheel given a rock drive with the presence of the drums. <<>>

Also in the bluegrass mode, though with a more traditional direction, is Twisted Pine the track that features Del McCoury as guest. <<>>

Taking a decidedly different musical direction is Good Dog with a funk beat and the horns. The lyrics are also fun in praise of pet canine. <<>>

Leftover Salmon shows their jam band tendencies on an instrumental called Salmon Scales which keeps up an energetic pace, including the guest appearance by a fiddler, probably Sam Bush. The tune must be a great vehicle for the band to jam on stage, but on this studio recording, it’s under four minutes. <<>>

The title track Let’s Party About It lives it up to its lyrics, with a kind of jazzy Western Swing tinge. It’s one of the highlights of the album. <<>>

Taking a country direction is a composition called River Takes Me a nice ballad that could easily make it as a pop song, with its optimistic lyrics. <<>>

Another twist comes -on the reggae flavored track called Storms a danceable commentary on climate change. <<>>

The album ends with an all-out blues called Getting It Done adding the instrumentation of bluegrass to classic-style blues, celebrating idleness. <<>>

Let’s Party About It the new album by the long-running bluegrass jam band Leftover Salmon, making their 35^th anniversary, does not really break any new ground, but it’s a good time album of eclectic bluegrass mixed with a nice variety of other styles from blues to reggae to country to jazz influenced. It’s all nicely played, and the whole album has a definite optimistic mood, in keeping with the title. The added guests, from the horns of Jeff Coffin to the fiddle of Jason Carter help to broaden further the scope of the album. But the biggest drawback is that on this studio recording only one of the tracks exceeds five minutes, and there are no real opportunities for what the band does so well, jamming.

Our grade for audio quality is an A-minus for a competent and clean mix, but one short on dynamic range.

Leftover Salmon has been creating fun music for a couple of generations now. The new album captures where they are now, minus the long jams. They are on tour for most of the rest of the year. Perhaps it’s an impetus to see this band live if you can.

(c) Copyright 2025 George D. Graham. All rights reserved.
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<<>> indicates audio excerpt played in produced radio review

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