HT Interview: Drew Emmitt of Emmitt-Nershi

We went out on tour and it went really well, so we decided it was a good thing and the next thing you know, we’re writing songs for a new record. Things are rolling now. It’s a really great outlet for both of us since we love bluegrass, and being in these larger bands, well, it’s nice to break it down like this again and play acoustic music.

HT: The new album arrived this month. It sounds like you and Bill clicked pretty naturally as songwriting partners.

DE: It totally was that way. We got together up in in Estes Park, Colorado and stayed in a friend of Billy’s house for about two or three days. We just hung out and drank some beers and threw down some ideas, you know? Came up with some song starts and helped each other finish those. It was very smooth and natural how we were able to collaborate, and we were both amazed we could still pretty much write a record in three days. There’s new songs, plus a remake of Salmon’s This is the Time and a remake of Cheese’s Restless Wind.

HT: Do you consider the Emmitt-Nershi Band your priority these days?

DE: It’s definitely the priority. After we do this northeast swing we’re doing Colorado and then going west, out to Wyoming, California, Montana and other places. Like I said, the simplicity of it is just wonderful — it’s four of us with our instruments. It’s real easy for us to focus on this now, especially coming from these larger bands.

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HT: This year marks Leftover Salmon’s twentieth anniversary. Do you see more shows in the future?

DE: Well, there area couple shows over new years in Boulder [Dec. 30 and 31 at the Boulder Theater] that’ll mark the dates.

HT: Do you ever see a time when Leftover Salmon is an active unit again, touring-and-all, beyond occasional gigs?

DE: No, I don’t think so. There’s been the possibility of doing a string of shows, but even that’s far-fetched now. We’re really enjoying the one-off situation, to tell you the truth: do festivals or a couple of shows, and go home. What we’ve worked for and where we’ve gotten to now is a situation where we can do that and not do the full on thing. And I think the fact that we have all our side projects really helps the freshness when we do get back together.

HT: Has there been any talk of new Salmon music?

DE: Maybe a little. We’re doing a little bit of the music from our most recent records, bringing in a bunch of songs from our solo records, and maybe if Vince has some new songs, we’ll work those in. The main focus is to bring back the old Salmon material, and keep it the reunion feel. We’re kind of leaving the idea of newer stuff to the side.

HT: What’s your take on Bill and his relationship to String Cheese? He’s in a similar situation in that String Cheese reunited after going their separate ways for a bit, but the idea of them being comfortable with one-off reunions once in a while doesn’t seem the same as what you have with Salmon, at least as far as we can tell.

DE: It’s a little different. They had their show at Rothbury and that went real well — they had a great time being the bigwigs again at a festival. Their approach has been different. We’re getting together and playing, but String Cheese got together for a month and rehearsed almost every day for that Rothbury gig. But it’s similar in that I think they’re all doing side projects as well and they can come back to String Cheese with a freshness knowing it’s not going to encompass their entire lives anymore.

There’s something very liberating about that freedom — you can be something else entirely instead of a band member. It’s good for everyone’s individuality and self expression, and when you bring that back to the band, you’re not trapped by this thing you feel like you can’t get out of. To us, just visiting it every once in a while is really fun. I think Billy is experiencing that similar kind of thing. I know there’s been talk of more Cheese shows next year and I don’t know where they are with that, but in general, when you come back, it’s fun again, and you have a side project, too. It takes a lot of years to get to that level of comfort, believe me.

HT: Will there be more, soon, from the Drew Emmitt Band?

DE: Yes, definitely. That’s a whole ‘nother kind of outlet for me, it’s more I get to play electric music in that band and have an outlet for my songwriting, kind of cover the gamut of what I do. It’s still alive and well and there’ll be more from there, for sure.

HT: You and Bill appear on a bonus track for Assembly of Dust’s new album, Some Assembly Required, and you’ve obviously known Reid Genauer for a while. Will you be collaborating on the upcoming tour?

DE: We’re really excited. Primarily, it’s a great way for us to break into the Northeast — it’s always been kind of a challenging market for my bands — and it’s nice to be doing shows with a band that’s got a foothold up there. Then, they’re coming out West and we’re going to help them out there. Hopefully, we’ll all get to play music together and who knows where it’ll lead. I got to see them — they opened for Salmon at High Sierra when we did the late night thing — and I love the direction and flavor of their music. We have enough in common but not so much in common that it’s two of the same-sounding band. It’s going to be really cool.

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