Leftover Salmon’s Twice in a Blue Moon DVD isn’t a full-fledged documentary like the band’s brilliant Years in Your Ears, but there’s still an inherent anthropology to Twice in a Blue Moon despite its focus on concert footage. There’s nothing epic about the camerawork or audio quality of the music presentation, and the performance itself is merely above average. More memorably, the release’s 13 songs and ample bonus content reveal more about the sometimes hazy legacy of the nation’s first and only "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass" artist.
The 90-minute chunk of concert material is drawn from the reconfigured band’s 2009 New Year’s Eve run show at Boulder, Colorado’s Boulder Theatre. Founding members Drew Emmitt and Vince Herman are backed by longtime Salmon cohorts Greg Garrison (bass) and Jose Martinez (drums) along with journeyman keyboardist Bill McKay and multi-instrumentalist Matt Flinner. Flinner is a hell of a player, but he’s a bit too rigid in the context of the material and his contributions are often too subtle to be heard. As musically devastating as the loss of Marc Vann was back in 2002, the passage of time and use of other banjo players reveal just how much of a driving force Vann was for the band. He was the melodic chain that tethered Emmitt’s striking songs to Hermann’s zany energy, and the divide between the two styles has never been more evident than it is on Twice in a Blue Moon.
Emmitt’s timeless songs and style have aged more gracefully than Herman’s highly spontaneous zydeco-party tunes. Their voices sound wonderful together, as always. But they’ve been doing this for a while, and the energy needed to truly propel songs like "Let’s Give a Party," "Mama Boulet," and "Tu N’as Pas Aller" is often lacking. There are exceptions such as "Head Bag," which blazes along with a fury appropriate to its subject matter, and "Rodeo Geek," which hints at the boundless energy and manic atmosphere that was the Salmon signature for so long. But smooth Emmitt tunes like the reggae-infused "Just Before the Evening" and "River’s Rising" are better suited to the current, mellower configuration of the band. Emmitt also proves to be the most entertaining member to watch, alternating between mandolin, electric guitar and fiddle along with vocal duties.
The song selection is quite hit or miss. Given the dearth of officially released footage of the band, the decision to include multiple McKay songs is quizzical. His "Railroad Highway" contains the most interesting instrumental interaction of the show, but "Just Keep Walkin’" is highly skippable – especially when sequenced before Emmitt’s classic jamgrass song "Troubled Times." Since the band has never released a concert DVD in their 22 year history, it seems a bit odd to leave out so many of their classics in favor of McKay tunes. As for extras, there are some fairly interesting attractions but only the most hardcore LoS fans will entertain a repeat viewing. Interviews with Herman and Emmitt touch on some of the band’s always enjoyable origin story, and a fairly lengthy teaser for Years in Your Ears is included next to mildly enjoyable videos from Great American Taxi and Emmitt/Nershi Band. Leftover Salmon fans will take what they can get, but Twice in a Blue Moon can’t quite make it up the stream to success.
