Drew Emmitt

I have only actually met Drew Emmitt once, and he confessed in a recent phone conversation we had that he didn’t recall the meeting. Truth is, I met him as a fan one evening at Club Metronome in Burlington, VT. I was still in college at UVM, and Leftover Salmon was killing it all across the country. I was fascinated by Drew Emmitt and his band of Colorado hippies. They were a grassroots phenomena and I cornered him after the show just to get a read on what the ride was like.

I remembered wanting to quit music after seeing Leftover Salmon that night. They just seemed so much better than I could ever hope to be. Strange reaction I know, but that’s how I felt – it was just so together, and the fans were out of their minds with excitement. To this day it was one of the most energetic shows I have ever been to... small room, lots of booze, great band. Every single person was drenched in musical elation and sweat.

I have since become a Drew Emmitt fan. I have most of the Leftover Salmon records as well as Drew’s solo albums. They are all great. Drew is the kind of musician that would have been a mega star in the 70’s. He plays the guitar, mandolin, and violin wonderfully. He has a sweet, high, and lonesome voice, and he writes fantastic songs. Plus, he has a cool beard and just a great laid-back vibe about him.