Jammin’ with Leftover Salmon

Jam bands are notorious for being able to combine multiple genres of music, from blues and country to rock and world music. Leftover Salmon from Boulder, Colorado are known and loved for their eclectic brand and approach to playing, as well as their notably jammy live shows. CULTURE caught up with Andy Thorn, banjo player and vocalist, about banjo, musical projects and cannabis.                                                                                                                                

How did you start making music?

I’m lucky to come from a family that loves music. I’d already been taking some piano and guitar lessons when I saw a banjo at my neighbor’s yard sale back in Durham, North Carolina. I was 12, and I was hooked. I learned on my own for a few years, but really started having fun when I found some friends at my high school who were also interested in acoustic music. We started playing at open mic nights and started a little band, and even made an album. I still play with those guys (the Stickley Brothers).  

Do you have anything exciting in the works that you want to announce?

We have a new Leftover Salmon album coming out early next year that we are super stoked about! We’d been developing the sound with our current lineup for a year or so, and it was time to go in the studio. The album is much more experimental than some of our past recordings, and everyone in the band contributed original material. We also recorded to analog tape, which gives the album a great vibe and captures the sounds of the instruments very naturally. Aside from that, I’m going in the studio in December to work on a side project, an album of all my original music with Jon Stickley, Andrew Marlin of Mandolin Orange and Bobby Britt of Town Mountain. It’s always exciting to have lots of musical projects going on.  

How would you describe your sound?

Leftover Salmon has always been described as “Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass,” but I think the sound now contains even more styles.  In the last few years, we’ve added Alwyn Robinson on drums, and Erik Deutsch on keys.  These guys can play all sorts of styles, and go into jams with long-time bassist Greg Garrison that border on jazz fusion and electronica.  Having a rhythm section of their caliber really allows for Drew, Vince and I to stretch our abilities as well.  As a banjo player, I really love what has happened to some of my banjo tunes. “Aquatic Hitchhiker” started as a three-minute song, and now when we play it live, it can be up to twenty minutes long, with lots of improvised jamming. I think any bluegrass fan would enjoy what we do, but I also think fans of almost any style could find something they like in our music.

How do you feel about the jam scene and the way it embraces cannabis? How do you feel about the scene across the country, and the world?

Pot and music have always been connected. The jam scene is all about freedom to play what you want, dance how you want, and smoke what you want. Vince Herman has played a huge role in the Colorado cannabis scene. I believe he even helped it get decriminalized originally up in Nederland. When Vince and Drew go into their old tune “Wake and Bake,” people literally start throwing joints and buds onstage.  If we’re on the road and we run out of pot, we just play that song, and we’re usually taken care of! I feel really lucky to be in a band, and an industry, where cannabis use isn’t stigmatized. Since we travel across the country all the time, it’s been amazing to watch more mainstream folks changing their attitudes about pot.

How do you feel about cannabis legalization so far? What could be done better, or differently?

I’d love to see full legalization across the country. Here in Colorado, it’s been amazing. Even if you’re not a fan of pot, you have to appreciate the millions in tax revenue for the state. Some people say legalizing weed could help with the opioid epidemic. But the banking issue really needs to be resolved.  My wife has had a business in the cannabis industry for six years. It’s not just that her accounts keep getting shut down, but it’s actually creating unnecessary risks. The amount of cash moving around in backpacks and paper bags seems unnecessary.  

How has cannabis affected your life and/or creative process?

The first time I got stoned and played music with friends in high school, it felt like an epiphany. Music had never spoken to me like that before. I’ve been using cannabis while playing, writing and listening to music ever since. I think it really enhances the creative process. Over the summer, we grew our own pot for the first time, in our yard here in Boulder County. Nothing but water and Colorado sunshine. Sure is fun to enjoy my homegrown while writing tunes and pickin’!  

Band Name: Leftover Salmon

Genre: Jam

Location: Boulder, Colorado

Most Recent/Upcoming Album: December 25, 2016

Website: www.leftoversalmon.com