Leftover Salmon brings the party to Englert Theatre in Iowa City

It's hard to believe that Leftover Salmon’s forthcoming album, “Good Dog” is the first album the jam band created as a collective in a rehearsal space. Leftover Salmon, which formed in 1989, is adept at musical improv. The group primarily is at its best while performing spontaneously under the lights.

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However all prior Leftover Salmon albums featured songs which were written before studio sessions.

“What we did this time out just happened with all of the members in one room,” said vocalist-mandolinist, guitarist and fiddler Drew Emmitt while calling from his home in Crested Butte, Colorado. “It was a different process but it was so much fun. We put it all together while we were in Wilmington, North Carolina. When we weren’t working on the album, we jumped into the ocean. It was amazing and we’re all very excited about ‘Good Dog.’”

The new material is typical Leftover Salmon. It’s eclectic but the heart and soul of the album is steeped in bluegrass.

“We’re a bluegrass band when you get down to it but we like so many different styles of music,” Emmitt said. “We can’t help but make music that's varied.”

Leftover Salmon might slip in a track from “Good Dog” when it performs Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City. However, the odds are that Leftover Salmon will not play the new songs until the album drops in May.

“That way it’ll be timed to when we play (Colorado’s) Red Rocks (Amphitheatre),” Emmitt said. “We'll see what happens.”

If the new tunes are embargoed until the eve of summer, Leftover Salmon has plenty to draw from when the band returns to the Englert. There are 11 Leftover Salmon albums, including 2023’s terrific “Grass Roots.” That album features a number of terrific covers. Versions of Bob Dylan’s “Nashville Skyline Rag,” Link Wray’s “Fire and Brimstone” and David Bromberg’s “The New Lee Highway Blues.”

“We have a deep canon and we’re excited about our recent projects,” Emmitt said. “We look forward to coming back to the Englert. I’ve had a lot of unforgettable experiences playing there.”

The most indelible memory for Emmitt was a decade ago when he was touring with The Del McCoury Band.

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“There was a tornado in the area and I remember just going into the Englert before we played there that night,” Emmitt said. “I'll never forget that. I know we won't experience a tornado when we come back to the Englert. It’s just going to be cold and I’m fine with that. It’s barely above zero here right now. It can’t be any colder in Iowa City. But even if it is colder there, we'll be warm inside playing our songs.”

Leftover Salmon, which also includes vocalist-guitarist Vince Herman, bassist Greg Garrison, banjo player Andy Thorn, keyboardist Jay Starling and drummer Alwyn Robinson, are often tagged as progressive bluegrass pioneers but Emmitt plays it down.

“There is always someone out there influencing someone else,” Emmitt said. “There were definitely people doing what we’ve been doing before we came along. I’m just pleased to be able to do what I’ve been doing. It’s enabled me to have this incredible career. Some of the things we’ve done it’s been like, well, living a dream.”

One of Leftover Salmon's career highlights was creating the 1999 album, “The Nashville Sessions,” which featured a number of high profile guests, such as Waylon Jennings, Bela Fleck and Earl Scruggs.

"We were like kids in the candy store," Emmitt said. "We were around our musical heroes. One morning Waylon came in and it was just amazing. Earl Scruggs came in another day and then the following day Taj Mahal comes by. We just couldn't believe all that was happening right in front of us."

A quarter century later and the musical party continues for Leftover Salmon.

“To be able to continue doing what we’re doing is amazing,” Emmitt said. “The fact that we’re still making new music makes it even more special. We’re excited about what’s next for us in 2025.”