The Quadrangle

Issue date: 4/6/05 Section: Features

Freshman Mike Walsh moves from Absent Minded to his solo effort, Sleeping Muse

Freshman Mike Walsh recently recorded and produced his first solo album, Sleeping Muse. Walsh distributed copies of the record at a Chrysostom Coffee house in early March and hopes Manhattan College students will take an interest in his work.

Sleeping Muse is a combination of different influences with a focus on the electric guitar. Walsh said, "I'd say it's mainly Indie/acoustic rock, but I switch it up to electric rock at times. It's a little bit of everything."

The album is a culmination of song-writing that has been going on for a number of years. Using his Macintosh computer, Walsh began recording in his dorm room during September 2004, and he continued until the album's completion in March 2005. He wrote half the songs before the recording and the other half during the process. The disc contains 19 original tracks and over 50 minutes of music. Ninety percent of the album was recorded in Chrysostom Hall, ten percent was produced elsewhere, and the tracks featuring the piano were recorded at Walsh's home in Union county, New Jersey. He entitled the album Sleeping Muse because "it's a theme I [he] tried to run throughout the entire record."

Walsh conceives his ideas from different sources and experiences. He said, "I get ideas from everyday incidents and things that capture my eye- like streetlights and train rides." Most of his inspiration, however, stems from relationships with other individuals. "People inspire me," he continued. "Being 18 years old and trying to figure everything out inspires me. And if I'm inspired the words just come out very easily- you can't force it."

Although Walsh has entertained the idea of a career in music, a record deal is not his driving force. He said, "A record deal would be nice because more people would hear my music and it would be distributed further. I want it to get to as many ears as possible, and hopefully people will find some meaning in it. But I'll play music until the day I die- whether I make money doing it is irrelevant."

Walsh views the album as personal artwork. He said, "I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite track because they all mean something different to me. They were all written at different times in my life. I don't look at them as a collection of rock songs. I see it as an audio photo album that tells me where I've been. I got into the guitar because I always loved music. I knew I wanted to create art- it's the only thing that matters. You leave a little bit of yourself in your art- people can figure out who you are through your art."

Walsh took up guitar in 1997 and played in Absent Minded- a band he formed during high school. Absent Minded consisted of himself, Tom Gonch- a friend who sang and played bass guitar, and a rotating drummer. Walsh said, "Our lineup was never solid- we had three different drummers. But the heart and the core of the band was Tom and I." Walsh also performs at Jasper and Chrysostom coffee houses, and he plays frequently at local coffee houses and clubs in his hometown. He is influenced by the Beatles, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Rivers Cuomo's song-writing, and classic rock.

To purchase a copy of Sleeping Muse for $5, contact Mike Walsh at mwalsh.student@manhattan.edu or through Instant Messenger at "Mikeinmid."

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