Joe Walsh (of the Gibson Brothers) 'Sweet Loam' CD

[Mark Hudson]

No one seems to have mentioned his new CD 'Sweet Loam' yet, so I'll throw it out to you...

First, this is from the Bluegrass Association that I'm part of -
http://www.hvbluegrass.org/articles/interviews/424-exclusive-interview-with-joe-walsh.html

I picked up 'Sweet Loam' at a Gibson Brothers concert Friday night.
Being a newbie to the mandolin with no formal music background I won't pretend to have an in depth review for you experts :) - But a local mandolin player who I well respect said the Joe shows how important what you don't play can be, his sense of musical space and timing is impeccable... Joe isn't flashy... I would say "solid" but that would downplay the excellence of both Joe and the CD...
I will say that I've heard the CD three times and I love it!
(As a newbie I will say that the worst part is that Joe makes everything seem easy! :mandosmiley: )

[Mark Hudson]

Just so you can get the idea :-)
This is just the first Youtube video I hit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKGn3JxASjA

[mandopete]

Wow, I didn't know he had a CD out. I'll be seeing the Gibson Brothers at Wintergrass and hopefully they will have this one for sale at the merch table. I love Joe's playing. The video clip really shows how tasteful his approach to mandolin is. Check out his break on "I Know Whose Tears" from the Gibson Brothers Ring The Bell recording. Love that phrasing!

[Mark Hudson]

Actually, Sweet Loam is Joe's second. The first as I recall is Friday Night Waltz. That one is a good one... but the second one is awesome....
You didn't hear it from me - but I was handling the bluegrass association's t-shirt sales at the GB concert, and ended up taking care of the CD sales too - we sold more of Joe's CD's than the GB! (I suspect because the GB only brought 'Ring The Bell' and most in the audience already owned it <g>)
Sweet Loam has taken up residence in my car CD player - so hopefully Joe will have it at Wintergrass for you :-)
(oh, and I'm not sure when Wintergrass is - not that I could make it anyway - but the GB will have a new CD released Feb 20th)

[mandopete]

Cool, I hadn't heard that the Gibson Brothers had a new release comming. It will be just in time for Wintergrass. Their last release was was Top Pick for that year. I think this version of the band is my favorite and that is due in no small part to the addition of Joe on the mandolin.

[sgarrity]

where can you get the cd?

[Mark Hudson]

Joe is on FaceBook - otherwise when I get home I'll look at my CD and see if he lists a website... I didn't find anything with a quick google search...

[R. Kane]

No website. Joe teaches at the 317 Main Street Community Music Center, in Yarmouth Maine. I'm sure that if you sent an email to frontdesk@317mainst.org it would reach him, eventually.

His first solo record was Saturday Night Waltz, and the first Joy Kills Sorrow record is a favorite as well (particularly the mandolin solo on I Still Miss Someone). I thought that he was too buried in the mix of the Scott Nygaard & Crow Molly recording. This new recording features songs with the Gibson Brothers Band, and with Darol Anger and the Republic of Strings, and Joe singing more.

[Mark Hudson]

I dug this out before I saw R. Kanes reply above. This will get you his first 'Saturday Night Waltz' -
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/walshjoe

Now I can save some digging on the second one...

[mandopete]

Thanks for the info. Funny thing, I wrote a song called Saturday Night Waltz as well. Guess I'll change the name now.

[Mark Hudson]

This just popped up on Joe's FB page :-)
http://joewalsh.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-loam

[Chris Willingham]

Joe is one hell of a mandolin player-and a really nice guy to boot. My wife and I went up to Maine last summer and toured Jonathan Cooper's violin shop, hit the local bluegrass haunts, etc. Quickly met Joe, checked out a great bg show with him and some local pickers, which included an AMAZING canadian harp player. She just smoked a harp break on molly and tenbrooks, among others. It fit so well, like bluegrass had harp players for years. After the show, we talked to Joe for while and ended up hitting a local jam that he leads the next day. I didn't bring my mandolin with me on the trip and he was kind enough to let me play his Laplant for a few hours, just having met me the day before. That mandolin had action like I've never played since. Butter. Great tone too. He even tried to set my dobro-playing wife up with an instrument, but she's a lefty.

Great mandolin, great player, great guy. Happy to hear about his new cd.

[grassrootphilosopher]

That St.Annes Reel is realy sweet picking. I allways wondered about the mandolin. Does anyone know what make it is? The headstock is an eyecatcher. It sounds good too.

[djweiss]

I can't stop listening to the Sweet Loam album...nothing but good music on that one.

[Scott Tichenor]

Joe Walsh - Sweet Loam (http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001340.shtml) ...

[R. Kane]

Joe has played his Lloyd LaPlant F5 forever, and that's it on Sweet Loam. He recently bought an all-black Gilchrist A5, which is his main instrument these days.

[mandopete]

This one will definately be on my Top Ten for 2011!