Name: Joe K. Walsh
Hometown: The hometown hometown — Duluth, MN. The adopted hometown — Portland, ME.
Latest Project: Borderland
Tacos: I'm more of a burrito guy — El Farolito, the Mission, San Francisco, CA. First stop after landing at SFO, last stop before flying out.
Roadside Diner: The Palace Diner in Biddeford, ME, is the top of the diner pile for me. Great little spot in a humble town up here in Maine, run by a couple of young chefs who're making some great food.
Truck Stop: Sheetz. It's not great. But it's good.
Coffeehouse: Ninth Street Espresso in New York City. Worth working your way through the crowds at Chelsea Market for a cup of their coffee.
Dive Bar: The Cantab Lounge, Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Bluegrass every Tuesday night, and it's often very, very good. It's a great place to get a read on the always inspiring and evolving Boston acoustic music scene.
Record Store: Val's Halla in Oak Park, IL, was a big deal for me. Val had so many mandolin records there that I couldn't find anywhere else. She had a long-lasting effect on me. These days I can't drive through the East Bay without stopping at Down Home Music.
Backstage Hang: RockyGrass is pretty hard to beat.
Airport: O'Hare, if only for the exceptionally great Tortas Fronteras.
Highway Stretch: The Beartooth Highway coming into Red Lodge from Yellowstone. What a spectacular place.
Radio Station: WERU or WMPG up here in Maine. Two funky, community-run stations with wildly varied programming and community calendars. I dig the way stations like this can plug you into a scene.
Car Game: I recently learned this one on tour with my old Joy Kills Sorrow bandmate Wes — "Who has the shittiest ______?" A real good team-building game.
Day Off Activity: The touring bluegrass life is not a terribly healthy life, what with the long drives and the road food. Any time I get a chance, I like to get outside and get a hike/walk/run in.