The Walkabouts
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| The Walkabouts | ||
|---|---|---|
 The Walkabouts at the Orange-Blossom-Special-festival of their label Glitterhouse Records in 2006: Glenn Slater, Paul Austin, Terri Moeller, Chris Eckman, Carla Torgerson
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Seattle, Washington, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Alt. country, Rock | |
| Years active | 1984 – present | |
| Label(s) | Sub Pop Virgin Glitterhouse |
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| Associated acts |
Chris & Carla | |
| Website | www.thewalkabouts.com | |
| Members | ||
| Chris Eckman Carla Torgerson Michael Wells Glenn Slater Terri Moeller |
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| Former members | ||
| Curt Eckman Grant Eckman Bruce Wirth John "Baker" Saunders Fred Chalenor Joe Skyward Brian Young |
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The Walkabouts is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1984. The core members since then are vocalist Carla Torgerson and vocalist and songwriter Chris Eckman. The rest of the line-up has changed several times.
The band draws inspiration from folk and country music (particullary Townes van Zandt, Neil Young and Johnny Cash), but also from other types of artists and musical styles such as Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, french chanson and Jacques Brel. Their sound is typically rich, with string arrangements and keyboards in addition to the standard rock instruments. In reviews the band's music is often described as melancholic or mellow, while Eckman's lyrics, concerning such themes as human relations, loneliness and restlessness, are often emphasized as poetic.
The Walkabouts have reached commercial success and a lasting audience specially in Europe, where they have done promotion and extensive touring since early 1990s. They have occasionally even made it high on the pop charts in countries such as Greece and Norway.
The above mentioned band members has also released albums as side projects under the name Chris & Carla or as solo artists. Eckman has worked with Willard Grant Conspiracy in recent years, on the albums Regard The End and Let It Roll, as well as with The Bambi Molesters.
Terri Moeller has also formed The Transmissionary Six with Paul Austin, formerly of Willard Grant Conspiracy.
Contents |
[edit] Band member history
Current line-up shown in bold.
| Name | Playing | Member period |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Eckman | vocals, guitar, piano | 1984-present |
| Carla Torgerson | vocals, guitar | 1984-present |
| Michael Wells | bass | 1985-1996; 2003-present |
| Glenn Slater | keyboards, piano | 1989-present |
| Terri Moeller | drums, percussion | 1991-1999; 2001-present |
| Grant Eckman | drums, percussion | 1984-1991 |
| Curt Eckman | bass | 1984-1985 |
| Bruce Wirth | violin, lap steel, mandolin, vibes | 1991-1994 |
| John "Baker" Saunders | bass | 1996-1999 |
| Fred Chalenor | bass | 1999 |
| Joe Skyward | bass | 2000 |
| Brian Young | drums | 2000 |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Releases
| Year of Release | Title | Label | Produced by tW = The Walkabouts |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22 Disasters | Necessity | Terry Date & tW | EP |
| 1987 | Linda Evans/Cyclone | Necessity | Bruce Calder, Tony Croes & tW | EP |
| 1988 | See Beautiful Rattlesnake Gardens | PopLlama | Tony Kroes, Ed Brooks & tW | |
| 1989 | Cataract | Sub Pop | Tony Kroes, Ed Brooks & tW | |
| 1990 | Rag & Bone | Sub Pop | Tony Kroes, Ed Brooks & tW | |
| 1991 | Scavenger | Sub Pop | Gary Smith | |
| 1993 | New West Motel | Sub Pop Germany | Ed Brooks & tW | |
| 1993 | Satisfied Mind | Sub Pop Germany | Kevin Suggs & tW | |
| 1994 | Setting the Woods on Fire | Sub Pop Germany | Ed Brooks & tW | |
| 1996 | Devil's Road | Virgin, Germany | Victor van Vugt | |
| 1996 | Death Valley Days: Lost Songs and Rarities, 1985-1995 | Glitterhouse | Rare or previously unreleased songs | |
| 1997 | Nighttown | Virgin, Germany | Victor van Vugt | |
| 1999 | Trail of Stars | Glitterhouse | Phill Brown & tW | |
| 2000 | Train Leaves At Eight | Glitterhouse | Kevin Suggs & tW | |
| 2001 | Ended Up A Stranger | Glitterhouse | tW, Larry Crane & Phill Brown | |
| 2002 | Watermarks | Anthology featuring the best of the Walkabouts from their Innerstate, Glitterhouse, and Virgin releases 1991-2002 | ||
| 2003 | Shimmers | Glitterhouse | "Best of" collection | |
| 2003 | Slow Days With Nina | Shingle Street | Chris Eckman, Carla Torgerson & Glenn Slater | Tribute to Nina Simone |
| 2005 | Drunken Soundtracks: Lost Songs and Rarities, 1995-2001 | Glitterhouse | Rare or previously unreleased songs | |
| 2005 | Acetylene | Glitterhouse | Tucker Martine & tW |
[edit] Singles
| Year of Release | Title | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Linda Evans/Cyclone | |
| 1991 | Where The Deep Water Goes | |
| 1992 | Dead Man Rise | |
| 1993 | Jack Candy | |
| 1993 | Your Hope Shines | |
| 1994 | Good Luck Morning | |
| 1996 | The Light Will Stay On | |
| 1996 | All For This | |
| 1997 | Lift Your Burdens Up | Not official released |
| 1997 | Immaculate | Not official released |
| 1999 | Drown | |
| 2005 | Devil In The Details | Jack Wolfskin-Promo |
[edit] Official bootlegs
Lists of official bootlegs sold through mail order or sold at concerts.
| Year of Release | Title | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | To Hell And Back - Live in Europe | |
| 1997 | Mystery Mountain Chronicles | |
| 1999 | Airmail | |
| 2000 | Bruxelles w/ the Nighttown Orchestra | |
| 2002 | I'm Sorry | |
| 2003 | Emona | From the Italian music magazine Il Mucchio Selvaggio) |
| 2005 | No You Won't | |
| 2007 | Prague |
[edit] External links
