Mr. Sun and Company at Isis
When the esteemed fiddler Darol Anger calls you “one of (his) favorite musicians on earth” you know you’ve got the goods.
Such is the case with mandolinist Joe K. Walsh, whose playing has been featured on dozens of records-including many International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award winners, and has been widely hailed as one of the greatest mandolin players of his generation. Walsh tours both nationally and abroad, most recently with the “Bluegrass Supergroup,” Mr. Sun, a provocative ensemble showcasing the talents of Walsh, Anger, guitarist Grant Gordy, and bassist Ethan Jodziewicz.
In addition, Walsh plays in a trio with fiddler Brittany Haas and guitarist Owen Marshall, teaches at the Berklee College of Music and is the associate director of the “Berklee American Roots Weekend: Bluegrass, Blues, and Beyond.” Oh, and he also plays a weekly gig at a pizza joint in Portland, Maine, not far from where he lives.
Walsh started playing stringed instruments in high school in Minnesota, and moved to the Northeast when he was admitted to the Berklee college of music. While still a student there, he helped found the genre-bending indie-pop string band Joy Kills Sorrow, with which he played for several years. At roughly the same time he worked with both the New England Bluegrass Band and Northern Lights, two of the best string groups to arise from the northeast’s potent music scene.
Since 2007 Walsh has lived in Portland, first playing with the Gibson Brothers (a four-year stretch that produced three #1 records) while also touring and recording with guitarist Scott Nygaard and iconic folk singer Jonathan Edwards. Walsh released a pair of solo albums, including 2011’s Sweet Loam which was co-produced by Anger. That experience helped set the stage for Mr. Sun.
At the time I spoke to Walsh he was taking a break from renovating his duplex, enjoying the abnormally mild weather (which ended two days later) and getting ready to kick off the Mr. Sun tour. I sheepishly admitted to being “at best mildly interested in the current Bluegrass scene,” but Walsh shook that off.
“Music is music,” he said, genuinely grateful for the interview. I found him to be thoughtful, knowledgeable, unusually soft spoken-at times I had to ask him to please speak more loudly-and effusive in his praise of his band mates. In short, he was a pleasure to speak with.
Rapid River Magazine: Talk a bit about the formation of the band. I’m assuming you all knew one another and had played in various configurations. But how did the more formal ensemble of Mr. Sun come together?
Walsh: We’d played together, but not in any sort of formal fashion, and while we knew one another we’d never spent all that much time together. I get credit for being the one who sort of initiated this thing, but really it was just a matter of the stars aligning. We’d talked about it for some time but all of us had other commitments, both musically and otherwise. I have my teaching responsibilities which I had to work around, and Darol in particular is one of the busiest musicians on the planet.
RRM: You’re all recognized as accomplished players, some of the best around, but there is obviously more to that in bringing a band together. Beyond the musicianship there are the personalities involved. How is it working on that level?
Walsh: It’s like any relationship; you have to stay at it. You’re spending a lot of time together, everyone has their own quirks and such, but you hopefully have a certain determination to see it through. I cannot think of a particular instance where we argued over anything of importance; but sure, there are disagreements that pop up over the arrangements of a song, what the set list might be and relatively trivial things like that. There’s a certain stubbornness that comes with creativity. But we talk it out and put first things first.
I think we all look to Darol for guidance, both in the music and the nuts and bolts of the business. He’s done this a lot longer than any of us, and while he probably hates being called the elder statesmen, he sort of is. (Laughs)
RRM: I’m a bit uncertain as to the chronology here. Did you tour prior to recording the album or did the album precede any stage performances? Were songs worked out on the road in anticipation of recording them or the other way around?
Walsh: Some of both. We recorded parts of the album, hit the road a bit, and then finished things up. By necessity our show is much more expansive than the 11 songs found on the album; it includes songs we’ve played with other bands and even stuff we’re trying out for maybe the first time. We mix in a lot of other stuff and I doubt any two shows sound alike. Even if the set lists were the same the way we play them varies according to our mood and the venue. A festival setting gets played differently than a small club.
RRM: Without double checking I think the Isis seats around 300 (actually with rearranged seating the club lists a capacity of 450).
Walsh: That’s a great size. Large enough to build a level of enthusiasm but small enough the audience has to work a bit to really listen to the music. I love that.
RRM: In addition to being in great demand as a session artist, you have your hands in so many musical pies. How do you decide which projects to take on?
Walsh: Scheduling certainly plays a part with both my own commitments and those of the other musicians involved. It can be a challenge, a real juggling act. But it has to be a project that appeals to me musically, something I find interesting and feel I can do proud.
RRM: This is a tough question for any musician to objectively answer, but how do you characterize the “sound” of Mr. Sun? It’s based on traditional Bluegrass but is more broad than that, progressive and contemporary with elements of jazz and gypsy folk. How challenging is it to bring those strands together?
Walsh: I wish I could say. It’s music I love playing, and it certainly contains elements of everything you’ve mentioned and more. I listen to a lot of stuff that might surprise people. In no way do I consider myself a Bluegrass “purist” so the idea of mixing genres appeals to me. Let’s face it, everything is built on something that preceded it. I hear David Grisman and I want to hear who and what influenced him, so his music ends up being, among many things, a springboard to a lot of other listening experiences.
RRM: That’s true of most art forms. You discover one painter or illustrator and hopefully get intrigued by who they were influenced by. Had it not been for Eric Clapton by way of John Mayall, I might not have ever heard of Sleepy John Estes.
Walsh: There you go. I love that part of what I do.
RRM: Despite your hectic touring schedule, and some pretty high profile gigs, I’m intrigued by your commitment to playing the local gig in Portland. I assume you find it important to keep some aspect of your career at a more intimate level, really connecting with the audience.
Walsh: When my schedule allows I play most every week at Otto’s Pizza in Portland. Some nights, there might be 30 people, others nights maybe 10. But it’s a lot of fun. I get free food (laughs loudly) and it’s a great chance to work out new songs in the most casual of settings. The majority of the folks are regulars, so it’s almost like inviting a bunch of friends over to your house.
RRM: As an arts educator I appreciate your commitment to teaching other musicians. Talk a bit about that aspect of your career.
Walsh: It’s a way of my paying it back. I was the very first musician admitted to the Berklee College of Music (in Boston) with a concentration on mandolin. While there I studied with some great teachers, including John McGann, Matt Glaser and Eugene Friesen. I became the school’s first graduate on the mandolin. It was more like one on one tutoring, an experience I cannot say enough great things about.
While still at Berklee I did some teaching of my own, and when the opportunity arose to become a part time faculty member I jumped at it. As you can probably attest, the reward is enormous even if the pay is not.
RRM: What can those in attendance at the Isis Music Hall show expect? If you were writing the blurb how might it read?
Walsh: I wish I could say but that’s not my skill set. I’m a player not a publicist. Just come out and enjoy some music, energy and great playing.
If You Go: Mr. Sun on Saturday, March 12, 2016 at Isis Music Hall. $15 advance; $15 at the door. Doors opens 5 p.m.; Show 9 p.m. General admission seated show with a limited number of tables available with dinner reservations. Isis Music Hall, 743 Haywood Rd. in west Asheville. Call (828) 575-2737 or visit www.isisasheville.com.
Please mention you read this interview in Rapid River Magazine.