For four years, Colorado jam band Leftover Salmon headlined a festival at Estes Park’s historic Stanley Hotel, the locale that inspired the fictional Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s The Shining. This year, they’re moving the event to Colorado Springs with The Broadmoor hosting three days and nights of live music.
We spoke over the phone with Leftover Salmon’s bass player, Greg Garrison, while he and the band were on the road traveling through Tennessee and West Virginia. Garrison grew up in Chicago, but has lived in Colorado for 22 years. He holds a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Colorado, is currently part of their teaching faculty, and was a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning Punch Brothers. Listen in about what to expect about the bluegrass fest in our backyard.
Springs: Why relocate to The Broadmoor?
Greg Garrison: As more and more events increased at The Stanley Hotel, we began to feel as though our show wasn’t as unique as we’d like it—and we believe that the Broadmoor provides a special, uncommon experience for music lovers and our fans.
What will be different about this year’s festival?
There’s a lot more going on this year. We have a much bigger line up. As a venue, the Broadmoor gives us that space to grow.
What are you most excited about with this year’s festival?
I’m really excited for the opportunity to play with the Bluegrass Generals again.
Leftover Salmon’s latest album, Something Higher, was released last year. What can you tell us about it?
It’s all original music. We recorded it in about 10 days in Tuscan, Arizona … and Steve Berlin produced it, who’s a member of Los Lobos. It was the first time we recorded in a remote location outside of Colorado. It’s a different sounding album. It’s well-rounded … each and all of our creative voices shine through.
Can you clarify what “Stories from the Living Room” refers to? It’s on the line up for Sunday.
Recently, Tim Newby wrote a book about us on the road, called Leftover Salmon: Thirty Years of Festival! Surrounding that release, we started The Living Room Tour. They’re acoustic shows, with space between songs for us to tell stories from our history.
Any teases that you can mention?
There will be a special text service you can subscribe to that will inform users about secret, unannounced pop-up events throughout the festival.
Boogie at the Broadmoor, March 22-24
Here are some highlights on the festival docket. Get more info and tickets at boogieatthebroadmoor.com.
Don’t Miss
Local favorites Woodshed Red kick things off—in a free and open-to-the-public on Friday afternoon.
Friday
4:30 p.m. Opening Reception: Woodshed Red performs (free to the public)
8 p.m. Lukas Nelson & The Promise of the Real
10:30 p.m. Leftover Salmon
1 a.m. Pixie & The Partygrass Boys
1:30 a.m. Spinal Tap (movie)
Saturday
10 a.m. Morning Yoga
12 p.m. Tenth Mountain Division
2 p.m. Bluegrass Generals
4 p.m. Tenth Mountain Division
5 p.m. Revival: The Sam Bush Story movie and Q&A
8 p.m. Zach Deputy, Formal Masquerade night
9 p.m. Leftover Salmon With Sam Bush & High Country Horns
1 a.m. Southern Avenue
1:30 a.m. The Closing of Winterland (movie)
2 a.m. The Gong Show (talent show)
Sunday
9:30 a.m. Jam In Your Jammies
10 a.m. Morning Yoga
12 p.m. Tim Newby Q&A
3:30 p.m. The Sweet Lillies With Sally Van Meter
5 p.m. Leftover Salmon, Stories From The Living Room
7 p.m. Tejon Street Corner Thieves
8 p.m. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
10 p.m. Boogie Lounge hosted by Deadphish Orchestra
11 p.m. The Closing of Winterland continued
