Live at the Floodgate

Pulling off a live album can be tricky; the sound can be inferior to a studio record and it is difficult to transfer the energy of a show to the ear. Clawhammer banjo player Dan Walsh’s effort is largely a success, thanks mainly to often spellbinding picking and a high quality recording. It is also a very generous set, clocking up in at over an hour with 16 tracks and including material from each of his solo albums, plus previously unreleased tunes and new music.

Opener ‘On the Border’ demonstrates his chops, starting with a strong melody piece that shifts into an urgent modern Irish jig. These very good instrumentals are the most successful, particularly traditional song ‘Calliope House’ and the eastern-tinged winner ‘Whiplash Reel’, where Dan coaxes sitar-like tones from his banjo. The splendidly odd ‘Moonshine 68’ is another hit, with the music darting and dancing, but a cover of Paul Simon’s ‘You Can Call Me Al’ misses the mark, with an enthusiastic and unquestionably well played guitar part jarring slightly. Overall though, this is high quality and enjoyable stuff.