Date: Wed, 7 May 1997 16:34:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Taz <taz@nowhere.Net>
To: LOSers <leftover@lists.colorado.edu>
Subject: Leftover Salmon FAQ (long)

First off, HOWDEEEEE! to all you new subscribers!  We are sometimes
quiet 'round these parts, but please never feel shy about posting to the
list.  If you have any questions, send them to me (or the list) and we 
will try to answer them.  

**Leftover Salmon Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (updated 5.7.97)**

This is an ongoing work in progress.  I am just the person who 
volunteered to put it in order, collect answers to the questions, etc.  
If you see something that doesn't fit, something that should be included 
or have a new question or comment, please email me at: taz@nowhere.net

I will be updating this kinda frequently and posting it when I can or 
when there is a demand for it.  I am also working on a mini-FAQ for list 
options and other MORE FAQ's that I can just send to the list once 
a week, or something.  :)

A copyright is claimed by Marcie Dergel, the author, on behalf of and
for exercise by all contributors, the band and their fans.  This
document may be reproduced and distributed as long as the following is 
met:  1) It is always copied in whole, unchanged and with this notice 
intact, and 2) not sold, distributed commercially or otherwise used for 
financial gain; and 3) no work derived from this work may be distributed 
or offered for any fee.

Editor's note:  I would like to publicly thank Ellis Godard and all the 
folks at Phish.net for having such a thorough FAQ.  It is this format 
that I borrowed from.  Please consult the phish.net FAQ for references
on matters such as taping and dubbing, nettiquette, etc. 
I also express TONS of gratitude to everyone on the LOSer's List
(leftover@lists.colorado.edu) for asking such great questions, and for 
sharing their thoughts and answers.  There are too many people to name, 
but you know who you are!


Section I:   Q&A's about the Leftover Salmon discussion list
Section II:  Q&A's about Leftover Salmon, the band and their music
Section III: Q&A's about stories and meanings
Section IV:  A brief review of taping policies and 'trees'


_Section I:   Q&A's about the Leftover Salmon discussion list_

Q:  Does LOS have a homepage?

Yes.  Check out http://www.leftoversalmon.com (the Ofishial page).


Also check out Bryant Vann's <vann@his.com> excellent fan site:

http://www.his.com/~vann/LoSstuff/losfans.htm

(there is much info here including reviews, lyrics, pics, .wav files and
more!)

If you want setlists, go to Scott Nichol's <snichols@digitech.com> setlist 
page at:

http://207.14.230.172/indx_f_2.htm

If you're looking for archives, Patrick M Chase <pmc@world.std.com> 
started dumping digests from this list to:

http://world.std.com/~pmc


Q: Is there anyway I can talk to and meet other folks who like them?

Yup - you are referring to LOSers.  Ahhhh - you ask yourself "What is a
LOSer?"   The rabid fans of LOS have gleefully dubbed themselves LOSers 
(it's a play on LOS - LeftOver Salmon).  To meet or become a LOSer, 
join the Leftover Salmon discussion group!  Send a message to: 

      listproc@lists.colorado.edu    

with the following message in the BODY (no subject at all):

      subscribe leftover <your first and last name>

leaving off the <>s and using your own first and last name.

**NOTE:  Please subscribe from the address you wish to receive your mail
at!!!**


Q:  What can I expect?

A bunch of friendly folks who like to talk about the band, share show 
reviews, trade tapes, and learn about Salmon history (in the making) and 
trivia.  You can also expect timely updates on their tour schedule, 
previous night's setlists, good gossip from the extended family and 
other bands that you might want to check out.


Q:  Is there any information I should know that will help me with the
list??

Here's a brief list of commands that will help you more easily navigate
this discussion group/mailing list.

First, to post to the list, address your message to:

leftover@lists.colorado.edu

This is the *only* address that will work if you're trying to post to
the list!  But be aware that you cannot use this address to change your
settings or issue commands to the List Processor (see below).  In fact,
you'll probably confuse everyone on the list if you do!

If you want to change the settings for the list, the address you want to
send your request to is:

listproc@lists.colorado.edu

(Note: messages sent to this address will *not* be sent to the
discussion group list!!!  Any message which does not contain a command 
request in the message body will come back in error.)

An example of commands you can execute (the command should be in the
message body of your mail.  Commands should be on one line only.  If you
have a signature in your mailer, you should delete it when sending
requests to the list processor):

help                         <--This will tell you everything you need
                                to know about the various commands
                                available to you on the list.  Since
                                there's a whole lot of stuff left out
                                here, this would be your best shot if
                                you want to learn about the commands
                                available to you.

set leftover mail digest     <--just what it sounds like.  This command
                                 will allow you to receive the list in
                                 digest form, which will cut down on the
                                 number of letters in your mailbox.
                                 The digestifier will send you the day's
                                 postings from the list once a day.

review leftover              <--This will send you an automatic message
                                 from the List Processor, showing the
                                 list's settings as well as who's on the
                                 list.


Q:  What about other ways of getting info?

Call The Salmon Line at (303) 546-2790 for tour info and lots of cool 
stuff to buy (including CD's and T-shirts, etc.)

You can also get their newsletter (The Bridge) by sending a postcard to:

Leftover Salmon
PO Box 393
Nederland, CO  80466

If none of the above options get you the info you need, ask the
LOSers!!!  We might be able to help.



_Section II: Q&A's about Leftover Salmon, the band and their music_


Q:  What kind of music does Leftover Salmon play?

Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass


Q:  What is Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass?

Come see, hear and feel for yourself!  It can be explained, but has been 
agreed upon that it must be experienced first-hand!!  Anybody who has
ever been to a Leftover Salmon show knows just what this means. This blend 
of American folk styles has people dancing all across the country. With
slamming rhythm and twisty humor, Leftover Salmon plays a fusion of Cajun, 
funk, bluegrass, reggae, zydeco, rock,and polka all woven together by five
adventurous, skilled musicians who love to have fun.  How can you NOT have 
fun at a Leftover Salmon show?


Q:  Who are the members of the band and what do they play?

Vince Herman - vocals, guitar, washboard
Drew Emmitt - vocals, mandolin, fiddle, electric guitar
Mark Vann - Banjo, waterphone, rubber fish, vocals
Michael Wooten - Drums
Tye North - bass


Q:  How did the band form?  Where did the band's name come from?  

The quintet was born when members of two popular Colorado bands merged.
Players from The Salmon Heads, known for their crazy Cajun music, and
Left Hand String Band, a progressive bluegrass/newgrass band, joined
forces to explore their more eclectic musical sides. Playing a multitude of
instruments - mandolin, bass, fiddle, keyboards, drums, banjo, flute and
guitar - Leftover Salmon creates a sound all their own...  These
musicians are able to play together with a level of spontaneity that 
surprises even themselves.


Q:  Where did Left Hand String Band get its name?  

>From the  "Lefthand Canyon" running from the plains near Boulder up into 
the Front Range toward Ward, CO.


Q:  How long have they been playing together?  

>From the LOS fall '95 newsletter
(referring to being at Telluride Bluegrass Festival in the summer of
'95):

"It was a great feeling to play on that Telluride stage as the band
really had its beginnings at the Festival in 1989.  The Left Hand Salmon
Spankers entered the band contest that year and placed an impressive 6th 
out of a field of 7 bands.  The good times we had there convinced Mark to 
sell his house, quit his job, and move to Colorado.  It's all been a good 
time ever since."

That may mark the start of the Leftover Salmon, more or less, but
clearly the other two bands met up earlier.  Mark had bumped into some of 
them (Probably Drew and Vince) at earlier Telluride Festivals, and he
finally moved from VA to CO in 1990.



Q:  Which members of the current lineup played in which band?  Who 
are (were) the other members of Left Hand String Band and The Salmon
Heads?

Members of the Left Hand String Band, circa 1991 were:
Drew, Mark, Rob Wheeler (guitar, vocals) and Glen Keefe (bass).

***Anyone know who the members of The Salmon Heads were?***

Members of LOS, circa 1992 were:  Mark, Vince, Drew, Michael Wooten, 
Joachim Jogerst (keyboard and accordian) and Rob Galloway (bass).

There was another drummer before Michael, named either Jesse or Josie 
(he was called The Outlaw Josie Wales in either case...), and Glen Keefe 
played bass (both up until just before the Bridges to Bert disk).

Tye replaced Rob somewhere around 1993, and the keyboardist (Joachim)
left around the early part of 1994.  



Q:  What brands of instruments do they play? 
***(Keep sending additions)***

Mark:  Peavey Nashville 400 and a Deering Crossfire.
       Nechville banjo and trusty electric tree stump.  (Yep, it's 
       really a tree stump!)  The waterphone is a creation of sunny 
       California, and it's the featured instrument in the stage 
       renditions of "Ask the Fish."  Its that round thing with chimes
        on it. It's played with a bass fiddle bow.  The rubber fish hails from 
       the Woolworth Five and Dime.  Mark says he has "A big ol' pile of 
       banjoes" at home.

Vince:  Chet Atkins Gibson Custom, washboard and this cute, little
        guitar he bought one time in DC.  It's little. And other assorted
        goodies - next time you say hi to him, ask him about what his 
        current new 'toy' is.

Tye:    Tye has 3 basses -- a Modulus SPI-Custom Purple Heart 6 string, 
        the Modulus fretless with Koa body and a Quilted Maple 
        Vintage Sunburst, a fretted 5 string, which he says is 'for slappin'.

Drew:  Nugget A5 Acoustic Mando (recently refinished)
       Ron Oats Solidbody Electric Mando
       Ron Oats Semi Solidbody Electirc Mando (this is new)
       Paul Reed Smith Custom Electric Guitar
       Zeta Stratos Fiddle

Woo:   ????


Q:  Who else is involved with the band?

The Booking Agency:  Armand Sadler & Vision International 
The Publicist:  Ambrosia Healy
The Road Manager:  Jack Thompson
The Stage Crew: Jeffrey Learner
The Managers: Chuck Morris & Mark Bliessner
The Merchandiser: Michael Henry (audio archivist as well)
The Lighting Crew: John Conrad
The Sound Engineer: Steve Smith (thank him for that patch)
Bus Driver du Tour: "Bobby" on this trip


Q:      Are they signed to a label?

Ayup!  Hollywood Records is their label - check out their new CD
"EUPHORIA".


Q:  What bands have they either opened for, had open for them or jammed
with?  (an ever growing list, please keep sending additions).

David Grisman, Mike Gordon, Pete Sears, Ricki Scaggs and Bela Fleck and 
the Flecktones.  Wavy Gravy was seen playing the 'air fish' once....

Joan Osborne (she opened for them once). From Good Homes (also opened), 
Salmon has opened for Little Feat, Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue
Unit (LOS opened for them on LOS's first northeast tour in early 1994).  They
opened for Ziggy Marley in Vail back in 1993. Fiji Mariners, Thanks to 
Gravity, Eugene Chadborne, Hypnotic Clambake, moe., The Zukes of Zydeco, 
Little Sister, Nil Lara, Jump Little Children, Moon Boot Lover, Ugly 
Americans, Sister 7, Apricot Jam, Box Set, and McGraw Gap have all
shared the bill with LOS.  

Wide-Spread Panic, Blues-Traveler, Baby Gramps (at ROAM and
the latest show at Fillmore), Michelle Shocked (at ROAM at least),
Klezmer All-Stars (also at ROAM), Brave Combo, Freebeerandchicken, 
Jambay, Fun in the Nuclear Age, and, of course, they've opened for 
themselves (at Fillmore) as Left Hand String Band!  John Cowan (of NGR) 
sat in (MerleFest) as did Jon Medeski of MMW (at the Shoreline HORDE
set).

(There's many more, please email me - Marcie)



_Section III: Q&A's about stories and meanings_


Q:  What is all this stuff about Bridging the Bert?  Who's Bert?!? 
    What's this Bridge?

Bridges to Bert has a story, a meaning and an allusion, not necessarily
in that order.  The story was born a few years ago at a place called 
State Bridge (in central Colorado, near Silverthorne).  The
band had just played what apparently was a long, fun and crazy show.
Someone who had attended the show decided to write a comment on a napkin
saying how much fun he had had at the show.  The message was supposed to 
read: "State Bridge is the Best!!!!"  Unfortunately, the guy was not in 
a very good state to concentrate on penmanship, so the last word
actually read "Bert."

Soon, it was clear to all that the Bridge really was the Bert, and a new
way of thinking was born.  The Bridge and Bert took on new meanings--in a
larger sense, Bert became the embodiment of a kind of enlightenment, and
the Bridge was the way to get there.  Of course, the band then found
other Bridges which seemed equally capable of achieving the state of
Bert-ness they sought, giving birth to the phrase, "Get on the Bridge!"
Of course, the Bridge IS the Bert.


Q:  Huh?  I'm still confused.

Check out the Leftover Web Page at http://www.leftoversalmon.com
for a complete guide from Mark Vann on how to practice Bridging 
the Bert!



Q:  Ask the Fish?  Ask the Fish what?

Ask the Fish about the dams, clear-cuts, pollution 
and mile-long drift nets.....Leftover Salmon is really serious 
about the increasing problems salmon are facing today.  Dams, 
pollution, etc. are killing them off rapidly.  

To get informed or get involved in this dilemna, call 
1-800-SOS-SALMON (1-800-767-7256) to receive a free citizens 
action kit from Save Our Wild Salmon.  

SOWS is a broad coalition of fishing, conservation, and energy 
advocates whose main goal is to preserve the natural habitat of 
salmon in the Pacific Northwest.  Ask the Fish about the dams, 
clear-cuts, pollution and mile-long drift nets.  Ask the Fish 
what you want to know - Ask the Fish why the water don't flow.


Q:  What's all this talk about Pasta?

Ask George and Martha Washington.  They grew it.


Q:  What's the deal with the hamburger?

You mean The Mayor McCheese!!!  He's a cheeseburger, 
thank you very much.  He's the only elected official 
in McDonaldland.  He's the big cheese!  :)



Q:  What's the next thing you know?

Ol' Jed's a millionaire!


Q:  What happened to the rubber fish?

It was stolen or about March 8, 1996 in Seattle.  Be on the lookout 
for one hot fish!  (Any updates???)



_Section IV: A brief review of taping policies and 'trees'_


Q:  Can I tape at their shows?

Sho' enough!  Salmon encourages taping of their live shows! 
They have a list of tapers that have taped their shows, so that the good 
word (and music) can be shared by all.  Please be aware, however, that 
some venues don't allow taping.  You should always call ahead to check
if the venue in question permits taping.  A soundboard is sometimes
available depending on the venue and their policies.  Please come 
prepared for any situation.


Q:  How can I get tapes?  

The discussion list is a great place to set-up trades with other
connoisseurs of Fresh Salmon.  Join the list, introduce yourself and ask 
for a trade!  You can also get on a 'tree'.  There is a separate mailing 
list set up just for tape trees, vines, bushes, whatever.  

Mail listproc@lists.colorado.edu.  In the BODY of the message write: 

subscribe los-vine <your names>.  

(Please leave off the <>s and put your real first and last names).

You can also refer to the Phish.net FAQ for a full description of taping 
and trading etiquette, dubbing, levels, etc.  You can find the Phish.net 
FAQ at:  http://www.netspace.org/phish/FAQ  or http://www.phish.net


Q:  What's a taping tree?

Here's a brief explanation:

Terms:

The Seed:    Usually provided by the taper of the show, this is the
             master copy of the show and tree (where everything comes from)

The Branch:  A branch receives a copy of the show from his parent (i.e.:
             the 1st generation DAT branches receive copies of the show from
             the seed) and copy it for several people.

The Leaf:    The leaf is the final portion of the tree. A leaf will receive
             the last copies of the show and have no obligation to copy  
             for anyone.  (These can be DAT or Analog leafs)

The parent (branch) is the person who is taping the shows for the people
below them (their children).  Of course someone can be both a parent and
a child in the tree, since they receive a copy of the show and also copy 
the show for their children.

DAT->DAT:    A DAT (Digital Audio Tape, no quality lost when copied to
             another DAT) copy to a DAT Clone
DAT->Analog: A DAT copy (clone from DAT) to an analog copy
A->Analog:   An analog copy to an analog copy
A LEAF:      Receives an analog copy (final portion of the tree)
D LEAF:      Receives a DAT copy (for people with no D>D capabilities,
             usually limited space)

Now, the way a tree works is that the master copy of the show is copied
through various branches so that as many people as possible can have
this show/s.  The master is copied from DAT (ideally) to (for example) 4 DAT
people. Each of these people will copy the show for at least two other  
DAT people.  These people (depending on the size of the tree) will copy 
the DAT copy to an analog copy and send them to analog people.  

Somewhere in the DAT portion, if there are empty spaces, a copy may be 
sent to a DAT Leaf, however these spaces are usually very limited.  (By 
the way, a DAT deck usually costs at least $700, analog branches, and 
much like a chain letter, each person who copies the show copies it for a 
few people so that the show can reach as many people as possible.  
Because of the amount of times a show needs to be copied it is
imperative that people who are higher up in the tree structure (closer
to the DAT copies) have high-quality equipment.  The minimum to be this
high in the tree usually is to have at least one 3-headed deck (around
$300 a piece).

The advantages of being higher in the branch is a better copy of the
show, it has gone through less copying.  And that is basically how it
works.  


***********************************************************************


For those of you who have read this far (YAY!) you get to know the REAL
DEAL.

The most frequently asked question that the band answers is (drum roll,
please):   

"WHERE'S VINCE?" 


c. 1997, Marcie Dergel
********End of Leftover Salmon Frequently Asked Questions*******