In 1990, two average groups from the Boulder,
Colo., area joined forces, and ended up creating one of the most
popular jam bands to fill the void left by the decomposition of the
Grateful Dead. That band, Leftover Salmon, last year gave six shows
at Boulder’s Fox Theatre, then went on hiatus — perhaps
permanently.
During the heady years of
touring, Leftover Salmon played many of the nation’s biggest
festivals and best venues (they were at Sangamon Auditorium in
November 2000) and worked with some of music’s most storied
acts — their third album, The
Nashville Sessions, features a
veritable who’s-who of guests, including Taj Mahal, Waylon
Jennings, Sam Bush, Lucinda Williams, and Earl Scruggs.
Today, the band’s
Web site, www.leftoversalmon.com, is mostly a marker of the
group’s past glory. Even though the band’s members no
longer play together, no one in this bunch has retired from the
business. Multi-instrumentalist and lead vocalist Drew Emmitt has
visited Springfield twice in support of his solo record while
traveling all over the country on a nonstop tour, and keyboardist
Bill McKay came to town as a member of brother John McKay’s
band and continues to work with an assortment of musicians and
bands.
Now former Springfield resident Nate Parienti
is set to bring lead vocalist and frontman Vince Herman to the
capital city.
“I used to live in Fort Collins, Colo.,
and a friend of mine ended up being tour manager for
Leftover,” Parienti says. “We got to know Vince, and he
said he’d do some shows with us.”
Alabaster Brown, Parienti’s St.
Louis-based group, has been together for about two years, doing
Americana classics and original music. They played the Underground
City Tavern in April with the McKay Brothers and are elated at
getting a chance to do some shows with Herman.
“He definitely has this larger-than-life
presence and is one of my personal music heroes,” Parienti
says. “It’s a very special thing for all of
us.”
A local singer/songwriter and childhood friend of
Parienti’s, John Brillhart, is also on the bill. “We go way
back. Nate’s dad was my soccer coach, and I went to his bar
mitzvah,” Brillhart says. “We both started playing guitar
around the same time, learning Grateful Dead songs, mostly.”
Brillhart dabbles in the Americana classics as well, but his forte lies
in crafting portraits of everyday life into brilliant songs. He’s
equally sharp in explaining a lover’s ability to touch his heart
and creating a tribute to his sweetheart’s fascination with
thrift-store shopping.
In his life after Leftover Salmon, Herman is
employing the freedom of movement offered to a musical icon
unencumbered by a hectic touring schedule. “I’m
enjoying connecting with all the people we met while on the
road,” he says. “I’ve been emceeing festivals,
playing solo shows, doing duos with Rob [Wasserman] —
he’s so melodic, it’s like playing with a human
voice.” He spends time at his home in Nederland, Colo.,
hanging out as much as possible with his family.
“My 11-year-old is in a band with the
neighbor’s kid,” he says. “We heard ’em
practicing and were high-fiving each other: ‘Yeah, our kids
are in a band!’ ”
Last weekend, the boisterous singer was
celebrating the life and music of Woody Guthrie at Guthrie Fest in
Okemah, Okla., hometown of the legendary folksinger. It’s
only fitting, considering that Herman’s first project away
from Leftover Salmon was called the Spirit of Guthrie Tour with
bassist Wasserman, singer/songwriter Jim Page, and sometime member
New Orleans fiddler/songwriter Theresa Andersson.
“I just got the CDs back from the
recording we did at the Tree House in Atlanta,” Herman says.
“We did it in one day in the studio — half a day with
the band alone and half with a crowd.”
The record contains songs written by the group
and some penned by Guthrie, plus never-before-published lyrics from
the Guthrie Foundation set to music by Herman and friends.
“They’re all done in the spirit of Woody
Guthrie,” Herman says. “You know, songs that make you
strong.” The CD will be available at Herman’s live
shows and through his Web site (www.vinceherman.com). “It
seemed an appropriate way to market a Woody Guthrie record rather
than through a record company,” he says.
His other current band in progress started out
as a favor for a fan in Boulder. “A friend asked me to do a
benefit, and I put together a dream band for it,” he says.
“We had a ball and just wanted it to keep going.” The
group, which became Great American Taxi, includes members of other
bands on the Colorado jam-band scene, including Reed Foehl of
Acoustic Junction and Chad Staehly. It’s just a small piece
of the Herman puzzle.
“We start a Shanti Groove [a string band
Herman sits in with] tour in the fall. We’ll be at the
CaveFest in Carbondale at the end of September — bringing out
Great American Taxi for that,” Herman says. “We just
keep up with whatever keeps coming.”
Vince Herman performs at 9 p.m. Thursday, July
21, at the Underground City Tavern with Alabaster Brown and John
Brillhart.
This article appears in Jul 21-27, 2005.
