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Bio:
Drew Emmitt:
Drew Emmitt, the dynamic lead singer and mandolin player with the popular
jamband Leftover Salmon, is a true renaissance man on musical instruments.
Playing mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo, harmonica, flute and electric
guitar, he's a string man to be reckoned with. He excels in unique energy
driven mandolin licks and his influences include a pantheon of musical
heroes including Lowell George, Steve Morse, Duane Allman, John Cowan,
Bill Monroe, Sam Bush, Hot Rize and New Grass Revival.
"I started playing when I lived in Nashville, TN where everybody played
music. Then we moved to Boulder and there were a lot of really influential
musicians floating in and out. I started going out to see bands like Hot
Rize and really getting into bluegrass."
In 1984, Drew Emmitt founded the progressive bluegrass ensemble, The Left
Hand String Band. Six years later, Vince Herman's serendipitous scramble
for musicians to fill in a gig with his band, SalmonHeads, yeilded a glorious
amalgam: Leftover Salmon. Jambands.com said "Emmitt's mandolin prowess
and songwriting gifts are two particular sources of the group's success."
Emmitt is an extremely gifted musician and songwriter and one can't help
but being swept away by his incredibly pure voice. On his debut solo release,
Freedom Ride, Emmitt reveals once again his amazing picking abilities
and songwriting talents. He recruited some of the hottest acoustic musicians
around to join him; John Cowan and the John Cowan Band (Jeff Autrey, Luke
Bulla, Scott Vestal, Pasi Leppikangas), Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Ronnie
McCoury, Vassar Clements, Stuart Duncan, Randy Scruggs, Vince Hermann
& Greg Garrison from Leftover Salmon and more. The result is the most
exciting newgrass album to come down the pike since the original New Grass
Revival.
On Freedom Ride, Emmitt showcases a disc full of newgrass and bluegrass
gems like Paving Eisenhower which features a dazzling mandolin duet with
Ronnie McCoury and Sam Bush on fiddle. Freedom Ride, the albums lead track,
features a hot duet vocal with former New Grass Revival lead singer John
Cowan, a long time hero of Emmitt's.
"John Cowan is my all time singing hero, for sure!" he says.
Emmit is joined by bluegrass mainstay Peter Rowan on the Rowan penned
Rainmaker with infectious melodies, great singing and masterful playing.
The project delivers light-hearted foot-tappers such as the Cajun flavored
Emmitt original Bend in the River, and a bluegrassy cover of the Dylan
favorite Tangled Up in Blue. Emmitt has composed innumerable tunes, many
of which have worked their way into the wild and diverse Leftover Salmon
repertoire. His pure voice and heartfelt lyrics have become a signature
of the band. He has also pioneered techniques for taking the mandolin
into new territory by using combinations of overdrive, slides and foot
pedals to emulate the sound of steel drums and electric slide guitar.
Emmitt's dedication and love for music have helped him become one of our
nation's top mandolin players. Beyond his own success, Emmitt has remained
a fan as well. On joining his biggest influences on stage he said, "It's
amazing. It's like walking in a dream. For years I had this dream of standing
on stage next to them and having a good time. And it's happened. Standing
on stage next to Sam (Bush) is pretty indescribable. And David (Grisman)
as well. When Neil Young walked on stage, that was outrageous. I turned
around, and there he was standing 6 inches away from me. I looked right
at his eyes. Then having him actually sing on a song that I wrote? Pretty
amazing."
The Boulder based quintet of Leftover Salmon has been a force in the Colorado
music scene for over a decade. With Freedom Ride, Drew Emmitt is becoming
a force to be reckoned with himself.
Drew
Emmitt is proud to play D’Addario
Strings.
Tyler
Grant:
Tyler Grant is a young guitarist with high aspirations. A versatile musician,
Tyler is an active and experienced performer and teacher of musical styles
including classical, bluegrass, rock and roll, country, jazz, reggae,
traditional Bulgarian, Macedonian, and American folk.
Tyler became interested in guitar during his freshman year of high school.
He quickly became proficient in classic rock and blues styles, and would
spend a decade playing and singing professionally around his hometown
of San Diego, CA. He started teaching guitar lessons at the age of nineteen.
After graduating CalArts in 2000, Tyler spent a few more years playing
and teaching in Southern California before moving to Nashville in 2003.
He was an original member of Adrienne Young and Little Sadie. He played
and sang on Adrienne's album, Plow to the End of the Row, and spent over
a year on the road, performing all over the US and Europe. In November
2004 he toured China with Abigail Washburn.
Tyler won first place in the Colorado State Flatpicking Championship at
Rockygrass in 2003 and the Wayne Henderson Guitar Contest in 2005. In
2005 he was runner up in the National Flatpicking Championship in Winfield,
Kansas. He placed first in the mandolin contest at Uncle Dave Macon Days
in 2005. During the summer and fall of 2005 Tyler toured with Rounder
Records recording artist April Verch as well as the Two Stringers, a bluegrass
band. He can also be seen at festivals and around Nashville backing up
all kinds of singer-songwriters. Tyler got in touch with Drew Emmitt over
the summer and is totally psyched about joining the band!
Steven
Sandifer:
Born and raised in Charleston SC, Steven attended the Jazz program at
the College of Charleton. He then moved to Nashville in 2002 with his
band The Biscuit Boys. Since then he has played with The Biscuit Boys,
Daybreak, Adrienne Young and Little Sadie, The Ranchhands, and the Spoken
Jazz Workshop.
Eric Thorin:
A native Coloradoan, Eric got his start on piano and trombone at an early
age from the prodding of his musical parents and later studied bass at
the of Northern Colorado. He played in salsa bands such as Kizumba and
Conjunto Colores, toured extensively with rock act The Thugs, made up
a third of the Flamenco/Indian ensemble Curandero, and toured with the
Tony Furtado Band for four years. He was a member of steel band Pan Jumbies
and continues to appear in various Jazz settings throughout the year.
Eric also teaches bass at the Yellowstone Jazz Festival.
He currently lives in Lyons, Colo., and continues to perform with a variety
of musicians including Hamster Theater, Jefferson Hamer, Theano and Chuck
Lamb, Matt Flinner, Drew Emmitt, K.C. Groves, Manuel Molina's Combo Caliente,
Mark Sloniker and Art Lande. In 2004 Eric produced a collection of songs
for Japanese elementary school children who are learning English.
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