Ravinia 2021 - Issue 3

JAY STRAUSSER (STRINGDUSTERS); RYAN LOCKMAN (SALMON) PAVILION 7:00 PM FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 LEFTOVER SALMON † VINCE HERMAN, guitar DREW EMMITT, mandolin GREG GARRISON, bass ANDY THORN, banjo ALWYN ROBINSON, drums –Intermission– THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS † ANDY FALCO, guitar CHRIS PANDOLFI, banjo ANDY HALL, dobro JEREMY GARRETT, fiddle TRAVIS BOOK, double bass † Ravinia debut THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS Now 11 full-length albums deep into an award-winning catalog of progressive acous- tic bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters are just as focused on their roots today as when the group formed in Nashville in the mid- 2000s. Connections from the Berklee School of Music drew Chris Pandolfi and Chris El- dridge to Music City to reunite with Andy Hall, who was then playing with Ronnie Bowman & The Committee. Bowman band members Jeremy Garrett and Jesse Cobb be- gan playing with the trio, and with the ad- dition of Travis Book, the Dusters soon hit the stages and caught the ear of Sugar Hill Records. Fork in the Road became the group’s debut release in 2007, earning them Emerging Artist of the Year honors at the International Bluegrass Music Awards, where they also won Album of the Year and Song of the Year with the title track. Andy Falco replaced Eldridge (who departed to join the Punch Brothers) for The Infamous Stringdusters’ eponymous album the following year, which kicked off a series of three Instrumental Group of the Year nominations from the Bluegrass Awards. Ex- panded sonics and collaboration marked the band’s third album, Things That Fly (2010), which featured not only a U2 cover but also guest singers Dierks Bentley, Aoife O’Dono- van, and Sarah Siskind. Nevertheless, instru- mentals remained a highlight, earning the Dusters their first Grammy nomination with “Magic #9.” The band released two studio al- bums independently following Cobb’s depar- ture— Silver Sky (2012) and Let It Go (2014)— as well as an EP with an ear to further covers: Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and Pink Floyd, among others. On the Compass Records ros- ter in 2016, the Stringdusters turned to an even wider range of collaborations on Ladies & Gentlemen , working alongside the likes of Joan Osborne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joss Stone, and Lee Ann Womack. The group fol- lowed up with Laws of Gravity early the fol- lowing year and took home Best Bluegrass Album honors from the Grammy Awards. Following 2019’s Rise Sun , the Dusters took a creative leap, recording Dust the Halls and A Tribute to Bill Monroe from their home stu- dios. The Infamous Stringdusters are making their Ravinia debut. LEFTOVER SALMON Since the group’s founding more than 30 years ago, Leftover Salmon has been pioneering progressive bluegrass, adding drums to tra- ditional sonics and stirring in any number of styles as forerunners in the modern jam-band scene. Boulder, CO, native Drew Emmitt got his start on mandolin at an early age and be- gan shaping The Left Hand String Band into one of the most popular bands in the region with an explosive combo of rock and blue- grass music. When Vince Herman arrived in Boulder in 1985, he caught one of those shows and struck up an immediate friendship with Emmitt, briefly playing with the band until he began to explore his own wide-ranging vi- sion with the Salmon Heads—Cajun, calypso, ska, and bluegrass. At a New Year’s Eve show four years later, their two bands joined forces and Leftover Salmon was born, with Emmitt serving as the steady songwriter and Herman the theatrical stage presence. The new band toured extensively throughout the ’90s and cut two independent records— Bridges to Bert (1993) and Ask the Fish (1995)—before landing a major deal with Hollywood Re- cords for 1997’s Euphoria . Leftover Salmon’s cult-favorite status led to a star-studded fol- low-up in 1999, The Nashville Sessions , which featured collaborations with Del and Ronnie McCoury, Taj Mahal, Béla Fleck, Jerry Doug- las, Waylon Jennings, and Lucinda Williams, among others. Bassist Greg Garrison joined the group in 2000. Shortly before the band’s live-album debut on Compass Records in 2002, founding banjoist Mark Vann lost his battle with cancer, and though notable pick- ers like Noam Pikelny of the Punch Brothers stepped into the space, it wasn’t until Andy Thorn joined in 2011 that Leftover Salmon re- gained its stride. Back on tour, the band also returned to recording, working with Steve Berlin of Los Lobos across Aquatic Hitchhiker (2012), High Country (2015), and Something Higher (2018). The same period also saw the addition of Alwyn Robinson behind the drum kit, solidifying the present lineup. Left- over Salmon returned to Compass earlier this year with Brand New Good Old Days . Leftover Salmon is making its Ravinia debut. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 41