Leftover Salmon

After interviewing dozens of Leftover Salmon’s members, family, and friends, as well as other musicians, music writer Newby expertly and lovingly details the 30-year history of the group, which mixes bluegrass and rock with traces of Cajun, country, and jazz in a jubilant Americana gumbo, and sheds some light on the Grateful Dead–inspired jam band scene. Arranging the book chronologically, the author begins with the formation of the outfit in Boulder, CO, by core members Drew Emmitt (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Mark Vann (banjo), and Vince Herman (guitar, vocals) in 1989. Newby charts the group’s gradual rise from local heroes to national prominence with Euphoria (1997) and describes the musical impact of personnel changes. He ends by dealing with the death of Vann in 2002 and the band’s breakup in 2004, its reunion three years later, recent albums and tours, and tributes by other musicians who tout the group’s importance. The author locates Leftover Salmon within the improvisational, fan-centered, tour-based, musical mashup of the Nineties jam band craze.

VERDICT This affectionate work will be manna for jam band fans and interest general readers.—David P. Szatmary, formerly with Univ. of Washington, Seattle