Interview: WALK

There are a lot of great indie-pop/rock acts in Los Angeles -- you've probably caught that by this point -- but you might have missed the spacey/dreamy/droney WALK since they haven't played out too much recently. So the fact that they're sharing a bill with locals The Kris Special -- granted, a strange mix w/ Big Boy and Babyland -- at Spaceland this Saturday night should be noteworthy.

At least, if you like good live music. Their new songs are pretty excellent.

Here's an interview with lead Timothy Jordan (and an MP3 if you scroll all the way down):

Hey, there. How are you doing today? How was your 2008?

TJ: Hey man, we're good! Waking up slowly, but much to do, both music- and frisbee-related. We mostly spent this year getting our respective shits together as bandmates, but managed to play a good many shows just the same: We played Pehrspace on Saint Patrick's day, a Radiohead tribute show at The Derby with longtime friends The Kris Special, and The Airliner a number of times. Played there the other night too; feels like a good way to end the year.

How did you guys start up?

TJ: WALK has existed in some form or another for at least the last five years, with up to seven people and as few as two. We tended to just jam amazing jams and then lament afterward for not ever recording them. But we started playing with conviction in June 2006 (I see it on a calendar). Before that we were really unorganized, without really any material for shows. Then I wrote these six really poppy songs that we all agreed would sound great if performed by a band. So that's where stand today, but who knows what it'll turn into.

What are a few bands you all agree on liking? Who do you disagree on?

TJ: Pavement, The Beach Boys, Grandaddy, Elliott Smith, Built to Spill. We all have similar musical tastes to begin with, so we're already pulling in the same direction. I don't think there's any bands that we're ashamed to share with each other. I think were was a disagreement about the Mae Shi a while back, but it has since been resolved.

Great show at Mr T's Bowl a few weeks back. I think you'd mentioned that you guys weren't playing out as much for awhile while you recorded some new material, yes?

TJ: Thanks a lot! It was fun. We hadn't played a show for three months before that, but I don't think it was because of recording. We worry sometimes about not having new enough material. In a way, I think we like to get our friend-fans to miss us and then come back with a "comeback", but it's really just us going through a cycle of circumstances lining up once again.

Things are looking really good right now for new material, though. The rest of the band is starting to pour out more songs, so I feel like my time is passing a little and I like it. Dan, our drummer, writes some awesome songs, as does Kenny, our bassist. So maybe next time a comeback will really mean something.

What's the status on the recording?

TJ: We pulled together a few new songs, but mostly just ones we've played for months/years but never got a chance to record. We've done three EPs before, but this next one might be somewhere in between an EP and an album. It's called Cave Man Game. We've been lucky enough to record a good deal of it with this really prolific kid from the L.A. band Transit State, Sean Guerin. He records out of his basement and usually just does stuff for his new band Family Tree, but he's always happy to help out some friends, and he's really good at it. The rest was recorded, as were the other three EPs, on a digital 8-track, performed and mixed by just us kids.

What else is next for you guys?

TJ: Hard to say. We'd like to get more around L.A. and maybe tour. I like to think we're finally getting into a good groove, so it'd be nice to keep it going. I'm gonna be a college junior in the spring, so I'll have to work more at my juggling-skills, but it feels like WALK is really ready to happen. Our drummer and keyboardist continue to play in their side-group Chris Kerrigan & the Infernal Racket, and I've been dabbling in Family Tree as a keyboard player... maybe not WALK, but still us guys.

Last question: What are you listening to these days?

TJ: We've been collectively kicking around the new New Year album, some Warren Zevon, the Kink's Lola vs. Powerman and the Money-go-Round; I can't stop listening to Grizzley Bear's Yellow House, and our pals Lake from Olympia just put out a great record on K called Oh, The Places We'll Go. That one gets a lot of play.

That's it. Thanks for your time. See you on Saturday night at Spaceland.

DOWNLOAD:
- New Words MP3