Penelope's Thrill
MUSIC
About the Album:
"Twilight on Tunnel Road" is an album of interconnected songs that tell the story of Lonnie and Chloe, who grow up on nearby farms on the edge of the Driftless Region in southern Wisconsin and learn to play guitars. The songs travel back and forth in time, from their idyllic childhood, to their rambunctious teen years, up to their difficulties finding their place in today's world.
To listen to the songs, read more about Lonnie and Chloe, and see photos of their world, click below:
About the Recording:
The album was recorded during the lockdown year of 2020, affording plenty of time for songwriting and experimenting. All the songs are by Timothy Walsh, who founded Penelope's Thrill in 2015, returning to music after a long hiatus. Several of the songs and the three musical interludes include field recordings of birds, frogs, cicadas and other natural sounds, all recorded by Walsh along the Tunnel Road-Marshall Bluff-Sugar River corridor in southern Wisconsin. All the photographs on this site were also taken by Walsh in the same area.
To read more about Penelope's Thrill and the making of the album, click below:
Thanks:
Special thanks to Akmaral Zykayeva ("Mergen") of Almaty, Kazakhstan, for her boundless wisdom and advice during the year and a half of this album's creation. Not only did Akmaral listen to early mixes with an expert ear and give valuable suggestions, she also composed a six-part violin arrangement for "Let Me Go," recording all the violin parts herself.
Working with Akmaral on her last album, "Tales of Mergen," was a big reason that I decided to resuscitate my musical career and record an album of my own.
Thanks as well to other friends and musicians in Kazakhstan, especially Laura Paluanova and Timur Shevchenko, who helped me to decide to retire from my university position to refocus on music.
It still seems odd to me that my time spent consulting in Kazakhstan over the years rekindled my love of music and ultimately led me back to pursuing a long-abandoned childhood dream.
Special thanks also, to my wife, Barbara, and my son, Andrew, who were instrumental in encouraging my return to music; to Emily Dickmann, who listened so appreciatively to all my early efforts; to Bob Hoot and Doug McLeod (Tent Show Troubadours), René Methner (Para Lia), Scott Montgomery (Jetbelly), and Vanessa Peters for their expert advice; to all the guest musicians who contributed to the album--Ben Lokuta, Amanda Kim Sanderson, Wendy Lynn Staats, Ben Jaeger, Akmaral Zykayeva, and Barbara Walsh.
Also thanks to Greg Ginter and all the staff at the Guitar Shop of Wisconsin, especially Bruce Wasserstrom and Ian Thornburg (who got my 1966 Guild Starfire XII back into playing shape for the album).
And lastly, thanks to my family, especially my brother Matthew (1961-2013), who would have loved this album.
Album Credits:
Album Credits:
Timothy Walsh: Vocals, all guitars, bass
All songs by Timothy Walsh
With guest musicians:
Amanda Kim Sanderson: Vocals, backing vocals
Barbara Walsh: Backing vocals
Ben Lokuta, Drums
Akmaral Zykayeva, Violin
Wendy Lynn Staats, Violin
Ben Jaeger, Tuba
Words and music by Timothy Walsh
Akmaral Zykayeva, violin and six-violin arrangement on "Let Me Go"
Wendy Lynn Staats, violin and five-violin arrangement on "Shelter for Your Soul"
Recorded and mixed by Timothy Walsh at Yew Tree Studios
©2021 Timothy Walsh All rights reserved
This recording ©2021 Timothy Walsh