Leftover Salmon Collaborates with Oliver Wood on 'Fire And Brimstone'

On the third single from their upcoming record GRASS ROOTS, Leftover Salmon collaborated with Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) to deliver a high octane version of the Link Wray classic "Fire and Brimstone".

The band originally learned the song from The Neville Brothers' but, when they were in the studio recording the album, Salmon's bassist and the album's producer Greg Garrison had the idea to lean the track more in the style of the mid-twentieth-century rock guitarist Wray. Recruiting Oliver Wood for the track came very naturally.

Salmon's mandolinist Drew Emmett met The Wood Brothers years ago at the 10,000 Lakes Festival years ago and immediately shared a musical kinship. Although the track is the only non-bluegrass song on the album, it shines an important light on Leftover Salmon's musical foundaton and ties to their self-decribed 'poly-ethnic-Cajun-slamgrass' musical hybrid.

Few bands have had as enduring a legacy in the acoustic, newgrass, jamband scene as Colorado-based Leftover Salmon. On their upcoming album GRASS ROOTS (May 19 via Compass Records), Leftover Salmon reflects on their bluegrass and festival roots with a set of songs that were among their earliest inspirations.

Band co-founder and lead singer Vince Herman comments: "We cover the music that inspired us to be on this Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass highway all these years." On the new album, the band digs into songs from the catalogs of Bob Dylan, The Seldom Scene, Doc Watson, David Bromberg, Dock Boggs and more.

Special guests include Billy Strings, Darol Anger and Oliver Wood. The album's 10 tracks capture the energy and fun of the band, which is central to every Leftover Salmon show. But even more importantly, GRASS ROOTS shines a light on the bluegrass heart which beats strongly at the core of Leftover Salmon's music. And it's an ear-opening pleasure.

GRASS ROOTS will be released on Compass Records May 19th.

photo credit: Tobin Voggesser