Leftover Salmon Going on Hiatus

[TimmyB]

Another Hiatus! I'm really getting sick of that word.

I've only seen Leftover Salmon once at the All Good Music Festival in 2000. I thought the show was great, though I never saw them since. Partly because they don't often play in this area.

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. December 22, 2004, 10:05 AM ET

Leftover Salmon Going On Hiatus

With the last show of its upcoming four-night stand (Dec. 28-31) at Denver's Fox Theater taking place exactly 15 years to the day after its first concert, the members of Leftover Salmon have announced the jam band is taking an extended hiatus, which leaves the future uncertain for the veteran touring outfit.

"I think this is probably the most positive thing that ever happened for the band," bassist Greg Garrison tells Billboard.com. "Just this opportunity to take a break and do some other things musically; I think [guitarist/mandolin player] Drew Emmit has been wanting to kind of explore his own music and explore bluegrass a little bit more. So for him, I think it's been coming for a long time."

"Then also, when Mark Vann, the original banjo player died in 2002, we kind of kept touring out of necessity for people," he continues. "Because it happened so quickly, nobody had a chance to plan and figure anything else out to do."

After eight albums and countless live shows by the "real blue collar working class band," Garrison says the group decided to leave behind the burgeoning jam band scene, which now includes contemporary acts such as moe., the String Cheese Incident and Yonder Mountain String Band.

"I think [the jam band scene] is going to play itself out," says Garrison. "[The] Bonnaroo [festival] has been slowing the scene down, helping it maybe gain a wider acceptance in the country and in the music business but it's definitely killing a lot of bands as far as touring revenues and that kind of stuff."

Garrison says since the sabbatical decision was made, Leftover Salmon has never sounded better, which he believes bodes well for the future of the band. As for his future, he plans on joining band mate Emmit's bluegrass project.

With Phish having officially called it quits and Leftover Salmon seemingly up on blocks and out of commission, where will loyal fans of the improvisational-friendly genre turn for the next good time?

"What's next? Who knows," says Garrison. "I know [Widespread] Panic is going to be back in March, so people will have something do to at least. But I don't know."

-- John Benson, Cleveland

[NewRider]

That sucks, I've never had the chance to see the Salmon but I love their music. At least the Crowes and Panic are coming back this year.

[secondtube]

"I think [the jam band scene] is going to play itself out," says Garrison. "[The] Bonnaroo [festival] has been slowing the scene down, helping it maybe gain a wider acceptance in the country and in the music business but it's definitely killing a lot of bands as far as touring revenues and that kind of stuff."

Wise words from someone who has seen it all happen...

I agree 100%

[shainhouse]

The key is that respect Steve, in my opinion, is to not pigeonhole your business methods within the jamband realm. There is no money in the jamband scene and if you aren't Phish, there never will be. It's about mixing and matching between styles and genres to survive and earn capitol. Leftover Salmon's revenue probably came from playing bluegrass festivals to an older, more wealthier demographic...

The hippie scene is self sustaining in culture, vibes and ideas, but not in revenue...

just my two cents.

[MarcO]

We're in the "post-jamband" era.

[TimmyB]

"I think [the jam band scene] is going to play itself out," says Garrison. "[The] Bonnaroo [festival] has been slowing the scene down, helping it maybe gain a wider acceptance in the country and in the music business but it's definitely killing a lot of bands as far as touring revenues and that kind of stuff."

Wise words from someone who has seen it all happen...

I agree 100%

I agree with what Greg Garrison says as well. And this is why I feel that bonnaroo and other similar large festivals are hurting the "jam band scene," four words "bang for your buck."

I've seen between 14 and 20 artists sets at all three bonnaroos. Of those sets 10 to 15 were complete full shows.

The ticket price for bonnaroo is around US $150. To see just the headliners and the previous act on the main stage for all three nights would cost you well over $150 to see those artists headline their own shows.

Unless their is some kind of huge tragedy or important family related event going on in my life on the weekend of bonnaroo I'm not ever going to miss one of these festivals.

Actually this year I'm going to go to Field Day in July and I'm going to try and finally make it to a moe.down on Labour Day weekend. I might even try and make another festival as well if I have the time.

Why pay $50 to see one to three acts when I can pay $150 to see 14 to 20?

[Del]

I agree that Bonnaroo is hurting the scene, especially since it seems to be getting a little watered down with each succesive festival... I'd still love to make it one of them before it's just another Lollapalooza, but since my festival aspirations in the new year include High Sierra Music Festival in California and moe.Down in New York, plus maybe a CTMF or two squeezed in there, I seriously doubt that it will happen next year... Maybe 2006, if the lineup doesn't suck (as I highly suspect it will)...

[meggo]

well it's a good thing they got it out of the way before the new year. i'm hoping there will be less of that in 2005! sheesh!

[Esau]

More room for the Gourds!

Seriously though,that really is too bad like Newrider,I haven't seen them live yet (hoping still) but I do love their music thats for sure,took me awhile to accept their style of bluegrass/folk/jam/rock & roll (my take on em anyway) but I'm into what they are doing.

Another good band downed.....

[MuleMomma]

Hey TimmyB - I made it to All Good in 2000 too...too bad I didn't know you then. Mark Vann was still with them, and Bill McKay (keyboard player from the Derek Trucks Band) had just joined them, and didn't Keller Williams sit in for a song or two as well. My good friend Steve from Virginia flew me down on his air miles, and had great knowledge of the grounds the festival took place on. Apparently that piece of land in Spotsylvania was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the civil war - hard to believe considering the good vibes that abounded on that weekend (and many others I'm sure).

And hey Del, if you're doing High Sierra, you might want to consider doing the Oregon Country Fair the following weekend in Eugene. Every year, there's kind of a pilgrimage up the coast (often by the Green Turtle) between the first and second weekends of July. The OCF is the most beautiful gathering I've ever witnessed

[Del]

MuleMomma... If time (and money) allow, it's a possibility... Of course, if The Slip does High Sierra again in 2005, and follows it up with some west coast shows, I'd probably just hop on Slip tour. The Slip is going to be my focus in 2005, I'm hoping to do in the neighbourhood of 20 - 25 shows next year... Now if they were going to play the Oregon County Fair, it would be perfect...