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.
When long-time friends Joe K. Walsh (mandolin), Greg Garrison (bass), Grant Gordy (guitar), and Alex Hargreaves (fiddle) all attended Sore Fingers music camp in England in 2019 as staff instructors, Alex pulled them together in an impromptu powerhouse band (spontaneously dubbed The Intergalactic Shrimpers, according to Grant) for his featured instructor set. While the four have crossed musical paths many times before, they hadn’t ever played together as a quartet. They loved the musical chemistry of that first convergence and decided to capture some of the magic in a recording.
The result is Bluegrass and the Abstract Truth, a beautiful album of original instrumentals and some of the players’ favorite covers. It also heralds Grant Gordy’s debut as a not-so-verbose lyricist in “Sports,” the tune featured in this video.
The album, which you can order and stream on Bandcamp, features artwork by banjo master (and one-third of the great Barnes, Gordy, and Walsh trio) Danny Barnes, who also provides the visuals in the video for “Sports.” It’s great fun to see Danny’s artwork coming to life in real-time, inspired by his musical pals.
Check out Bluegrass and the Abstract Truth on Bandcamp!
Learn with Joe K. Walsh on Peghead Nation in his courses, The Advancing Mandolinist, Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites, and the newly released Octave Mandolin.
And learn The Banjo According to Danny Barnes right here on Peghead Nation, too!
Related Back Room Posts
 |
Joe K. Walsh with Scott Nygaard, Alisa Rose, and Mark Schatz: “Juneau What it Means to Miss Alaska”Founding member of Mr Sun plays an original tune with a great crew of his fellow Peghead instructors. Read More |
 |
Alisa Rose with Scott Nygaard, Jesse Appelman, and Mark Schatz: “The High Road”Peghead Nation fiddle instructor plays a Tim O’Brien tune (with two O’Boys) at our 10th Anniversary Showcase. Read More |
 |
Bill Evans, John Reischman, Chad Manning, Mike Witcher, Jim Nunally, and Mark Schatz: “Stoney Lonesome”A powerhouse group of Peghead Nation instructors plays a bluegrass classic at our 10th Anniversary Showcase. Read More |
 |
Charlie Torch: “Red Rocking Chair”Peghead Nation fiddle instructor Chad Manning plays a traditional song with his band that includes siblings Jasper and Jayda Manning, Tyler Stengall, and Mark Schatz. Read More |
 |
Peghead Nation’s 10th Anniversary | We Want to Hear from YouWe’d love to hear what you’ve learned on Peghead Nation. Record a video of your playing and share it with us on our social media channels to help celebrate our 10th! Read More |
 |
Mr Sun: “Blackbird” | Peghead Nation ExclusiveThe virtuosic four-piece that includes Peghead instructors Joe K. Walsh and Grant Gordy showcases their playful arrangement of a Beatles classic. Read More |
 |
Mr Sun: ”Farewell Trion”The virtuosic string band plays an old-time favorite during the Wintergrass Festival. Read More |
 |
Hawktail: “Antilopen”Peghead Nation fiddle instructor Brittany Haas plays a Swedish fiddle tune with her powerhouse garage band. Read More |
 |
Andrew Marlin with Eli West, Christian Sedelmyer, Clint Mullican: “Wooden Spoon Over by the Sink”Andrew Marlin and his band plays an original tune from his instrumental album, “Buried in a Cape,” backstage at Terrapin Crossroads. Read More |
 |
Hawktail: “Annbjørg”Peghead Nation fiddle instructor Brittany Haas and her progressive acoustic band play an original tune from their new album, “Formations.” Read More |
