Barry Walsh: News

Artist:Gretchen Peters & Barry Walsh
Venue:The Sage
Town:Gateshead
Date:17/05/10
Website:www.gretchenpeters.com/ & barrywalshmusic.com

Over the past fourteen plus years, Gretchen Peters has become one of the most revered artists to play in the UK, year after year. Her love affair with the UK has become apparent for all to see, and it is clear that she loves playing over here, as does partner Barry Walsh. With this in mind she wanted to bring her ever growing fanbase here in the UK, something unique and very special; thus her latest tour was her first ever all request tour, encompassing all of her work. There were only two rules: fans had to write in with their request ahead of the show, and tell her their story or connection to the song, and it had to be a song she had written or performed. It promised to feature the stories behind the songs, personal anecdotes and glimpses behind the scenes of her 20 plus year career. The set list would change daily, dependent upon requests. None of it would be rehearsed beforehand and a lot would be improvised. A little mad – maybe, but if anyone could pull off such a tour, Gretchen could. Something of a risk – maybe, but I think Gretchen knows her fans here in the UK well enough to know that we’d be right there with her, however it turned out on the night. The idea alone held so much promise, it could only be an amazing experience; how amazing, we could not have predicted.

It is no secret, I am sure, that The North East, and more specifically, The Sage, Gateshead, is one of Gretchen’s very favourite places to play and it was obvious from the outset that she was ecstatic to be back and to be sharing this unique experience with us. She introduced the evening by telling us if we didn’t enjoy the setlist we only had ourselves to blame; typical Gretchen humour! Above her head was a huge screen, with the image from the Circus Girl CD, with the added wordage of ‘Without a Net,’ the name of the tour. Launching into Room With a View, it was obvious we were in for some more obscure songs, alongside some faithful ‘friends.’ My request came next in the form of ‘Let That Pony Run,’ a song made famous by Pam Tillis, which she introduced by telling how I had first seen her fourteen years ago, back in a room of 40 people. How times have changed for her, but it’s been amazing watching them change! As for her performance of this stunning song, what can I say, but ‘Wow!’ It reminded me, once again, that there really is nothing like hearing the writer sing their own songs as they intended them

At this point, Barry Walsh came out to join her onstage, adding brilliant piano accompaniment to a great version of Steve Earle’s I Ain’t Ever Satisified. Firing up the screen, images were projected of her childhood, and her family. This led to one of her father and his comrades; he was an RAF pilot and the subject of ‘The Aviator’s Song.’ Preceeded by the funny story that had gone with the request for this song, Gretchen pointed out which on the picture was her father and told us a little about him. Just a couple of years ago, Gretchen ‘sent him on his way’ on that very stage, with that very song, the day after he had passed away. I found it incredibly emotive, to now be hearing that song, on that same stage, whilst looking at his picture above.

Sunday Morning, Up and Down My Street,followed a set of images of their neighbourhood in Nashville, and their dog,Nigel, who is back home. Somehow talk of their English breed dog, led to talk of the recent elections; ‘What’s up with that?’ before she moved on to talk about Nashville and the recent devastating floods. Credit to her that she wanted people to see what has happened, and the damaged caused to so much of ‘the home of country music.’ (To that end, they had a top hat on the merchandise table and over the course of the tour raised over £800 to take back for the Nashville flood relief fund.) Dedicating it to her ‘hometown’ (anyone who read her recent website entry will understand), a stunning version of Revival followed, with an almost haunting image of the backstage door of The Grand Ole Opry underwater, on the screen. Even more haunting was the beautiful addition of a chorus and verse of Randy Newman’s Louisiana 1927, about the New Orleans flood, ‘...the streets of Evangeline,’ seeming an equally apt description of the city of music.

The Secret of Life, of course, recorded by Faith Hill, came next, which she admitted she wrote to prove that she could write a song about men, though it didn’t quite end up what it had started out as! Starting in the wrong key, she joked, ‘Well, now you know what we mean when we say without a net!’

Showing us some old photographs of her early days in music out in Boulder, Colorado, including her ‘rock phase and kiss phase,’ she explained that this song from the ‘Circus Girl’ bonus disc was never actually meant to see the light of day. That song was the gorgeous Black Eyed Susan.

Moving onto more recent works, she talked of her recent CD project with Tom Russell, One To The Heart, One To The Head, she talked about how a cowboy project maybe wasn’t the most obvious choice for her. She then brought up some pictures which proved that she really does have an inner cowgirl, before showing us a childhood picture of Barry in cowboy attire. This of course, led to Guadalupe, during which you could have heard a pin drop. I have to agree with her that this is the best song Tom Russell has ever written, and as for interpretation of it, well, it could have been written for or by her.

Next came the song which first brought her name into the spotlight, really; Independence Day, of course made a hit by Martina McBride. Gretchen’s delivery is slightly different, but equally passionate. A Wine, Women and Song flashback ensued (for anyone who doesn’t know, this is the name used when Gretchen plays with Suzy Bogguss and Matraca Berg – not to be missed!) and she mentioned that Suzy would be touring here soon, ash cloud not withstanding! Speaking of Suzy, she then explained that the next song, Waiting For The Light to Turn Green, was written with Suzy when their ‘clocks’ were talking to them; having hit 30 this year, this song has taken on a whole new meaning for me, and I am sure I am not alone!

Something they have realised on this tour, it seems, is that some songs have never been played live and they have no idea why that is the case, it is no longer the case for Summer People, which got its first live outing at The Sage. Halfway through we were all laughing with her as she sang, ‘...and I can’t remember the words...’Halfway through we were all laughing with her as she sang '...and i dont remember the words...'Halfway through we were all laughing with her as she sang '...and i dont remember the words...'Halfway through we were all laughing with her as she sang '...and i dont remember the words...'

Following some good humoured jokes about whether we were in Gateshead or Newcastle, it was Barry’s turn to wow us, with an offering from his CD of piano music, The Crossing; his love song to the Northeast, Leaving Newcastle. Quite simply, breathtaking. This theme was continued ‘as it is about here,’ with England Blues, which of course mentions the River Tyne so is very popular at The Sage! We all ended up laughing when Gretchen switched the line to ‘..leave the ash cloud way behind...’ It felt like a three minute celebration of their relationship with England.

Showing us some pictures from UK tours of old, including a couple I had taken at that first local show at The Ropery, all those years ago, Gretchen moved into the song most loved by radio 2’s Terry Wogan and Bob Harris, ‘the song which started it all’ in terms of radio play; When You Are Old. On the subject of radio play, she then thanked local Radio presenter, Brian Clough, who was in the audience and has long supported Gretchen’s work.

Another song which hadn’t been played in a while was Like Water Into Wine, recorded by Patty Loveless, although, as Gretchen reminded us, she omitted the third verse, finding it too controversial. Gretchen, however, sang it in all its glory, ‘the unexpedited version’ as she put it, and it was all the better for it.

Moving back to Barry for a while, Gretchen told us of the huge list of people with whom he has worked, from Waylon Jennings to The Boxtops. As a tribute to the latter’s Alex Chiltern, who passed away recently, they had, following someone’s ‘brilliant idea,’ reworked a beautiful version of The Letter. Barry himself said later that he had never heard a woman sing it, but Gretchen really made it her own. Alex Chiltern would be proud.

Talking about the whole concept of undertaking such a daredevil feat as ‘Without a Net,’ she said it seemed time to play the most requested song of the whole tour ; Circus Girl. It seemed fitting this should be so, since this was the name of the whole project. Gretchen also spoke about how this song was originally written after taking her daughter to the circus, but over the years it has felt increasingly that it is about her life on the road. Next came Bus To St Cloud, which is always especially poignant as Gretchen has always felt this song took on a life of its own here, after she was disappointed by its reception in the USA following Trisha Yearwood’s fabulous version. This song, without a doubt is one of Gretchen’s most beautiful pieces of writing and there was an almost reverent silence around Hall 2, as everyone listened, obviously moved by the lyrics.

Showing pictures of places they have visited, from Paris, to Route 66, and talking of how, even though they miss Nigel and home, she confided that she knows how blessed she is in this life to get to see these places. Firing up a final image, she told us that despite it all, that is her favourite place in the world. The picture? Her back to us, looking out from the stage. In that moment, I was never in less doubt as to her reasons for coming back time and time again; simply, she loves what she does as much as we love what she does. Thanking us, clearly from a very deep place, she and Barry launched into To Say Goodbye; absolutely fitting as not one of us in that room was ready to do just that. Not yet, despite the duo leaving the stage to rapturous applause.

Returning to the stage, Gretchen told us that despite it being a joy to look back and rework old songs, she could not be in this place without looking forward just a little; thus we were treated to a stunning new song; Woman on the Wheel. Certainly a good omen for the next CD. The final flourish of the evening came in a totally rocking version of Over Africa, which is somewhat ironic as that was my request way back at that first gig of Gretchen’s 14 years ago. All too soon, the night was over, and I don’t know who was more disappointed; us in the audience, or them onstage. Gretchen thanked us once again, and left the stage to a thoroughly deserved standing ovation.

Somehow, she just gets better and better and I suspect this is just the beginning of something, though what I have no idea. I was reminded during the course of the evening, of something a lady said to me on a Greyhound bus in North Carolina; that during our lifetime, as we cross paths with people, whether we meet again or not, we become a part of each other’s stories and therefore a part of each other’s lives. Whilst Gretchen’s music has long been a part of many people’s lives, without a doubt, in Hall 2, Gretchen and her audience became a part of each other’s stories in a very special way. Suffice to say that it was a magical night and we all have taken away some very special memories of having spent an evening in a ‘room with a view’ of musicianship at its finest. I know there is already talk of Gretchen and Barry and of Wine Women and Song returning, but for now all I can say is a huge thankyou to Gretchen and Barry and wish them safe travels and a speedy return. The Sage and your audience are ready when you are...

Helen Mitchell

Gretchen and I are leaving tomorrow for London, and the start of our next UK tour; the all request, "WITHOUT A NET UK Tour 2010". We've had to go back and relearn a lot of songs that have been requested in the last few months that we haven't been playing lately. We changed some arrangements to mix things up a bit, and in the process re-claimed some of the older songs that needed updating.

We put together the walk-in music for the tour this morning. It's one of our favorite things about touring. We get to showcase some things we've been listening to lately, as well as some old favorites. This list is a little different. If you'll notice, there's a lot a songs about rain. We put them on the list to honor the victims of the biggest flood in our town's history. Many people were affected by this flood, and some of our town's landmarks sustained serious damage. There's also a Big Star song on the list, "The Ballad of El Goodo"; in memory of our friend and my Box Tops bandmate Alex Chilton, who passed away much too young on St. Patrick's Day this year, and who is the writer and singer of this beautiful song.

So here's the list, and the tour dates are below it. Hope you can make it out to see us. It's always the highlight of our year.

GRETCHEN PETERS “Without A Net” UK Tour 2010
Walk-in Music:

John Boy - Brad Mehldau
Rainy Night In Georgia - Hem
Early Morning Rain - Eva Cassidy
Im On A Roll - Over The Rhine
Oh Cumberland - Matraca Berg
Without Jesus Here With Me - Holly Williams
The Ballad Of El Goodo - Big Star
Buckets Of Rain - Neko Case
Every Time It Rains - Randy Newman
Box Of Rain - Grateful Dead
Why Does It Always Rain On Me? - Travis
Dreamville - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
We’re Gonna Pull Through - Over The Rhine
Still Learning How To Fly - Rodney Crowell
Birds - Holly Williams
Let Him Fly - Patty Griffin


“WITHOUT A NET” TOUR 2010
May 12: Bilston, (Midlands): Robin 2
May 14: Glasgow, (Scotland): King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
May 15: Cheadle Hulme (Northwest): Chads Theatre
May 16: Selby (Northeast): Town Hall
May 17: Gateshead (Newcastle Tyneside): The Sage
May 19: London (Notting Hill): The Tabernacle
May 22: Milton Keynes (Wavendon): The Stables
May 23: Bristol (Southeast): The Tunnels
May 25: Cambridge: The Junction
May 26: East Grinstead: Chequer Mead
May 27: Derby (Midlands): The Flowerpot

I wanted to post a news item about our recent flood here in Nashville, but when I read Gretchen Peters blog on it I realized that she had written exactly what I wanted to write about it. So here is her blog on the great flood of 2010, and on the city that I moved to in 1969. Like Gretchen, I was born in Westchester County, New York. I moved to Nashville when I was 16 years old, and this town has now become my home.
Barry

My Home Town

I've always struggled with the question "where are you from?". For as long as I can remember I've never felt I had a home town in the sense that most people do. I never felt a strong sense of rootedness in any one particular place. I was born in Westchester, New York and lived there until I was 13, and I still feel in some ways like a Northeasterner, if not a New Yorker. I have family ties there, and probably the most important tie, childhood memories.

Last weekend, my adopted home of 22 years, Nashville, Tennessee, endured a flood of biblical proportions. Fifteen inches of rain fell in two days. At first we made light of the situation; we even went to a party in the midst of the torrential storm that raged that Saturday night. We kept an eye on the weather report, but flash flood warnings around here are as common as biscuits and gravy. The rain kept falling on Sunday, in sheets. The word started to trickle out that the flooding would be bad. Still, we thought that would only mean a few flooded basements, maybe a couple of road closures. We'd seen it all before.

Except we hadn't. There's no way to describe the surreality of waking up on a Monday morning to a perfect, blue-sky spring day, and utter devastation. Water was everywhere. We took a walk in our neighborhood, and saw crazy, impossible things - traffic lights hanging just a few feet above water, entire cars submerged to their roofs. Rivers where our neighborhood streets used to be. People boating across soccer fields. By Monday morning we knew that the river was still rising, and according to the cruel physics of flooding, would continue to rise until late that night, when it crested at 12 feet above flood stage.

As the waters ravaged the downtown area, Opryland, and countless outlying suburbs and surrounding towns, we realized that almost no one from the outside world knew. And it did feel like the world was somewhere far outside of this sphere of death and destruction - there was a strange sense of isolation, even though cell phones were working (sporadically) and a few of the lucky ones (us included) never lost power or internet. No one seemed to have noticed that Nashville was drowning. Normally when a natural disaster happens, the media coverage is obsessive, and if you're in the vicinity the telephone calls start coming in almost immediately. On that Monday, the only calls we got were from friends in Nashville, checking to see how we made it and letting us know they were OK. Other news stories, deemed more important, took precedence, and we were left to our own devices (fortunately, the reaction from the White House was not slow and FEMA was here almost immediately - it was the media that was absent).

This is where it began to dawn on me how much I love this city. I can't explain exactly why, or how, but seeing the Opry stage door, which I've been privileged to walk through several times, up to its doorknobs in water - knowing the beautiful pipe organ at the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall, which I heard played magnificently at a concert last year, was severely damaged - all of this terrible destruction bestowed an epiphany on me. This is my home town. These people, who put on their waders and work clothes and face masks and got to work Monday, because things needed doing and people needed help, are my fellow Nashvillians. All of us cried at the sight of the Opry under six feet of water. All of us felt outrage that the media wasn't paying attention to this, our worst crisis since the Civil War. All of us beamed when the local telethon, star-studded and led by Vince Gill (who else would step up to lead yet another benefit, this time maybe the most important one he's ever done) raised $1.7 million in a few hours. I've never been so proud of my city, from the micro-local level (on Monday night, at least half of my neighborhood was out sandbagging at a nearby waste treatment plant) to city-wide (there was virtually no looting or other opportunistic crime - just neighbors, asking what they could do). I felt a sudden and deep stab of love for this city and all its familiar and now endangered landmarks, the beautiful ones, the historic ones and the cheesy ones alike. This city, which has by turns frustrated and charmed and ignored and loved me - just like a spouse - for better or worse, was mine, too. I have history here. I have roots here.

Nashville will recover. It's a great city, and great cities draw creative, talented and energetic people. We have those in abundance, and they will rebuild Nashville, and in some ways it will be even better. Nashville would recover with or without me. But I'm here, and one week after the flood, I know the answer to the question. I'm from Nashville.
Gretchen Peters

The news of Alex Chilton's death has hit us hard. It was 9 years ago, on a cold January morning in 2001, when I first got a call to play a string of dates in Canada with The Box Tops. I met Alex that morning at the airport in Minneapolis, where we all met for the connecting flight to Winnipeg. I learned the Box Tops songs that day on the airplanes, writing out charts while listening to a Walkman. Through the last nine years, I came to expect the unexpected whenever I was around Alex. One day he would bring up Graham Greene, another day it might be politics or food or classical music. Erudite and very liberal with a quick mind, he carried himself through this world floating on his own cynical nonchalance. He was never one to shy away from an opinion. And I always valued his opinions.The son of a Memphis judge who also played jazz piano, Alex was a self-educated man his whole life after quitting school to go on the road with The Box Tops at age 16. I once caught him playing Bach on my piano while we were screwing around during a soundcheck. He had memorized some pieces and was slowly working them out. A few months later I heard him playing a different Bach piece on a guitar in a dressing room. I started looking at Bach with a new appreciation. Nine years later, I credit Alex for, among many other things, leading me back to J.S.Bach. Here's one of my favorite pictures of Alex. He's in mid-flight, onstage in Cleveland, Ohio at the Beechland Ballroom in March, 2007. The picture was shot by my then 20 year old son Brennan. RIP and godspeed, Alex. You were one of the good guys.

London, Bush Hall. Gretchen and I are looking back at the last month in wonder. From Boston on 10.24.09 to London tonight on the anniversary of the death of JFK, 11.22.09. We've managed to survive flight changes, driving ourselves around for 2 weeks in Northern Ireland (on the wrong side of the road), torrential rains in both England and Holland, great meals and bad meals along the way, great hotels and some not-so-great hotels along the same way, and most importantly, great audiences throughout. In fact, we've done 23 shows in 4 countries in less than a month. One stretch was 14 days in a row through 3 countries. We played to sold-out houses in almost every venue, and through it all, we managed to stay healthy! No swine flu for us. We might have dragged ourselves through a few days, but when it came time to perform, we always found energy from all the great houses we played to. Here's Gretchen at the London/Bush Hall soundcheck:

The Train trip (Roots On the Narrow Gauge Rail) was a resounding success. Everyone had a great time, and the artists on the trip (Gretchen Peters and myself, Tom Russell and Thad Beckman, Wylie Gustafson, Paul Zarzyski and Sourdough Slim) all had a great time. We performed in Albuquerque, Durango, Silverton, Pagosa Springs and Chama, New Mexico. We rode the train from Silverton to Durango, and also from Chama to Cumbres Pass. What a trip...Made a lot of great new friends.

We Came back to Nashville and played the Bluebird last night. Here's a review Janis Ian just emailed me:

"Well, the fantastic foursome (Janis Ian, Gretchen Peters, Tony Arata and Craig Carothers) blew the room away...again...and those who were there can see why these musicians sell out the venue in less than 30 minutes when they appear there.

The intimate setting of the Bluebird Cafe (21 tables and some seats at the bar) is the perfect place to see singer/songwriters tell their anedotes regarding their songs, listen intently to their interpretations and meet the players afterwards.

Janis looked and sounded great, as usual. Gretchen's voice was in top form, as was her guitar playing. Tony's bluesy romps kept the place jazzed and Craig's tongue-in-cheek lyrics added the humor. As a side note, accordianist Barry Walsh accompanied on some songs, even on "At Seventeen", which gave the song an international feel -- and it worked.

Each singer gave the crowd seven songs, more than worth the $15 cover charge...and watching them play since you are so close to the "round arena" allows you to see just how magnificently these musicians crank out their songs. And they provide accompaniment and background vocals on each other's songs too. In essence, you saw a solo concert and a group performance at the same time. What more could you ask for?"

Here's a pic:

See you in DC this weekend, Illinois next weekend, Boston the weekend after that, or somewhere in Europe after that, where we'll be for a month starting on October 28 in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. We travel throughout Northern Ireland, play for a week in England, another 10 days in The Netherlands, and then one last gig in London at Bush Hall on November 22. See you there!

"The Crossing" nominated for 2009 Album of the Year.

"The Crossing" has been nominated for Whisperings Solo Piano 2009 album of the Year. See:

http://www.solopianoradio.com/favorites.htm
The Solo Piano channel is also featuring six of the tracks from the album at:

http://www.solopianoradio.com/

I'm privileged to have worked on a whole raft of CD's that either have come out recently, or will come out soon. Some of these include:


Gretchen Peters with Tom Russell, "One To The Heart, One To The Head", produced by Gretchen and Tom, and recorded last summer in Austin at Mark Hallman's Congress House Studio (with additional recording in Nashville at Nigel's House Studio). Released early this year. Gretchen's voice has never sounded better on this collection of Western themed covers that begins with my own "North Platte".


Nanci Griffith's "The Loving Kind", to be released on June 9. Recorded in early December, we started recording the morning after I got back from Holland. Great songs, great sounds, and Nanci singing at her finest. I've been a fan since of hers since the 80's.


Tom Russell's soon to be released "Blood and Candle Smoke". Wow. This one is going to be a classic. We recorded it in February at the famous Wavelab Studios in Tucson (Neko Case, Calexico, Giant Sand....) with an additional song called "Guadaloupe" (maybe Tom's best song) that I produced here in Nashville at David Henry's True Tone Studio. It's one of the most unusual recordings I've ever had the pleasure of working on. Very creative stuff all the way around- songs, sounds, instruments, vocals and most importantly, approach. Can't wait for this one to get out there.



Dave Zobl's fine new CD called "And So It Goes", produced by Will Kimbrough. Dave is a Denver based singer-songwriter. I played accordion on it, and a rockin' good time was had by all.


Tori Sparks third CD, "The Scorpion in the Story", produced by David Henry at True Tone. I think it's Tori's best album yet, and I loved working with her.


Stay tuned for more...

ONE TO THE HEART, ONE TO THE HEAD REVIEWS

Here's four early reviews of the new Gretchen Peters with Tom Russell CD "One To The Heart, One To The Head", currently climbing the Americana charts. It includes my song, "North Platte".

From the El Paso Times:

http://elpasotimes.typepad.com/pullen/2009/04/gretchen-peters-eps-tom-russell-evoke-old-new-west-on-new-cd.html
From Americana UK:
http://www.americana-uk.com/auk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=4479

From Pop Matters:
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/71632-gretchen-peters-with-tom-russell-one-to-the-heart-one-to-the-head/
And finally this one from TwangNation:
http://www.twangnation.com/2009/04/03/album-review-gretchen-peters-with-tom-russell-one-to-the-heart-one-to-the-head-scarlet-letter-recordsbuddy-and-julie-miller-written-in-chalk-new-west/
Enjoy every sandwich!

bw

I'm in Albuquerque on the way home after an amazing week in the Southern Rockies, riding the narrow gauge railroads of Colorado and New Mexico. Tom Russell, Gretchen Peters, Wylie Gustavson, Sourdough Slim, Paul Zarzyski and I spent the last week entertaining the 60 or so music lovers on the trip. We started here in Albuquerque at the historic El Rey theater last Friday night, then drove up to Durango and the (also historic) Strater Hotel and Theater. The next night we were in Silverton, Colorado at about 9,500 ft. We took the Durango and Silverton railroad back to Durango the next day. We drove on to Pagosa Springs, where we spent the next two days. The last gog day for us was spent in Chama, New Mexico. We got there early on Wednesday and boarded the Cumbres & Toltec narrow gauge train (the "longest and highest narrow gauge railroad in the world") and rode up to Cumbres Pass, where we were met by a van that took us back to Chama. The views were incredible! More on this later as I have to get on the plane...

Starting the year out in San Diego on Jan 1 by visiting with journalist Kenny Weisberg and going to the San Diego Zoo after playing New Years Eve with the Box Tops.

Getting lost after leaving a gig in Sautee Nacoochee, GA, in mid-January and winding up in North Carolina-knowing we had to leave for the UK the very next day.

Wandering The Lanes in Brighton, UK at the end of January, in what would turn out to be the first of two trips to the coast of the English Channel in one year and five trips to Europe in 13 months.

Hearing Gretchen sing "On A Bus To St. Cloud" in St. Cloud, Minnesota for the very first time in April. Not a dry eye in the room-onstage or off.

Recording "One to the Heart" in Austin in May at Mark Hallman's studio with Tom Russell, and getting to play a beautiful old upright-perfect for this project about the West-and an antique pump organ tuned down a half-step. Whenever I played it the tracks had to be slowed down to be in tune with the pump organ

Recording Mickey Clark's record in June with legendary producer Jim Rooney, to be released in March, '09. Mickey swapped vocals on one soon-to-be barroom classic- "Don't Piss On My Boots (and Tell Me It's Rainin')" with John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker and Kinky Friedman. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

Driving across Switzerland on the way to Tom and Nadine Russell's wedding in Gstaad, listening to the Sound Of Music. And yes, the hills really were alive....

Singing "Love Me Tender" along with a roomful of people led by a French accordion player in a restaurant in a small town nestled in the Alps, the night of Tom and Nadine Russell's wedding rehearsal dinner.

Stumbling on the National Yodeling Festival of Switzerland while staying overnight in Lucerne on the way back to Zurich.

Recording the Christmas album at home in April.... And May..... And June.........

Playing the Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Folk Festival in a tent next to Lake Winnipesaukee while the sun was setting on a cool night in late July.

Playing the Gosport, UK Festival in a tent five days later on the banks of the Solent, looking out at the Isle of Wight. Our second time this year to see the English Channel, and what would be one of five trips to Europe in 13 months.

Touring the Napa/Sonoma wineries in mid-September while playing dates in Northern California. No earthquakes or wildfires this time but some damn fine wine....

Seeing Gretchen's name in lights on the marquee in front of the Crystal Bay Casino, on the north shore of Lake Tahoe; right next to the famed Cal-Neva lodge where Frank, Dean and Sammy hung out with Ava in the Rat Pack days.

Playing at the Bowman House Concert series in a beautiful barn outside of Atlanta in mid-October, with strands of white lights in the roof beams; and falling leaves and acorns tapping on the tin roof during the quiet last verse of "On A Bus To St. Cloud".

The election of Barack Hussein Obama. All the rest of this blog is filler. Gretchen and I both worked on his campaign, along with hundreds of thousands of other people. We were all part of an historic event the likes of which we have never seen.

Ending the touring year in Amsterdam on December 8, in a beautiful city made even more striking when it's lit up with beautiful lights for the Holidays. We stayed (and performed) with old friend and songwriter/bassist John Lester, and his beautiful family. We had SRO audiences on all three gigs in Holland.

Starting Nanci Griffith's new album (the working title is "The Loving Kind") the morning after getting in from our return from Amsterdam. I had no time for jet lag as I worked on the record for the next three days. I did take a few 10 minute power naps slumped over the piano but I don't think anyone got hurt.

Performing the entire Christmas album live on radio Lightning 100 in Nashville on December 21st, with a band composed of myself, Doug Lancio, Dave Francis, and our Highway 101 buddy Cactus Moser.

What a year!

Peace and Love to all for 2009

In Kerry Dexter's Best of 2008 column that came out today, THE CROSSING made the list. Also making the list is Gretchen Peter's NORTHERN LIGHTS, which Barry Walsh co-produced. NORTHERN LIGHTS is a Holiday/Winter/Christmas album, light on the Christmas songs but heavy on the Winter/Snowy/Introspective songs.

Check it out at:
http://musicroad.blogspot.com/2008/12/best-music-2008.html

Amazing week at Bass Hall, McDavid Studio
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For lovers of acoustic music, this promises to be quite a week in Fort Worth. It all gets started Wednesday night, when a trio of virtuoso guitarists (Tommy Emmanuel, Monte Montgomery and Rhett Butler) team up for a show at Bass Performance Hall at 7:30. It carries with it a special $10 ticket offer for students and faculty. But like a fine wine, the week only gets better with age. The Sarah Palin-Joe Biden debate notwithstanding, John Gorka comes to McDavid Studio (across the street from Bass Hall) for one of his one-of-a-kind shows at 7 p.m. Thursday. And then, one of my personal favorites, the great Gretchen Peters, finishes off the week with a show in McDavid Studio at 8 p.m. Friday. Gretchen will be backed up, as usual, by one of the world's greatest piano players, Barry Walsh. For more information, call 817-212-4280 or visit www.basshall.com.

http://musicblog.guidelive.com/archives/2008/10/amazing-week-at-bass-hall-mcda.html

Here's a youtube clip of Gretchen Peters, Janis Ian and myself doing Wild Horses in Winters, CA on 9/12/08 at The Palms Playhouse- a great venue....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT3n0LbBmiU

My good friends, The Amber Rose Guitar Duo (Martin Nockalls and Steve Merrett), from Doncaster, UK, have released their tastful version of my song "Exeter Cathedral" on their new CD, Acoustic Axis. It is an eclectic mix of instrumentals, old and new, but great listening throughout. It's available in hard copy from:

www.amberroseguitarmusic.co.uk
and also downloadable from iTunes and other online stores.

Hear Exeter Cathedral on their myspace site at:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=152894195

From Maverick Magazine (UK), May '08:

Barry Walsh The Crossing( Scarlet Letter Records 207141-2) *** Barry Walsh is probably familiar to a good many Maverick readers, as for the past eighteen years he has played keyboards for Gretchen Peters and accompanied her on most of her UK tours. Now he steps into the spotlight with his solo album of deftly played piano pieces. He plays a Grand piano, and apart from Erik Satie's Je Te Veux, all the tunes have been penned by Barry and several were inspired by his tours in the UK like the delicate and reflective Leaving Newcastle and the more grandiose Exeter Cathedral. Though recorded in Nasville, this has no connection to country music, but just might be of interest to Gretchen Peters' fans.
Reviewed by Alan Cackett

Barry Walsh has been making music professionally for more than thirty years. Most of that has been spent in Nashville recording studios. In recent years he has been touring in support of singer and songwriter Gretchen Peters, and with Alex Chilton and the Box Tops. His past history includes backing up Roy Orbison and Jimmy Webb, and writing songs that Waylon Jennings and The Amazing Rhythm Aces, among others, have recorded.

Thanks in part to encouragement from Peters, Walsh has now gotten around to recording his first solo album, and it has something none of those credits noted above would likely prepare you for. Original, mostly just Walsh and his piano, it is music that draws on both Bach and folk, and remains true to the voice of this artist. Without the first word being said, Walsh speaks clearly and movingly of connection, discovery, love's questions and love's certainties, and the varied landscapes of thought and emotion. David Henry adds masterful cello on several tracks, including the opening title cut, and Mark Selby brings in guitar on Nigel's Blues. The only cover is a twice imagined take on Erik Satie's Je Te Vieux, a piece which Walsh presents as at once somber and seeing the possibility of joy. It fits in perfectly with the rest of the collection.

Barry Walsh
The Crossing
(Scarlett Letter Records, 2008)
Terrific sidemen are the unsung heroes of the music world. Barry Walsh is a piano virtuoso whose gifts at the keyboard have added so much to the music of the Box Tops and singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters, as they did in the past for Roy Orbison, Jimmy Webb and Al Green. Mr. Walsh has released a solo album of his own compositions, and it's nothing short of spellbinding. He admits being influenced by Bach, and it shows. This is not a pop album, nor is it New Age. Rather, it has elements of classical, jazz and blues, and it takes you on a mesmerizing journey. Mr. Walsh has circumvented the genre of solo piano recordings by slowing down the pace and letting the individual pieces speak for themselves. And they do, loudly and lyrically.
Michael Granberry- Dallas Morning News:

Artist:Barry Walsh
Album:The Crossing
Website:http://www.barrywalshmusic.com
Barry Walsh has been a professional musician for more than three decades, and in that time he's performed with Roy Orbison, Jimmy Webb and Al Green, and he's written songs that were recorded by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and the Amazing Rhythm Aces. Currently, in addition to touring extensively with singer-songwriter Gretchen Peters (over ten UK tours since 2001), Walsh plays keyboards for the recently revived Memphis rock and soul band The Box Tops, featuring Alex Chilton.

The Crossing was recorded at Walsh's home on a Kimball Viennese Edition grand piano with touches of backing by cellist David Henry and guitarist Mark Selby. Walsh's Labrador Retriever Nigel lay motionless at the feet of Selby as he overdubbed on an as yet untitled song. It was duly named "Nigel's Blues" in his honor.

I have to confess to being one of those people who never really 'got' music without lyrics. However, maybe as a result having been mesmerized so many times watching him play with Gretchen, I was eagerly anticipating the release of this album. On first listen, what was immediately obvious was the emotion that had gone into these beautiful pieces of music. Even before reading about the album, it is apparent that each one came from a personal place, be it experience of affinity.

The latter is true of 'Je Te Veux.' Barry comments of the track, "This is an Erik Satie (the French composer) piece, and the only song I didn't write on the CD. I have been playing Satie's music for 40 years."

That, therefore leads us to the rest of the album, Walsh's own compositions. The Title song, 'The Crossing,' a metaphor for the changes in two lives over a period of time, one of which was his own. Angel of Repose' was the title of one of his favorite books, by Wallace Stegner and 'Years May Go By' was inspired by a line in a Rikki Lee Jones song. The obvious love for England which has grown over his years of playing here is evidenced in the fact that two songs on the album refer to UK cities; the haunting 'Leaving Newcastle' and 'Exeter Cathedral', the melody of which remains with you long after the final piano chord is played.

Barry Walsh truly is one of the most remarkable and intuitive musicians I have ever had the pleasure to watch and he has created his own piece of magic in his first CD release. I am hoping that when he tours here with Gretchen this year we may be given the opportunity to hear even just one of these tracks performed live - maybe 'Leaving Newcastle' in the city which it honours. In the meanwhile this Cd will continue to have heavy rotation on my CD player and I only hope there are more where this came from. Apparently I do 'get' music without lyrics after all.

Helen Mitchell - FATEA UK:

http://www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/barrywalsh.html
World traveler and musical explorer Barry Walsh has done many things and made music with some extraordinary figures, but only now has he composed and recorded a solo instrumental album. The 11 original piano works on Walsh's new CD The Crossing are serene, airy and cyclical, but they have a gravity born of their inspiration in specific experiences.

"The title is a metaphor for the changes that have happened in my life in the last three years," says Walsh. "A long-time marriage ended, and a new relationship began with a singer-songwriter I've known for many years."

That would be Nashville artist Gretchen Peters, author of hits such as "Independence Day" and whose critically acclaimed recent CD Burnt Toast & Offerings investigated the birth of the new relationship with the candor and clarity of a poet. On The Crossing, Walsh offers his take on the story in the universal language of spare, elegant instrumental music, a telling that's more abstract but no less emotionally potent.

The title track takes the long view on the journey he and Peters made together and toward each other with a suspenseful pulse in the high register and a breath of release and relief at the end. The delicate second cut "Leaving Newcastle" was named for a special place shared on tours in the UK. During a two-week separation, when Peters was in England and Walsh was home alone composing, he conceived the album's wistful "To See You Again." The CD closes with the Erik Satie influenced "The Steps Of The Parthenon," a reference to the Parthenon replica in Nashville, long a meeting place for local lovers.

Walsh has been a professional musician for more than three decades, and in that time he's performed with Roy Orbison, Jimmy Webb and Al Green, and he's written songs that were recorded by Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter and the Amazing Rhythm Aces. Currently, in addition to touring extensively with Peters, Walsh plays keyboards for the recently revived Memphis rock and soul band The Box Tops, featuring Alex Chilton.

The decision to step forward with a solo work after so many years of supporting others allows these many influences, as well as Walsh's many travels and life epiphanies to come together in a style he can claim as his own.

The Crossing was recorded at Walsh's home on a Kimball Viennese Edition grand piano with touches of backing by cellist David Henry and guitarist Mark Selby. Walsh's Labrador Retriever Nigel lay motionless at the feet of Selby as he overdubbed on an as yet untitled song. It was duly named "Nigel's Blues" in his honor.

The recording breathes with expansive, roomy warmth, and the music captures the bittersweet reverberations of adults changing course.