Root 66: Joe K. Walsh’s Roadside Favorites

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.

 

After driving all day to make it to IBMA, it's great to find this inclusive rest room here in Raleigh. On a related note, I'm super excited to be joining @thebluegrasssituation and many great artists in celebrating diversity in the bluegrass community, in a concert at the Pour House tomorrow night. With @jutesoup @kimberludiker @mipsomusic @jbopsharp @hiltnerj and many others.

A photo posted by Joe K. Walsh (@j_k_walsh) on Sep 26, 2016 at 8:51pm PDT

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.

 

Bags are packed, and I'm headed off for one of my favorites, the great @freshgrassfestival . Mr Sun plays tomorrow afternoon, mando workshop Sunday at noon.

A photo posted by Joe K. Walsh (@j_k_walsh) on Sep 16, 2016 at 10:21am PDT

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.

 

Blackberry stained hands: the northwest was good to us! @molly_tuttle @shelbass

A photo posted by Joe K. Walsh (@j_k_walsh) on Sep 6, 2016 at 8:04pm PDT

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.