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Walker is a modern ‘country rock’ all-rounder. 

 

A jack of all trades who can switch styles in a flash whether it be serenading the crowd with the sweetest acoustic love song you’ve ever heard or putting his front forward and leaning into his electric guitar to let rip with a catchy country rocker to get the party started. 

 

And there’s more to his music than country rock… there’s harder edged bluesy rock. There’s rockabilly meets country. There’s pop rock (let’s get the elephant out of the room early: when you hear him sing, you’d swear it’s 1980s hit maker Bryan Adams). Walker even has a knack to get Irish eyes smiling.

 

“Yes, I’m even known to perform a limerick style Irish jig from time to time to mix things up,” the Byron Bay based Walker says with a chuckle, which makes perfect sense given his Irish heritage. 

 

A good-looking man who you’ll generally find decked out in his trademark cowboy hat and loud shirt on stage, there’s no doubt country rock is at this man’s core. Though it’s important to note you need to expect the unexpected with his diverse musical offering if you’re lucky enough to watch him perform live at one of his energy-charged and always entertaining gigs.

 

The Walker! band project has been a long time coming but, like a fine red wine, Walker  admits his best music only really surfaced in more recent times with a bit of time under his belt. He’s always been blessed with those trademark whisky-soaked husky vocals that most singers only dream of possessing, and his musicianship is world class, but it’s taken ‘til now to realise his dream of being a professional musician. 

 

“I must admit that the Walker project has been a long time in the making,” Walker says with a smile. “I've taken a long while to get this thing together. To be frank, the songs I wrote didn't really become good enough to be worth recording until just a few years ago. I don't know why, but things just 'clicked' a little later than expected and I started to write really good tunes.”

 

In a world where things are often measured in a time space reality, the rush was never there but the dream certainly was. And boy-oh-boy, has the wait been worth it. Walker is a true student of his craft, and a patient one at that, and that’s where his high production values and impeccably tight, pitch-perfect musical delivery stems from. 

 

When he talks, you know he is a “details” man. His focus is razor sharp and he is very specific about the mechanics of his music, his storytelling style and what’s important in life in general. He’s an observer and not much gets past him. 

 

So, once the “common denominators emerged”, as he explains, Walker felt he’d nailed the right mix and found his groove, but importantly it enabled him to discover diversity within his music, something important. That diversity reveals itself with his ability to caress his six string for a tender heartfelt ballad that tugs on the heartstrings before switching up to a rollicking good-time country rock sound that is irresistible not to sing along to, or then thumping out something heavier for some serious bone-rattling buzz. 

 

Affable and charming, ask him about his craft and he takes on a more serious tone.

 

“My music is the result of intensive study of the music of other artists,” Walker points out. “I have studied the song structures and chord progressions of some of the world's most popular contemporary music artists. Like any type of education or study regime, the information eventually begins to make sense once you find some common denominators and patterns that occur on a regular basis.”

 

“I've studied the music of Billy Joel, Elton John and many other artists. I really like the multi-layered backing vocals and harmonies included in the music of The Eagles and The Beach Boys. But most of all, I'm mesmerised by the popularity of the songs performed by AC/DC. The repetition used in AC/DC's songs is at the heart of the band's commercial success, and that’s something I’m really aware of.”  

 

Right from when he was a kid, Walker always dreamt of having his own band. Writing his own songs. Playing his own brand of music. 

 

Born in Bankstown in Sydney, he was the second of three boys and his father was involved in building and construction. His family moved to Canberra when he was a toddler and that’s where Walker grew up.

 

“I had an interesting & unconventional childhood,” he explains. “My school days were pretty normal, but my holidays were spent on isolated building sites in and around south-east NSW. I did a lot of summertime labouring work in the NSW Snowy Mountains. I worked on ski lodge developments, hotel refurbishments, the ski-tube railway that cuts through the Crackenback mountain range. I even helped put the roof and ceiling into Australia's most secure jail facility, the supermax wing at Goulburn jail in southern NSW!”

 

As a younger man, he found himself storming into bone-cracking tackles or zipping through to the try line on the rugby field representing the ACT, or skiing the slopes of the Snowy Mountains competing in international events. Yet he always had a guitar pick in his top pocket right on his heart. 

 

“That whole time growing up, I was thinking about how one day I might have my own band and perform my own songs,” he says. 

 

Fortunately for us, that dream has now been realised. So how does the man himself describe his music? 

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“Well, I guess you'd call it modern country rock. It's a combination of country music and rock’n’roll. Obviously, some songs are slower or more up-tempo than others, but the general feel is country rock. I'd like to eventually refine a sound that's a hybrid of the Rolling Stones, AC/DC and the Eagles. Of course, a lot of people say my music sounds like Bryan Adams.”

 

Is there one song in history that he’d love to call his own?

 

“That's an easy one. You Shook Me All Night Long by ACDC is the song I wish I could say that I had written. The theme, the chorus, the hook line and lyrical content of the song are all truly amazing, however, it's the lead guitar solo in the middle of the song that really takes the cake. I never tire of listening to that song. It's a true rock n roll masterpiece.”

 

And just to dig a little deeper for some insight into the man that is Walker, who would be the five people (dead or alive) he would invite to a dinner party?

 

“I love this question. It's activated my imagination! The first would be Michael Jackson. I think he was an amazing singer, performer, composer, arranger and musician. I'm sure he must have had a huge team of collaborators working with him and advising him, but I'm sure he'd have been the captain of his ship. His work is mesmerising.

 

“Next up is Adolf Hitler. I'd just like to see what he was like in the flesh… his table manners, his demeanour, his actions!

 

“Billy Joel is one of my favourite songwriters, so he'd definitely be invited. He’s a great storyteller with his music and I’m sure he would be in person. He writes for working-class people with working-class lives and working-class dreams. He has a great radar for a good song theme and I love his ‘New York’ attitude.

 

“Malcolm Young, the chief songwriter for AC/DC would be there too. I'd insist he bring his electric guitar along to show me his iconic rhythm guitar style. This man was a true original and pioneer of great rock’n’roll.”

 

“No.5 dinner party guest would be former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. What a truly fascinating and frightening individual! I'd just love to sit and talk with her for a few hours.”

 

Strap yourselves in, people. Walker! has arrived and he’s ready to rock your soul.

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To interview or book Walker, email: walkermanias@gmail.com

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