Advancing Mandolinist and Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites instructor Joe K. Walsh was one of four Peghead Nation instructors (with Evie Ladin, Brittany Haas, and John Reischman) who taught at the 2019 Great Lakes Music Camp in West Olive, Michigan, along with many other luminaries of the roots music world.
When asked to play a little something on camera for his Peghead Nation students, Joe suggested gathering two of his favorite young mandolin players, Ethan Setiawan and Jake Howard, with Grant Gordy and Darol Anger, two of his bandmates in the progressive acoustic band Mr. Sun, for a triple-mandolin stomp through the David Grisman tune “Ricochet.”
Says Darol Anger about the piece: “This tune was a co-write with mandolinist Richard Somers, who brought the original melody in. David and the DGQ added harmonies, arranged it, added the intro and ending, and of course recorded it with 3 mandolins.”
Almost as fun as the resulting video above, was witnessing Joe, Ethan, and Jake work out the mandolin parts over the course of a half-hour, while standing at the GLMC registration desk between teaching a class and gathering for dinner. Didn’t take these guys long to tap into the essence of the tune.
For more clips from Great Lakes Music Camp, check out Peghead Nation’s Facebook and Instagram pages, and check back here for future featured videos.
To learn mandolin from Joe, enroll in his Peghead Nation Advancing Mandolinist course or Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites course today!
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Mr Sun: ”Farewell Trion”The virtuosic string band plays an old-time favorite during the Wintergrass Festival. Read More |
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John Reischman and the Slocan Ramblers: “Stoney Creek”Our Melodic Mandolin Tunes instructor plays a bluegrass classic with the 2020 IBMA Momentum Band Award winners. Read More |
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Joe K. Walsh, Jake Howard, Ethan Setiawan, Grant Gordy, and Darol Anger: “E.M.D.”A smoking triple-mandolin version of David Grisman’s tune “E.M.D.,” recorded at the Great Lakes Music Camp 2019. Read More |
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Garrison, Gordy, Hargreaves, Walsh: “Sports”Watch a video of an original song from “Bluegrass and the Abstract Truth,” with mandolin from Peghead Nation instructor Joe K. Walsh, and illustration by our banjo instructor Danny Barnes. Read More |
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John Reischman, Scott Nygaard, Sharon Gilchrist, Joe K. Walsh: “The Eighth of January”A three-mandolin, one-guitar version of the popular fiddle tune, played by the instructors at the first Peghead Nation Mandolin Camp. Read More |
