eTown Presents Andy Thorn and Erik Deutsch: a Night of Banjo and Piano Explorations
Erik Deutsch and Andy Thorn met in Colorado in 2016, when Erik showed up for his first Leftover Salmon gig at the Stanley Hotel. It didn’t take long for the like-minded musicians to click. Over the next four years, Leftover Salmon’s stage-left lit up as the two developed an undeniable musical chemistry. In their original collaborations, they blend piano and banjo to create lush acoustic landscapes and classical-inflected forays. Their original songs dance between bluegrass, jazz and folk, while showcasing the musical connection and language that these two accomplished players have honed on stage over the years.
About Andy Thorn:
Leftover Salmon banjo player Andy Thorn never expected to go viral. But in 2021, he was in his backyard, playing an improvised banjo tune to a wild fox, when his wife caught the whole thing on video. The video made headlines around the world. Soon, Andy was interviewed on the Kelly Clarkson Show and A & E’s Neighborhood Wars. Even NPR’s Political Gabfest discussed the video. A New York Times writer called it “a moment plucked from Aesop.”
Andy was stunned by the publicity, and by how many people kept asking him about the song. He finally recorded it ("Aesop Mountain”), along with 14 other banjo instrumentals. The resulting album, Songs of the Sunrise Fox, stands in contrast to the music Andy normally plays with Leftover Salmon. This new album isn't about the flashy banjo picking favored by jam bands. Instead, it’s the banjo melodies Andy would play for his friend “Foxy” at sunrise. The stripped-down band also features Erik Deutsch (Black Crowes) on piano, Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) on bass and Windfield champ Tyler Grant on guitar.
About Erik Deutsch:
Pianist, keyboardist, composer, bandleader and genre-bending sideman Erik Deutsch is currently residing in Mexico City. During the 30-year span of his career in Brooklyn and Boulder, he has performed and recorded with pop, rock, country and jazz artists like The Black Crowes, Dixie Chicks, Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash, Citizen Cope, Charlie Hunter, Leftover Salmon, Shooter Jennings, Alice Smith, Shelby Lynne, Theo Bleckmann, Jessi Coulter, Joe Russo, Steven Tyler, Ron Wood, Lukas Nelson, Devotchka, Teddy Thompson, Levon Helm, John Scofield, Phil Lesh, Gary Clark Jr., Jim Campilongo, Bill Kreutzman, Nels Cline, Del McCoury, Warren Haynes, Karl Denson, Ron Miles, Alto Reed and Art Lande.
Since 2022 Erik has been the full-time keyboardist for rock legends The Black Crowes. In their short time together, Erik has already performed on five different continents as well having been an integral musical contributor to their Grammy-nominated album Happiness Bastards.
A prolific composer and bandleader in his own right, Erik's eight solo albums have received critical acclaim by Rolling Stone, Jazz Times, USA Today and the Huffington Post, including Relix magazine naming Deutsch’s album Outlaw Jazz the #16 best album of 2015. He was recently voted the #5 Rising Star Organist in Downbeat Magazine's annual poll, where he has been recognized for consecutive years. Erik’s 9th LP — This Was Then — came out in 2025 on Hammer & String.
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3459897-0
