Euphoria - Reviews
Mmm...Leftover Salmon
By Grant T. Michalski
Entertainment Staff
From The Technique - GA Tech
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Get a helping of this Salmon with a side of Euphoria, Leftover Salmon's third release and debut on Hollywood Records' Mountain Division.
If you, like me, follow the whole jam-band scene, you've no doubt heard of Leftover Salmon, a bluegrass-rock quintet from Boulder Colorado. Well, until I picked up this CD, I had never listened to any of their music I had just heard good reviews of their concerts. After hearing the CD, I can see why people rave about them.
The group, whose self-described style is "polyethnic cajun slamgrass," formed back in 1990 when members of the Left Hand String Band filled in for members of The Salmon Heads at a concert. The combined band, calling themselves "Leftover Salmon" played the gig and, in 1992, settled on it's current configuration.
Euphoria is Leftover Salmon's third album, and debut release on Hollywood Records' Mountain Division label. Euphoria is named after a song the last track on the CD) played by The Holy Modal Rounders, a band in which the father of Leftover Salmon bassist Tye North was drummer. Other Leftover Salmon releases include Bridges to Bert (1993) and Ask the Fish (1995).
Euphoria is an excellent album. It's eleven tracks of pure genuine music, untainted by commercialism and overproduction. It's overall simple sound with moments of concentrated skill reflects the genius of the band; just because you can play circles around ninety-five percent of the bands of today, doesn't mean you have to do so at every moment.
Euphoria's style ranges from pure bluegrass to blues to Ska. The CDs opening track, "Better," sounds like it came off a Sublime album while the fourth track, "River's Rising," reminds me of a Harry Chapin song (just with a good bit more energy). Leftover Salmon is a melting pot of several different musical styles, and the end-product is a stew that's bound to satisfy anyone.
From University of California San Diego
by Tarleton Gillespie
February 1998
Leftover Salmon made a splash in 1996 on the H.O.R.D.E. Festival second stage, and for good reason. Their wild take on the roots-rock genre disregards all convention, picking up and juggling nearly any style they can get their hands on. Peek beneath the prerequisite guitar noodling and slaphappy lyrics on "Euphoria", their major label debut, and you'll find bluegrass, calypso, Cajun, and ska thrown deftly into the mix.
Their versatility is their best asset and biggest stumbling block. Looking for a Grateful Dead piano shuffle? Try "Baby Hold On." Maybe you want a Louisiana strummer with a calypso shimmy? "Mama Boulet" is the song for you. In the mood for a jammin' boot-stomper with a hint of ska? Give "Better" a listen. For the most part, the variety is refreshing and impressive. Occasionally it seems a bit staged, like precocious children tugging on our shirtsleeve, desperate to show us their newest trick. Then again, as the album settles in its second half into a comfortable bluegrass style it does lose some of the exuberance of the first few cuts.
Leftover Salmon (the name? two bands united to form Leftover Salmon: The Salmon Heads and Left Hand String Band) manages to breath a little life into the roots-rock genre. The H.O.R.D.E. tour has struggled to define itself recently -- whether to branch out with performers like Beck and Ben Folds Five, who don't sound at all like Phish, or to stay close to the bone and risk sounding like a tired Deadhead memorial tour. Discovered gems like Leftover Salmon, with their virtuosity and infectious energy, might just be the fish they need.
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