Drew Emmitt: Press

As a frontman for Leftover Salmon, Drew Emmitt is one of the canonical figures of Colorado music.

Leftover Salmon, which formed in Boulder in 1989, went on hiatus on the first day of 2005. Since then, the band has periodically come together to perform at select venues, such as Jam Cruise, a boat-borne tour Salmon played this month.

But individual members of the band lately have concentrated on solo and side projects.

Emmitt’s most recent solo album, “Long Road,” came out last summer, and The Drew Emmitt Band is performing this month at several Colorado venues, including the Boulder Theater on Jan. 28. He is also working with String Cheese Incident’s Billy Nershi in the Emmitt-Nershi band.

Emmitt was a longtime resident of Boulder County and learned to play mandolin from another local star, Tim O’Brien, formerly of the bluegrass band Hot Rize. Emmitt, who now lives in Crested Butte, recently spoke with the Times-Call by phone from Nashville, where he had just performed at the Ryman Auditorium, the former home of the Grand Ole Opry and a musician’s holy grail.

Times-Call: You’re in Nashville. What are you doing in Nashville?

Drew Emmitt: Well, (the Emmitt-Nershi Band) played at the Ryman Auditorium with the Del McCoury Band and The Stringdusters on New Year’s Eve ... It was fabulous, really, really great ... We had a fabulous picking party last night with some famous Nashville luminaries.

T-C: Picking party — was that a private affair?

D.E.: It was a New Year’s Day party at Tim O’Brien’s house. We had a fabulous time over there.

T-C: Had you played at the Ryman before?

D.E.: Yeah, this is my third time. I played last year, and Vince (Herman, from Leftover Salmon) was out last year with me. And we did a few years before with Salmon and the McCourys.

T-C: What’s that like, stepping out onto that stage?

D.E.: Oh, it’s the best. It’s awesome. You know, so much history went down there, and it’s just a great place to play, it really sounds great, it’s got a really great vibe ... especially to do it with the McCourys, you know, to sing with Del at the Ryman is a big honor.

T-C: Who else was over at Tim O’Brien’s house?

D.E.: Oh my goodness, let’s see, (guitarist) David Grier, (banjoist) Béla Fleck, (fiddler) Casey Driessen, (bassist) Dennis Crouch, (guitarist) Bryan Sutton, (bassist) Edgar Meyer ...

T-C: Oh, boy.

D.E.: Yeah, it was quite a time. We actually played for almost eight hours (laughs). It was quite something ... That’s Nashville for you.

T-C: Do you know Tim O’Brien very well?

D.E.: I’ve known him for many years. Yeah, he was actually the first person I took mandolin lessons from.

T-C: How did that come about?

D.E.: Well, I was living in Boulder and I used to go see Hot Rize all the time, and this was back in 1980 and I met him after a show at the (Boulder) Bandshell and just went up to him and asked if he gave lessons, and he said, “Yeah, here’s my number.”

T-C: How old were you?

D.E.: I was like 18 or 19. I had been playing guitar for while, but I was just learning the mandolin, and he pretty much got me going.

T-C: At this point, what’s the status and future for Leftover Salmon?

D.E.: Well, the status is we’re going on Jam Cruise with Salmon. So, that’s the most recent thing we’re doing. We just did a big gig at the Vail (Dobson Ice Arena) on Dec. 12, and that was really fun. We had a nice big packed crowd there. And then we did Halloween at the Fillmore (Auditorium in Denver), and that was a wonderful night. Sold out. Great time ... We’re all here when it comes to people wanting us to do their festivals. We’re open to it. And that’s kind of the extent of what we’re doing. We do either a festival or, you know, we’ll do a Fillmore show, or maybe a Red Rocks or something, but we are operating in that fashion. We’re definitely not thinking about touring.


T-C: When you survey your career so far, and your involvement in Colorado music, what are your thoughts on where it’s been and where you think it’s going?

D.E.: I feel real thankful that I’ve had really a very fulfilling career so far and, you know, obviously haven’t hit it big or anything, but it’s been steady, and a lot of great things have happened and I got to make a lot of records and play with a lot of great people, record with a lot of great people and play the best festivals and venues in the country and make a living for 20 years. So I’m real happy with how things are going so far. The Colorado scene has been very good to us, and it’s been great being such a big part of the evolution in the Colorado scene and being part of the chain of bands that have handed things down. ... Even if we don’t really ever, you know, hit the big time or whatever, it doesn’t matter, because I really have had a very fulfilling career and it continues to be so, and I’m definitely very pleased.

T-C: When did you move to Crested Butte, and why did you move up there?

D.E.: Almost nine years ago, and I was just — I was kind of ready to get off the Front Range. I’ve been there most of my life and I always wanted to live in a ski town, and we had friends up there and my wife actually spent about eight years there before we got married, and she always kind of encouraged me to think about moving there, so it just came together. ... I love it, because I love to ski and mountain bike, and it’s a great community and it’s a beautiful place to live and it’s a very slow pace. That’s something I really need when I get off the road, you know, it’s really nice to be in a place like that, because I get plenty of high-paced life on the road ...

T-C: Do people in town know who you are -- you know, “There goes the Leftover Salmon guy”?

D.E.: Oh yeah. I definitely get a lot of airplay on the radio and I play in town — some, not a whole lot. We have a gig coming up at the end of January. We’re playing at The Eldo at the end of January. And, yeah, you know, (I’m) definitely known for the Salmon days ... It’s fun to be part of a community and also respected as a musician and appreciated.

T-C: Is there anything you can tell me about upcoming projects? Are you recording anything new that you can talk about?

D.E.: Yeah. (The Emmitt-Nershi Band) just finished a record — well, it’s not quite finished, but we just recorded at Billy Nershi’s house, and we just wrote a bunch of new songs together and recorded this record in the first part of December. And Jason Carter from the Del McCoury band’s on it and (String Cheese Incident’s) Keith Moseley and (Lyons bassist) Eric Thorin and Rob Ikes on dobro. So, we’re hoping to get that out before summer, and we’re real psyched about that.

T-C: Can you describe what kind of songs are on that record?

D.E.: It’s a bluegrass band, but not your typical bluegrass band obviously because we both come from definitely pretty varied kinds of backgrounds musically ... It’s pretty different. It’s definitely not like any bluegrass record I’ve ever heard. So, I’m pretty excited to get it out there and see what people think.

T-C: What can the Boulder Theater audience expect to hear from you?

D.E.: Well, we’ll be doing a bunch of stuff from the new record ... We’re a five-piece now, so we have banjo. Andy Thorn is a great banjo picker ... and that’s just really lit a new fire under the band. We can really play the bluegrass as well as the rock. I’m really excited about it. This is my favorite solo band yet ... We always love coming back and playing in Boulder.