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.