When Leftover Salmon co-founder/banjoist Mark Vann succumbed to cancer on March 4, earlier this year, the band nearly called it quits.
"I think we were all initially ready to stop everything," co-founder/guitarist Drew Emmitt said during a telephone interview from his home in Crested Butte, Colo. "It was something we thought we couldn't overcome."
So the band immediately went on an impromptu tour to see how things would go, and after a few weeks, Leftover Salmon found its bearings. Now the group is back on the road and feeling good about itself.
"We have been lucky to have worked with other banjoists who helped us get our groove back," Emmitt said. "And each time we go out on the road, we feel better."
Leftover Salmon, which will make a two-day stop at the Zephyr Club Sunday and Monday, has as its current line-up Emmitt, co-founder/mandolinist Vince Herman, bassist Greg Garrison, vocalist/keyboardist Bill McKay, drummer Jose Martinez and new banjoist Noam Pikelny.
"We're lucky to have found Noam," Emmitt said. "We had toured with (Utah native) Matt Flinner and really wanted him to join the band, but he had other commitments. We first met Noam at a gig in Champagne, Ill., last year. He came over to the Canopy Club and sat in with us. Mark was very impressed with him, and that said a lot, because it took quite a bit for Mark to be blown away."
After Vann's death, Leftover Salmon contacted Pikelny and asked him if he wanted to be a part of the band. "We resumed touring and found that Noam fit right in," said Emmitt. "Although no one can fully replace Mark, Noam is doing a great job filling the spot."
Leftover Salmon formed in Boulder, Colo., in 1991. "We were looking for something to do that would be fun," said Emmitt, who cited the Who, Yes, New Grass Revival, Hot Rise and Gordon Lightfoot as some of his musical influences. "We didn't want to work. We wanted to play music."
In the early days, Leftover Salmon became one of the founding fathers of the new wave of jam bands that include Widespread Panic, moe., Weapon of Choice and String Cheese Incident. Leftover Salmon booked its own shows and played mostly ski resort towns. "It was hard trying to get places to understand what we were about," Emmitt said. "When we told them we were a jam band, we got laughed at."
But once the band started landing gigs, a following developed in the resorts. "Our big challenge was breaking away from those gigs to bigger things. At first it was tough. We went on the road a few times and began to second-guess ourselves. We almost decided to go back to doing strictly the resorts."
Still, stubbornness kept the band going. And now, Leftover Salmon is one of the most popular jam bands in the business, and has on various occasions teamed with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck, John Cowan, the late Waylon Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Blues Traveller's John Popper, Widespread Panic's John Bell and Big Head Todd & the Monsters' Todd Park Mohr.
"It's hard staying out on the road, though," Emmitt said. "I think that's what our new challenge is. We're planning to go into the studio early next year. We've got some things written and can't wait to do a new CD."
Salt Lake performances
What: Leftover Salmon
Where: Zephyr Club, 301 S. West Temple
When: 10 p.m., Dec. 29 and 30
How much: $18-$20
Phone: 467-8499
Web: www.leftoversalmon.com or www.smithtix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com