Carnival of Soul

Joseph performs with his group, the American Soul, Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Lake Geneva House of Music.

While “soul” seems an apt word to describe Joseph’s music, blues is at its core.

“It’s the bottom line,” he said. “It is something that rings true, emphatically.”

In 1991, after hearing B.B. King and others play at the fair, Joseph was given his first guitar.

Since then, he has played over 2,000 shows and recorded five albums.

His latest, “The Musician & the Muse,” features several guest artists, including members of the Koch Marshall Trio, with whom Joseph is currently touring.

The Feb. 29 show is the first Wisconsin stop on the tour.

In the following Q&A, Joseph discusses more about his inspiration, the collaborations on “The Musician & the Muse” and playing with the trio.

Note: This was edited for length and clarity.

Resorter: When did you first hear B.B. King?

Mark Joseph: He was hosting a massive blues tour featuring people like Jimmy Vaughn, Elvin Bishop, Etta James, the J. Geils Band. Its was like six-plus hours of blues, topped off by the King himself. I might as well have been struck by lightning. Saw the vision then and there. I knew what I would be doing the rest of my life. Songs that standout in my mind from that show in particular are “Every Day I Have The Blues” and “How Blue Can You Get.” Was a great treat to witness. I just remember after the show how badly I wanted to get home and play the guitar! Been doing it ever since, really.

How does the blues manifest in your music?

It could be a part of a song, a vocal, a concept, solo, bridge — if it’s real, it’s the blues. So it becomes the foundation under everything we do. It manifests in that it’s one of the most raw and powerful expressions known to human kind, in my humble opinion. It’s become my home, daily mantra and church.

On “The Musician & the Muse,” you collaborated with musicians who worked with Neil Young, War, Little Feat. What was that like?

I am very blessed to have such incredibly talented musicians and creators all around me. Most of the guests on the record are longtime friends and collaborators. This record was produced by Steve McCormick, a Los Angeles-based producer and writer. He worked very hard on this project with me every step of the way and really made it possible under a very tight time line. One of Steve’s best friends was the late, great Richie Hayward, from Little Feat. When we were working on the album, we needed one more track to round it out. Pretty sure my head spun 360 degrees when he offered up a classic blues shuffle drum track that Richie had done for him on a record back in 2012. So we wrote “Walk To The Water” to it. I’m told Richie’s wife heard it recently and was quite pleased with it. Made me really happy to hear that. The whole experience was and is a true blessing.

Other guests on the record include the amazing John Aliva, on bass guitar, Stanley “The Baron” Behrens, on sax and harmonica. I have an L.A.-based project called Chupacabra with those guys and Tony Austin, who is Kamasi Washington’s producer. So we naturally had them on this record. And of course our guy Toby Lee Marshall, of Koch Marshall Trio, plays Hammond organ on almost the whole album. Heather Donavan, Mylan Fizer, Steph Devine, they are part of our musical family and they contributed amazing work on the album.

What do you enjoy about collaborating with other artists?

The energy exchange, creative flow and the excitement of creating something new is very powerful. To collaborate is to put your ego aside and work together toward a common aim. When we booked this tour with the Koch Marshall Trio, I immediately decided I wanted to write and record a song with the guys. So Steve McCormick and I did just that. We were able to get the guys in the studio when they were in L.A. for the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, and then I tracked my parts in St. Paul, Minnesota. The tune is affectionately called “Koch A Doodle Do,” our nod the profound talent of Greg Koch. Can’t wait to get out on the road with them and see what happens!

Mark Joseph and the American Soul is scheduled to go on Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. The Koch Marshall Trio plays at 8:45 p.m.

An all-star jam is scheduled to begin at 10 p.m.

The all-ages show is at the Lake Geneva House of Music, N3241 Highway H, town of Geneva.

Tickets $20 pre-sale, $25 at the door.

For more details, visit the Facebook pages of Greg Koch, the Koch Mitchell Trio, Mark Joseph, Wise Farm Productions, Black Circle Records or House of Music.