Song Premiere: Leftover Salmon, "Flyin' at Night"

Leftover Salmon’s “Flyin’ at Night” rolls up the runway with glances off the snare, gaining speed with jaunty piano rolls, taking off and ascending into the stratosphere as striding banjo rolls weave around bopping organ strains. Jazzgrass at its best, the song conveys the exhilaration, the wonder, the newness-in-the oldness, the freedom of flying and life on the road. Every line captures the many experiences of hurtling through the dark—“thunderstorm raging outside my window,” “full moon rising in the sky/feeling alright/watching the silver clouds roll by.” On the first instrumental bridge Andy Thorn’s banjo plays call and response with Drew Emmitt’s mandolin, evoking the smoothness of mid-flight; Erik Deustch’s playful organ scampers around his jovial piano joyously bringing the flight in for a landing. As Drew Emmitt, Leftover Salmon’s co-founder says of the song: “’Flyin’ At Night’ is about the many times we’ve flown at night and how cool all the lights and sky look from 30 thousand feet. It’s also about the feeling of freedom and adventure of going somewhere new and exciting.” “Flyin’ at Night” sounds like what might happen if Chick Corea and Brian Auger added banjos and mandolins to their songs. As usual with Leftover Salmon’s music, once the song’s taken off, we never want to come down.

“Flyin’ at Night” is from Leftover Salmon’s forthcoming album, Brand New Good Old Days (Compass Records) out May 7th.