Andy Thorn’s banjo has taken him to some incredible places.
There’s the typical places you’d find someone with a banjo, like stages, of which he’s stood and played the banjo with the bands Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Broke Mountain Bluegrass Band, Sticks & Thorns, or with his main gig in Leftover Salmon. Then there are the places his banjo has taken him you may not expect; like on the Kelly Clarkson show, his appearance the result of a viral video Thorn posted online from when he was playing banjo outside his home near Boulder and he was visited by a wild fox. His banjo playing also landed him a speaking spot for a Ted Talk from Breckenridge.
It’s been a wild ride for Thorn, and that ride continues when Leftover Salmon pulls into Durango next week, performing at the Community concert Hall at Fort Lewis College on Thursday.
Leftover Salmon has a solid history in Durango, their appearances dating back to the early 1990s when they’d play three- or four-night runs at the legendary and often missed venue Farquahrts. When Thorn joined Leftover Salmon over a dozen years ago, he was filling in for some big shoes, as the banjo role had been held by some greats, including Noam Pikelny (now of Punch Brothers) and the late Mark Vann. Thorn made himself known around Colorado from his time in Durango’s Broke Mountain, playing with Leftover Salmon founding member Drew Emmitt in the Emmitt-Nershi band, which ultimately led to him jumping on board with Leftover Salmon when they fired things back up after a short hiatus around 2010.
If you go
WHAT: Poly-ethnic Cajun slamgrass with Leftover Salmon.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 8).
WHERE: Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
TICKETS: $40/$60.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.durangoconcerts.com.
It was good from the get-go, as Thorn became an integral member of the band (a band he had loved since he was in high school) both as a contributing songwriter and key player in their self-described poly-ethnic, Cajun-slam-grass sound.
“It’s insanely cool, and from the beginning they made me feel like part of the band. We made an album (2012’s “Aquatic Hitchhiker“), and I ended up getting the title track, which it's just super cool to be involved in the songwriting process,” Thorn said. “That’s what’s cool about Drew and Vince (Herman) as band leaders; like some band leaders might not be willing to give you that kind of input, or they want to keep it to more of their songs, but with these guys, it’s been really inclusive from the beginning, and I still love working with them.”
The fox videos that have gone viral have likely turned people onto the banjo, an instrument they may otherwise have never thought of listening to. While its likely Kelly Clarkson didn’t download any Leftover Salmon onto a listening device after Thorn’s appearance, perhaps some viewers did. And Thorn’s Ted Talk, which talked of his relationship with a wild fox via the banjo, along with the connection between music and nature, likely connected him with new fans of his banjo playing, while turning people onto the banjo worldwide.
“The coolest thing about that viral video was hearing people from all over the world sending me messages in languages I don’t even understand,” he said. “Like literally, all these people from countries I’ve never heard of, saying ‘I never thought I liked banjo music until this video, but I realized I’m a huge fan of the banjo and I want to explore the instrument.’ That’s been the coolest thing.”
Leftover Salmon just released their latest single on all platforms, the Thorn-penned “Powder Day.” After Leftover Salmon’s show on the Fort Lewis College campus, Thorn’s next appearance in the area will be with his longtime friend and Broke Mountain bandmate Jon Stickley, when their duo “Sticks & Thorns” perform at Tico Time in May.
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
