The Colorado bluegrass band joins The Infamous Stringdusters and Kitchen Dwellers at Meijer Gardens on Friday. The Local Spins interview, with a chance to win tickets to the show.
Jamming Across the Country: Leftover Salmon (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Email info@localspins.com with “LEFTOVER SALMON” in the message field and include your name, and you’ll be placed in a drawing for two tickets to see Leftover Salmon, The Infamous Stringdusters and Kitchen Dwellers at Meijer Gardens on Friday. Scroll down for band videos.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
On their first night of touring in a small Pennsylvania town not far from Philly, Leftover Salmon was rained out early in their set.
Storm clouds rolled in, shuttering the outdoor show at a public park. Though the show was cancelled, an hours-long jam unfurled later on the tour bus. No audience. No amplification. Simply the rain and the road.
It’s this love for the craft and the ability to roll with the punches that has fueled the Colorado “polyethnic” bluegrass band for the last three decades.
“We love what we do and we’re very blessed to be able to do this for our job and to have been a band for 35 years and all the different amazing times we’ve had and places we’ve gotten to go. It just keeps getting better and better. I feel like we’ve got the best band we’ve ever had,” says Drew Emmitt, who plays mandolin and guitar.
The Band: More than 35 years and counting. (Photo/Tobin Voggesser)
“We’re just really having a great time and are blessed to do this, especially in these crazy times in the world. I feel like it’s really important to bring some light and happiness to people when they really need it.”
Since 1989, Leftover Salmon has entranced audiences with its genre-defying fusion of bluegrass, country and rock ‘n’ roll. Formed in Colorado, the group has toured extensively over the last 35 years, while also releasing seven studio albums and three live albums.
Leftover Salmon performs at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Friday (July 18), with The Infamous Stringdusters and Kitchen Dwellers also on the bill. Tickets, $63, are available online here. Gates open at 5 p.m. and music begins at 6 p.m. The current tour takes the band from coast to coast alongside the opening bands.
Known for their spellbinding jams and impressive musicianship, the band’s latest record, “Let’s Party About It,” is a joyous, fast-paced romp of blissful, genre-bending bluegrass. With their sights set on their only Michigan stop, Leftover Salmon bring along a sense of levity and gratefulness to the stage as they settle into summer tour.
“My favorite thing about it is that you get immersed in the music and you’re just focused on playing with the band and working on your rig and then getting your stage setup dialed in. I love that part,” says Emmitt.
“Seeing different places every day, traveling with the band and being all together in one place. I think it definitely starts to coalesce and feel much more cohesive the more shows we do, but also it’s fresh so the freshness is also great.
I think people are gonna really dig it and really enjoy seeing these three bands together and then seeing what each band brings to the table, so I’m looking forward to that.”
VIDEO: Leftover Salmon, “Let’s Party About It” (Live at Red Rocks)
VIDEO: The Infamous Strindusters, “Gravity” (Live)
VIDEO: Kitchen Dwellers (Live at Red Rocks)
Copyright 2025, Spins on Music LLC
