The following was posted to HORDEnet <horde@world.std.com>, March 10, 1994 with the subject, "my.book.about:.....A.R.U..with.L.S....3/8.and.3/9..." "3/8 before i went into Club Babyhead, i spotted a big yellow schoolbus with Leftover Salmon and Jambay stickers. i went up to the door and met michael, the drummer for LS, and Mark, the banjo player. both were very nice, they invited me onto the bus and we talked for a few minutes. (at this point i had not even ever heard them play). they told me their instruments (which i love) and so we started talking about cajun and bluegrass. they described their sound as "Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass." next,inside, i talked to Leftover Salmon's soundman, Doug. he was very personable, and helpful getting me set up to tape the show on the soundboard's (club's) deck. okay, so finally Leftover Salmon took the stage. they were wonderful. finally, a band that meshed my favorite instruments and styles into an improvisional context!!! now, some people didn't care for them, primarily because they didn't care for the musical style, which is closest to bluegrass, IMO, but also sounds of reggae, cajun, zydeco, blues, jazz, country, and psychedelic rock. if you think that much folk/ethnic influence is for you, i heartily advise you to check out this band. and if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then i still advise you to check them out to see if you don't like the sound. for me, they were practically a band out of my dreams and hallucinations. almost like, if i could throw together all the intruments and sounds that i love most into one band, it would come out to be LS. it would be impossible for me to name a "favorite band," but i must say that LS ranks up there pretty high (pun intended). here's what LeftoverSalmon consists of: Vince: vocals, acoustic guitar, washboard, flute Mark: vocs, elctric&acoustic banjos Rob: bass Drew: vocs, electric guitar, electric mandolin, electric fiddle Joe: acordian and keys Michael: drums here is most of the setlist for LS in providence, 3/8: Ruebens Bosco Stumble Zombie Jamboree Head Bag Corn Fog Highway Tuna (aka Tu n'as pas aller[?]) Booboo another tidbit: i found out that Leftover Salmon includes members of two colorado bands, something like "The Left-Handed Bluegrass Band" and "The Salmonheads." so that's where their name comes from. maybe there should be an Aqua-Tour with Aquarium Rescue Unit, Phish, Leftover Salmon, and Water(also from colorado) 8-). i missed a couple of (ARU) songs when i went backstage with Leftover Salmon. we could still hear the show, plus my tape was going, so i didn't at all mind missing part of the ARU set in order to talk to the LS guys. they continued to be very kind (punny, again). both LS and ARU were very supportive of tapers, and lots of folks got soundboard feeds (at least 4 in providence, and 7 in boston)(plus several audience tapers) 3/9/94 fortunately for me, a fellow netter offered me a place to stay in boston, so i was able to make it to the 3/9 show as well (thanks!) again, i was allowed backstage, which was really nice. i hung out with the Leftover Salmon people for a while, and Oteil even came in for a while. i got to talk to Oteil for about a half an hour, with a circle of people backstage. he told me about West African symbols that he was studying (i think one of them appears on the new ARU bumperstickers), he also described the African shirts he wears onstage sometime (the one with the birds is worn by shamens, and the orange and green one is a traditional pattern). Oteil expressed dismay that LS was opening for ARU intead of the other way around, then we discussed the fact that both Phish and WSP have also opened for ARU. and, we talked about my home-state, Arkansas (we were discussing bluegrass, and the ozarks). the cool thing is, an hour later, during ARU's set, they played a song called "Arkansas" that they haven't played in a "long time." it's a song of an old Hampton LP called "Arkansas." i never did find out if they played it because we talked about Arkansas or if it was unrelated, but it really got me psyched to hear it anyway!!! the Leftover Salmon set was even better than the night before. they did a little more improvisional stuff, and really sounded good. the crowd was like "what's this?" at first, but after 2 or 3 songs, the place was hoppin' and people were obviously getting into it. between bands, i was backstage again, where i said hello Mike Gordon. i didn't see Trey, but i believe he was there, as was Jon. Mike was wearing a nametag that said "Pracilla"(spell). apparently, Mike played a song or two with ARU, but it was at the beginning of the set when i was still chilling backstage with LS and crew. also, just before ARU went on, i got to see Mark from LS jam on Banjo with Col Bruce warming up on his Chazoid, both unplugged and jamming hard!!! as for ARU, they were also in better form in boston, which is probably attributable to several things: better sound in the club, a bigger stage, a better backstage, and a somewhat better crowd. The Col was ON!!!! also, Apt Q258 was really jamming, especially during Space is the Place. Mark guested w/ARU on banjo for a song, and Drew also played on a song or two. of course, their instrumentation sounded perfect with ARU. Tonight, both bands supposedly have offers to play on radio stations in Boston, but nothing was finalized as of last night. i also heard that LS has unfinalized offers from a few record labels, including Capricorn Friday night, LS and ARU will play in Burlington, VT. then saturday night, ARU will be playing with WSP at castleton, vt (LS will be there, although they are not scheduled to play----maybe we will see some of them guest with ARU, or with WSP [maybe drew on the fiddle, or a lovely Takeout-->PorchSong with Mark on banjo?!?!?] or MAYBE even members from all three groups will manage to hop on stage together. who knows? in fact, there is also a possibility that members of Phish will be at those Vermont shows. wow, this could be one serious historic jam in the making!!!!! at any rate, i would LOVE to be there, but i doubt i can get a ride up there. so those of you who are lucky enough to make it, please report how it goes, and have a great time! okay,anyone who read that whole damn post and made it to the bottom of my long-winded description deserves praise for their patience. sorry to type so much, but i had to get my thoughts in order and recorded about this most- fabulous two-day-tour i have been priveledged to witness! and one last thing: thank you ARU for introducing me to two awesome bands-- the Dave Matthews Band and Leftover Salmon. i first heard about both bands through netting (pun intended, once again), but i first saw both bands perform opening for ARU, who had the good sense to bring this great music up to New England. may they bring them your way, too!" <Daniel_Gold@brown.edu> "Saw Leftover Salmon for the first time yesterday.. here in Seattle... Hippies boogying with street people boogying with bikers boogying with trendies... Leftover Salmon was the best of the day. These guys can really play and I came away impressed... really dug the poly-ethnic cajun salmgrass. If these guys come to your town, go see 'em." <mwaggoner@ctc.ctc.edu> "I went to my first Leftover Salmon show this past weekend at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta and had a grrrreat time! ...I was blown away! It was one of the most energized shows I've been to recently.. they are definitely a lot of fun. Can't wait to hear them again...seen only one show here in atlanta earlier this year and am hooked... I have really gotten into the bluegrass style and influence, and with salmon's eclectic style and great playing, you can't help but jam!! ...They are (after hearing them but once) one of my favorite bands (phish, leftover salmon, and moe). wish i knew a song before i heard them, but even without knowing a single tune, i had a blast! check them out.. the tour schedule was posted a few days ago to phish.net." <genex@ix.netcom.com> "I just saw my first Leftover Salmon show in NY last night and had my head quite thoroughly blown away. They are great musicians and tons O' fun." <Threeefer@aol.com> "I just have to plug this band since I saw them last week here in Chapel Hill. They rule!!! I took a friend of mine who's a big Dead fan and was skeptical(sp?) before we went and afterwards he said he'd never question my taste in music again. If you get a chance you should definitely see them; I can't even describe the music--bluegrassy kinda rock, kinda cajun--just cool! If anybody has tapes let me know I'd love to trade for BT or Phish." <pagey@email.unc.edu> "I heard leftover Salmon for the first time this weekend and was fairly blown away. If anybody out there has any polyethnic cajun slamgrass to trade for some hq phish or dead or widespread, hendrix, zappa, etc. let me know. i really want to hear more from this band." <bjones22@utkux.utcc.utk.edu> "today's mail brought the news that David Grisman came out and jammed with them last night (the quote was "I mean F__KING JAMMMED!!!!!!"). My eyewitness reporter tells me that Drew was in heaven during the experience and Pete Sears sat in on keys both nights......... From my friend who has never seen them, whose opinion I trust and who loved them (duh): ---------- Forwarded message ---------- I'm probably going to have to get onto the salmon mailing list. I mean,marcie, what I heard last night is like Bela Fleck on speed (with a GOOD drummer!!). The show last night was SIIIIIICK. I couldn't help but thinking that these guys were the True Inheritors of the Dead's legacy,not phish... even though they are a cajun slamgrass band, or whatever the hell they call their brand of music. The guitarists are all fantastic. Just fantastic. Especially the banjo player. He is definitely the one of the best. I'm frightened to think what he could do on a guitar. It was quite An Experience. I can't recommend them enough. I honestly didn't think I'd see anything like that. I'm going to go again tonight. I don't care if they repeat songs!!!!!!!! Seeing Ken Kesey in the audience walking around was weird.. and it was good to see Wavy Gravy up on stage "jamming" with them (he was jamming using a Salmon... mockingly). The legends just happened to show up.." <taz@nowhere.net> "I completely agree...I saw Leftover Salmon for the first time Friday night at the Fillmore and it was by far the best show I have ever seen, and that beats the dead, Phish, Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler...these guys have so much energy and the musicianship is unbelievable...I'm glad to see that someone else had the same experience I had, my friends and I all felt that Leftover Salmon was amazing...Pete Sears playing with them was incredible...I would love to get tapes of this show, I have dead, Phish, Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler, Mother Hips, etc to offer, and if that does not suffice I'll send extra blanks (like a whole five pack)...I really want these tapes (3-15-96 especially), so please help me out...thanks." <kfclifford@usdavis.edu> "I saw my first show on 3/15/96 at the Fillmore in SF. It was awesome. Much grander (yes that's a word; I just made it up) than I expected. My wife, who tends to show some disdain for my favorite, Phish, loved LoS. She bought the Live CD towards the end of the second set to beat the after-show rush." <GeoffBall@aol.com> "My brother took me to my first LoS show Feb. 2nd in the middle of an ice storm and they played an acoustic set with the generator hooked up to the mikes because the power was out. We didn't get to stay long and I liked what I heard, but when I went to a "real" show here in Chapel Hill a couple weeks later, I was sold. I was shocked the other day when I heard myself say I liked these guys better than Phish or Blues Traveler!!!" <pagey@email.unc.edu> "my first show was 12/08/95 at the fillmore, & ever since these guys have been one of my favs. (if not my fav.) band... The tape of the acousic set (mic'd) on this night still blows my mind.... it sounds so very kind." <MAnsolab@aol.com> "I was dreading sitting through a tedious opening act, but Salmon hit the stage like musical terrorists and proceeded to blow up every pretension and musical condescension to which I clung. I left the show that night with my horizons very greatly broadened and my mind wide- open... last weekend, I attended two Salmon shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco, and the bruises from my jaw repeatedly hitting the floor are beginning to heal. They were absolutely incomparable. More fun than inheriting a fortune from a long-lost relative. More joyous than seeing the sun rise from the top of a mountain that you thought you couldn't climb." <acrossland@epsilon.com> "i started listening to LoS about a year and a half ago, i bought 'bridges' strictly by word of mouth...i loved it, and it helped to further my bluegrass 'epiphany' that was happening at the moment (with the help of people like bela and sam, of course :) i saw my first show here in baltimore at the 8x10 club in october....i was completley blown away...i still don't think i have ever had so much fun at a show...the goofiness and incredible musicianship happening at the same time on the stage is something that i have yet to find in any other bands...i think one of the best things about it is that i dragged a bunch of people with me who did nothing but groan when they saw banjos and fiddles, but left completley digging the show....i guess that is what it is all about, right??" <JPALMA@LOYOLA.EDU> "I first heard Leftover in a Walkman waiting out a storm at the refugio of Cotopaxi, the world's highest active volcano, in Ecuador of all places. It was an Avagodros Number show with a smokin Blister." <pcharrig@students.wisc.edu> "I caught my first Salmon show here in Boone in the winter of '94 and havn't missed them yet when they've come to town. The last two shows at Legends were awesome and I can't wait until Merlefest in April...Salmon is definately starting to get to be very well known as an incredible band!" <JM984@conrad.appstate.edu> "We first saw LoS last summer at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and were completely blown away. We've seen them twice since then in Chicago, 7/21/95 at the Cubby Bear and 9/22/95 at Bub City. I enjoy them more each time. I've turned at least another dozen folks on to LoS by way of kind sbd tapes and we've got a whole crew of folks coming into town for the 4/5 show at the Cubby Bear. In short, I love their music and their Bridge The Bert philosophy. I think great when such strong pickers consiously use their music to bring diverse types of people together and/or support good causes (like SOS). I wholly subscibe to their musical vision." <deadshow@well.com> "Just saw Leftover Salmon this weekend, and I recommend them to anyone! I had the best time since the Boys hung it and Garcia laid to rest. If you've never heard of Leftover, they are a bluegrass/funk/reggae band composed of a knockout mandolin (slide mandolin at times), banjo, guitar, bass, and drums. Their originals are great, and they play some nice covers (The Band's The Shape I'm In, and the Encore was Kind Bud Burnin on the Mountain>Don't Bogart That Joint, Man.) If they come your way, go check them out." <dbang@indiana.edu> "I'd like to give a brief review of the Leftover Salmon show on 4/10, for those who may have never seen/heard them. Venue: Municipal Cafe, Hartford, CT. This was the first time I had ever heard their music, and I was blown away. They were pickin 'em clean on the mandolin and the banjo, but each guy was also playing incredible rhythms. I was most impressed with the rhythm playing of these guys, including the acoustic guitar player. This is probably because I normally associate the banjo and mandolin with playing individual notes as fast as possible, which they did as well. The mandolin player also played fiddle and slide guitar, and was one of the most talented musicians I've ever seen. These guys have a crazy bluegrass style which is also extremely smooth. Not to mention the Caribbean-style tunes they threw in every now and then. Humor is also a part of their lyrics/stage presence. These guys are incredible. Go see them." <pkraus@panda.uchc.edu> "I 1st saw los in Athens a couple months ago and i got my ticket for next week also. As everyone knows i was blown off my feet. I was totally not expecting such a spectacular show." <GGOEBELE@MUSIC.CC.UGA.EDU> "Some of my other favorite things about the band include their ability to drive the crowd into a frenzy with their ecstatic jamming, the energy exchange between audience and band, the bands friendliness, and the kindness of others in the audience. It's also a special pleasure to watch newcomers stare with their jaws agape until the music moves into their bodies and by the end of the show they're Dancing Uncontrollably. (that was me(: )" <openint@cruzio.com> "Been hearing about you guys for about six months - all rave reviews. Finally had the chance to see you Sat. at Irving Plaza in NYC and was blown away - keep it up!!" <gshanken@sharknet.com> "this guy [Drew Emmitt] was beyond frenetic; if grisman played at that speed for as long as he did, he *would* lose about 50 pounds. right there on stage. I've never seen such energy! Leftover Salmon was fun, definitely worth watching for." <narad@nudibranch.asd.sgi.com> "Before the [Wavy Gravy] Bday Bash, I was a Boxset and Ratdog fan. Now, I'm a Leftover Salmon and Kantner/Mangano Fan!!!" <brownid@itsa.ucsf.edu> "Overall I thought the best band of Saturday was Leftover Salmon. I hadn't heard these guys before and they just blew me away." <ulysses27@aol.com> "Caught my first Leftover Salmon gig at Laguna Seca Daze last weekend. They're GREAT!" <gophish@earthlink.net> "After leaving my stupid day job one day, I went to a little town here in texsucks and saw a band there called Leftover Salmon...they too were doin their thang on stage...musically it was bluegrass on shrooms, but man it was INCREDIBLE...I too could feel Jerry [Garcia]'s presence, it was amazing. They did a whacked out version of Jimi [Hendrix]'s "hey joe" but man everyone was dancin' dancin' dancin' in the streets...pretty darn nifty time..." <judyh@flash.net> "I first ran into LoS at MerleFest last year and was completely blown away--already they rank right up there with the Dead for me... I very much regretting missing the Bayou for Phish (but, all of my tickets and rides, etc. were set up before I knew about the LoS shows)-- just a side note that I have been discussing with some of my friends (I don't know how many of you like Phish) but lately, I have been noticing that the scene at Phish is getting less and less friendly and some of the people who come aren't interested in being friendly and dancing and talking. It is pretty scary to me-- especially since the Dead is no longer around-- but of the two LoS shows I've seen, I've noticed a totally different atmosphere-- and though I completely love the music, it is totally enhanced by the people, which fills a void for me which the end of the Dead left-- I was just wondering if anyone else has been having these same vibes." <evansrl@mnsinc.com> "I saw Leftover Salmon for the first time Sat night at the Bayou in DC. All I can say is WOW! This band is hot!" <rshall@richmond.infi.net> "I couldn't agree with this [the Dead-like vibe] more. I've felt this about the LoS scene since day one. I remember looking back at the crowd during my first Fillmore show (8/95?) last year and seeing the whole crowd bouncing up and down with big grins...I remember looking around and thinking that it couldn't be better!! Even the floor was bouncing about and down. Since then (about 10 shows and 5 festivals on top of that) I don't feel like they've lost *any* of their magic. They still bring smiles to all and make us boogie. I'm glad that they seem to be drawing bigger crowds (the boys gotta eat after all)... even though it means you have to get your tix ahead of time and have a little less room to dance they're still the best show in town. I have never seen a crowd sooo courteous of those packed in with it. I really hope this continues... Nothing beats a weekend at the Fillmore with LoS!!! We've gotten some great Salmon festival appearances out this way over the Summer, but nothing really compares to a two set Salmon fix." <marksa@tcsi.com> ".....Little did I know it really would be the last time I would ever hear Jerry live. Wish the ride had never ended. I have since found another band I enjoy almost as much as the Dead... Leftover Salmon. They play Polyethnic Cajun Slam Dance music. It's a little zydeco, a little country, a little bluegrass and a little rock and roll all mixed together is some "get your happy feet goin kinda music." The only problem is they only make it to the East about twice a year." <Dawn@webserve.net> "How can one not groove to LoS???? My 1st show was the Wavy Gravy B-day benefit last year and I was instantly hooked. And that was a really laid back show. If they're playing on the [Further] tour I'll go just to see them." <scott.fernandes@trex.ccc-infonet.edu> "BTW, I got turned on to LoS about a year and a half ago, and managed to catch my first show about a month ago at Pearl Street in Northampon Mass. I have been spreading the word about the best damn band on earth constantly since that show, and its very comforting to know that there are so many other people who feel that way!" <tdsmith@colby.edu> "Hello all LOSers. I am new to the list but not so new to Salmon. I caught my first show when they opened for Widespread Panic last May at Red Rocks. I must say that I am a huge WSP fan. But I didn't want Salmon to leave the stage. I wish they would have played the whole night. Since then I have seen EVERY single All ages show in Colorado..." <brad@dimensional.com> "I brought four LoS newbies who'd heard a little bit of some of my tapes but not much. They had a blast and couldn't say enough good things... One of kids I dragged to the show is a total punk/ska listening freak and he had a great time. The funniest response was 'I never imagined myself gettin down to "Honky Tonk Woman."'" <cwb@msu.oscs.montana.edu> "I got Salmonized in the summer of '91, on Sunday night of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. LoS did not play the festival proper, but played a local bar. My friends and I were dead tired after four days of outstanding music, dancing, hiking, partying and hanging out with cool people. Someone had been dropping flyers all over town, and we heard a few good things from people in the crowd, so we went to see the purveyors of 'polyethnic cajun slamgrass' music. (One of our party was an ex slam-dancer, and we were pretty hot on xydeco music, as well as, the obvious bluegrass.) We went to the show, which was in the basement of a small place (I'm really guessing here, but maybe 250 tops?) and we never sat down from the moment LoS hit the stage. Vince was in outstanding form; he took us all through the most incredible, enjoyable, hilarious 20-minute polka thrash of everybody's soul favorites. Sometimes you had to stop dancing because you were laughing so hard. I think they must have played for about 3 hours, but my sense of time was stretched at that point anyway. By the end of the evening, I could hardly stand up. None of us could wipe the s**t-eating grins off our faces. We had been Salmonized." <TRUMBO@Opus1.COM>The show described above was just after the Leftover Salmon "thing" started to "swim." In fact, the Left-Hand String Band had played the Telluride show earlier that weekend. The "boys" never seem to get enough picking in, so they had started going into the bars in town as Leftover Salmon after the Festival show and playing whatever they felt like. Maybe it was the parental lecture that music is just another form of entertainment like a comedian's performance or the evening news on TV and a big part of being an entertainer is providing pleasure to the audience, or maybe they were just having a good time watching other folks have a good time. Whatever it was, they had begun to notice that the crowds liked what they were doing in town - antics and all - better than the "straight stuff" they were doing at the Festival. The Salmon were becoming Salmonized themselves...
How many notes in a Leftover Salmon Show? Lots! A newbie's reaction...
"from a show last month at the Fox... I bumped into a friend outside who had never seen them before. I asked him what he thought, and with a look of pure amazement, all he said was 'That's a whole lotta notes. Do they get paid by the note? They gotta get paid by the note... no other reason to PLAY that many notes. WOW.... that was a LOT of notes.'" <jeff.stampes@xilinx.com> "Last Saturday's show in Tampa marked the first time LoS played in the state of Florida, and I assure you they will be welcomed back.... The crowd at first was pretty tame, most unfamiliar with LoS (at one point, Vince asked "How many of you are experiencing Leftover Salmon for the first time?" and 90% of the crowd screams), and the boys' energy kind of reflected that. However, as is usually the case, by about an hour into things, everyone was having a great time, dancing like crazy. The boys kick out an incredible "Rueben's Train" (my friend comments: "Where the hell did that come from?") and it just heads uphill from there. Members of New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars and a Zydeco band from Texas (?) join them for some jam... A great time! It was so great to see so many people (so many *diverse* people I might add) getting into LoS for the first time. It was an incredible experience. (Oh, my roommate caught them for the first time that night as well- she swore she wouldn't like it, but said she'd give it a try, and ended up having an awesome time!)" <milase00@wfu.edu> " The Night I Became a LoS Fan For Life (June, 1996) Spring quarter had just gotten out and several of us Auburn students were back in our home town of Sylacauga, AL for the break before we started back to summer school. A few of us (me, another guy, his girlfriend, and 2 other girls), having nothing else better to do in the Metropolis of Sylacauga, decided to go to the City Stages Music Festival in Birmingham, a 45 minute drive. Two of the girls (we'll call them Samantha and Cindy) went to Birmingham earlier in the day to go shopping, so I road with the other guy and his girlfriend (we'll call them Mike and Laura). I was excited about seeing Leftover Salmon whom a friend of mine had told me where quite good. I had never seen or even heard of them before that. Also, playing that night were the Village People, Neville Brothers, and a bunch of other bands for all tastes of music. The three of us were unable to obtain any alcohol, as we were all 19 or 20 and we couldn't find anyone in Sylacauga to buy any for us. But other than that, everything went according to plan. We met the 2 shopping girls without a problem, just in time to see the boys at 7:00. And let me tell you, they jammed. Immediately, I was a fan for life (AND COMPLETELY SOBER!). I had really enjoyed shows before, but never this much, and never this sober. I was having a blast; however Samantha and Cindy had come to City Stages to see the Villiage People. At 8:00, they said to me, "We better start walking over to the Villiage People stage." (they started at 8:30) I said, "I don't want to see the Village People." She said, "Well, we do." I said, "Fine. Let's just wait until Leftover Salmon is over." (they were scheduled to stop at 8:30) She said, "ok". But she didn't mean "ok". Five minutes later, she said, "We need to start heading over to the Villiage People if we are gonna get a place where we can see." (I think I raised my voice a little louder than I should, because I was REALLY enjoying the show and I was tired of being bothered) I said, "Go on, we'll meet y'all there." I had felt for sure Mike would back me up on that and he did... The three of us stayed at LoS, while Sam and Cindy left. The boys didn't disappoint. But 15 minutes later (LoS had , at most, 10 minutes left), Laura showed who ruled the relationship, declaring that they were leaving to see the Villiage People. I stated very clearly that I wanted to stay for the rest of Leftover. Laura whined, "Joey, just come on." I said, "No, I'll find y'all at the Villiage People." So they left and I stayed, just as the boys announced they had one more song. I don't remember what it was (like I said, I didn't know any of their songs at the time), but it was awesome. The whole time they were jamming, I was thinking, "Even if I can't find Laura and Mike (my ride home) at the Villiage People and have to go to the car and wait, it is worth it just to hear this song." Well, the show ended, so I reluctantly walked to the Villiage People stage. I, of course, couldn't find my friends, and I didn't like the looks of the crowd and I didn't want to see the Villiage People anyway, so I went to the entrance that you had to go through to get to the stage, and stood and waited, thinking they would eventually leave out of that gate. I couldn't see the V.P. (thank god), but I could hear them. Did you know all of their songs sound like Y.M.C.A.? Well, I waited through the whole show (longest 2 hours of my life) and everyone started leaving, right back by where I was standing. I stood up and started looking for my ride home. Finally, everyone had left and I still hadn't found them. Crap! I thought, "Well, they must be waiting at the car." So I walked back to the car (about a half-mile from the entrance). The car was gone. Crap! I thought, "Well, they must be driving around looking for me." So I stood and waited for them to come back..., but they didn't. So I started to realize they weren't coming back...that I had been left in Birmingham, a long way from home. It was past midnight now. "Who can I call? My grandparents live in Birmingham. No, they would never understand." Then, I remembered a friend from high school that went to school in Birmingham. With the help of 1411, I was able to get his phone number. I was elated. I quickly called the number...and got the damn machine. I left a message (which he later told me he played a million times) and I don't really remember what I said, but I know it included the word "Laura" and several curse words. I walked back into the gates of the closed City Stages festival because I felt safer than just walking the streets of downtown Birmingham. I would wait a little while, then I would call my friend, wait, call, wait, call. This went on for about an hour. I didn't know what I was gonna do. Then finally at about 2:00am, he answered. After laughing for a long time, he gladly came and gave me a ride back to his place. I slept on the floor. Luckily, the next day was Father's Day, so he went back to Sylacauga to see his Dad and gave me a ride home. Explaining to my parents what happened was embarrassing, because it was partly (or largely) my fault. I didn't talk to Laura or Mike for a long time, but I have forgiven them for leaving me and they sure as hell paid me back for not sticking with them. In conclusion after all the hell I went through that night, I would like to say IT WAS WORTH IT." <carltjm@mail.auburn.edu> "I started listening to LOS about a year ago. I was at a party and someone I had been talking to mentioned the band. Trusting their judgement I went out the next day and bought a CD. Its all been snowballing from there. Due to such a busy summer I was unable to catch a show then (bummer), then I was surfing the web a few weeks ago, and found the fall tour. Unfortunatly the closest show was in Nashville, the day after a friends wedding in northern indiana (close to my home in MI). I debated about 30 seconds and decided I had to see the show. So after my 6 hour trip to the wedding from IL, my pooch and I left imediatly after the reception for Nashville. 8 hours later I arrived in Nashville. The show was incredible, one of the best performances I've ever seen (i've seen the Dead, Phish, rusted root and god only knows how many other bands). You just have to love it when you can tell a band is just DIGGING the music they are playing and play it so well. Needless to say, I am planning my second show as I type this (St. Olaf College). Minnesota here I come!!!!!!!!!!" <GDTKE1@aol.com> "I would share a little on how I got to love and crave Salmon. Living in NYC its hard to hear the boys -- maybe they come around once a year.I planned my vacation time from work to go out there with a friend and figured I would head up to the Oregon Country Fair the following weekend. Well my friend backed out at the last minute and I have an extra ticket to High Sierra and no way to get there from the airport. So I went cyber.... i went online and was looking w/ someone with the same musical taste as I did who was online the same time. Thats when I met Dave. We chatted for a bit and felt pretty comfortable - asked him if he was going to High Sierra and he said no cuz he didnt have the money. Thats when I made the offer -- if he picked me up from the airport, hung for the weekend and brought me back to the airport the ticket was his. Sure enough he was thrilled he got a ticket and I was styling w/ a ride and a kind friend to hang w/ for a few days. He had to be an awesome person cuz he loved Salmon & String Cheese as much as I did. Well... my flight was late but Dave was still waiting for me, we went to High Sierra and it was more amazing then I could ever imagine. Dancing and groving and hanging in the mountains was spectacular. I hung w/ Dave and his friends and they were great people as all salmonheads are :) <PHUNKYME@aol.com>