The Walk-A-Bout – The Eclectic Aussie Americana
1. There is a mix of influences inside your music, from Progressive to Alternative rock. What about your main musical influences?
Answer: Our main influences within those parameters are drawing from Roots Music, Funk, Blues, World Music, Latin Music and Jazz
2. Your previous album THINGS ARE LOOKING UP, had an unexpected success by rising on the charts. Would you like to tell us the whole story?
The record was initially released in mid-June, of 2018. Alongside the album, we released a video for the single “That’s Just the Way It Goes” and received good press throughout the summer and into the fall of that year. That led to the band signing a radio promotion deal which began in January of 2019. Three of the tracks from the album immediately charted. To our surprise, the album debuted at #15 on the RMR alternative rock chart, while simultaneous charting at #25 on the Rock chart. The success continued throughout 2019, with three singles in the top 5 the week the album reached #4. “Things Are Looking Up” remained on the charts until Dec 2019, which led to the band being ranked # 24 on RMR’s Best of 2019 chart.
3. A new album is coming out; would you like to describe its musical content?
Initially, there was conscious focus towards a world music approach, rather than conventional pop. That being said, the character of each song exists outside the limits of any one genre. This allowed us to retain our signature sound while expanding our musical horizons. The personality of each song was ultimately dictated by each band members interpretation of the compositions’ direction during the writing process. This method proved to be extremely effective heading into production, yielding the results that are reflected on the final album.
4. You chose to record your new album by choosing an analog method, right? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this methodology?
The only disadvantage of analog recording is the absence of the infinite track space available in the digital domain, which allows a performer to be ill-prepared for the tracking process. There are countless sonic advantages to recording on two-inch analog tape. The primary advantage is the harmonic unity. Put simply, this is the natural bleed of each instrument onto each other’s tracks, something that cannot duplicated in the digital recording process. This ultimately enhances the aspect of a band playing together. Equally important, the recording signal is truly analog as you hear in life and cannot be duplicated digitally. From our lips to your ears, uninterrupted.
5. Do you also use analog material for your recordings and live shows?
All analog material is created by the band. There is no pre-recorded or unsanctioned material in our live performances or on our studio recordings. Every note you hear is 100% The Walk-A Bout
6. Would you like to comment on the artwork of the new album?
The album artwork is the result of an organic collaboration. The concept and original sketches came from band producer and conceptualist Drew Bertrand, and the album art was brought to life by George Panagakos of 525 Media. It’s commentary on the military industrial complex, and it’s lack of sustainability vs. tribal indigenous existence. It is a conscious commentary on tribal peoples living off the land rather than destroying it.
7. What about the lyrics of the album, is there any specific concept behind the words?
The lyrics explore varied concepts, from social consciousness, the love of the ocean and travelling the world we live in. We also explore relationships both with those closest to us and the ones we share with all of humanity. Our lyrics interpret how we see our precious world, reflecting on what we need to treasure as well as we believe needs to change.
8. Is there a profitable market for your genre in New York or do you prefer other musical markets?
Our music connects with people here in New York as well as abroad and we intend on sharing the truth in our music to a worldwide audience.
9. How do you adjust yourself to the current music streaming environment of the music industry?
We have made this transition easily, making sure our music is available on all music streaming and purchase platforms, while maintain consistent availability of our physical products at our live shows and on our website www.walkaboutband.com.
10. What lies ahead for the band during the Covid-19 days?
We will be releasing a video paying tribute to all of the Covid workers on the frontlines, featuring the song from the new album.
Excellent Interview! Love this Band and their music!