When Mary Rose Nichols, Jenny Eklund and Ann Connors purchased the former post office and school administration building in Perry back in 2012, their goal was to create a space for art, music, good food and community.

They had big dreams for the building, and as they later found out others love the space just as much as they do.

Robby Gilbertson of the Des Moines based folk music duo Gilbert Goldsmith says he quickly fell in love with the sound of live music at La Poste.  After playing a few gigs there during events like RAGBRAI and Art on the Prairie, Gilbertson decided he wanted to capture that sound.

“I just found the room to be really inspiring.  It’s the kind of place where the room does a lot of the work for you, the sound just swirls around, it’s amazing” says Gilbertson.

And so begins the story of how Poste Folk came to be.

“We’re not big studio musicians, we don’t like the little rooms.  I just wanted to do something really simple, that sounded really great and La Poste was the perfect place.”

Those who are unfamiliar with the whole recording process typically just think of music as being a set of notes and lyrics pieced together, but Gilbertson says the atmosphere in which those sounds are created can really make a difference.

“The way our voices blend together really shines in a place like that.  The sound just goes and goes and goes.  You just snap your fingers and it doesn’t stop.”

Gilbertson says he also loves how dynamic the building is, with each part having a different sound. While the majority of the tracks on the album were recorded in the large room upstairs, he says they also used the stairwell and downstairs bathroom to capture different sounds.

Will have more with Gilbertson on today’s Let’s Talk Dallas County during the 9am, noon and 5pm hours on AM 1310 KDLS.