“They’re right on it”: The only modern bands Joe Walsh actually likes
The good old generational divide. It’s what makes some family gatherings borderline insufferable, but wedding dancefloors unbeatable. At the heart of the success and failure of both environments is an attitude towards music. “Music isn’t as good as it used to be” is often the adopted phrase to cut down anything that dares to sit outside of 4:4 rhythm patterns, while the hearty guitar solo is often discarded as a symptom of boring dad rock. In times like these, we need diplomats to help bridge the gap. I just guess we never thought it would be Joe Walsh.
Axe-man of the quintessential dad band the Eagles, Walsh helped forge the blueprint for classic rock. Behind the band’s soaring harmonies were crunching guitar riffs and sprawling solos that have all found their place on either “Best Air-Guitar” compilations or, worse yet, Top Gear’s top 100 driving songs.
After the tongue-in-cheek jibes fall away, there is genuinely an accomplished and important artist left. Whether on his own or with his Californian contemporaries, Walsh has fearlessly approached music and penned many genre-bending riffs that have helped the steady progression of contemporary rock.
While many music fans are eager to consign the guitar masters to the bins of history and render them symbols of an antiquated chapter in musical history, Walsh’s contemporary tastes prove he has always had his finger on the pulse.
In a 2012 interview with The Quietus, the legendary musician was asked about any bands who had worked their way into his ear and not only was he keen to name three, but to express his engagement with the modern digital format.
He said: “There’s so much stuff out on the internet that you could spend all day listening to it and still only hear 0.5% of what’s out there. Every once in a while you get lucky and someone blows you away. The Black Keys I think are brilliant. Wow! They’re right on it! And Kings of Leon make great records, really great records. And there’s a band called Gorillaz and I happened across them and I think they’re great.”
While Gorillaz represented a brave new world for Walsh’s taste, The Black Keys and Kings of Leon represented a clearer baton pass for the Hollywood rocker. So it came as no surprise that following his public display of appreciation for the band, Walsh became a frequent collaborator of The Black Keys and in particular, Dan Auerbach.
In 2019, Walsh joined The Black Keys on stage for a performance in Los Angeles, a live show partnership they continued for Joe Walsh’s VetsAid charity concert in 2022. But in 2023, the pair shared the studio together for Auerbach’s compilation record Tell Everybody!: 21 Century Juke Joint Blues from Easy Eye Sound.
Backed by Auerbach’s second band, The Arcs, the pair collaborated alongside the late Glenn Schwartz to record ‘Daughter Of Zion’. The sprawling blues track was a true jam record that saw the guitarists lay chunky riffs over one another in a celebration of true Americana. While it harked back to yesteryear, a time when Walsh was so influential, it was a modern recording that reminded a contemporary audience of Walsh’s greatness.
