For the fearless musical explorer Mike Marshall, the mandolin is far more than a vehicle for self-expression. The diminutive eight-string instrument (and its larger sibling, the mandocello , is a passport for far-flung musical adventures, from Scandinavia and Appalachia to South America and the Bay Area. Anything but a tourist, Marshall delves deeply wherever he stops, forging relationships that leave him and his collaborators transformed. A selection of tracks released on Adventure Music, the label he co-founded with Richard Zirinsky, Jr., this anthology is something of a travelogue documenting Marshalls various sojourns with friends old and new over the past 15 years, while also showcasing his uncanny gift for writing vivid, captivating melodies