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Drumming professionally since the early
80s, Matt Walker has been a core member in many bands and a
sideman for numerous artists. He got his start playing drums in a re-formation of Alberta recording artists One Horse Blue called Prisoner who recognized the musical potential of an
18 year old. Walker continued to cut his teeth, working with country legend Brian Fustukian and the Battle River Band, blues veterans Cold Feet,
and acclaimed singer/songwriter Carman
Lindsay (Rita McNeil "Moth to a Flame").
The 90s found Matt playing the blues in Toronto as a founding member of Jake and The Blue Midnights; and performing with others like the Tyler Yareema Band,
Mark 'Bird' Stafford, Howard
Willet and the Shifters, Doctor Nick and the Rollercoasters, Little
Bobby and The Jump Starts, and The David Rotundo Band,
to name just a few.
Back in Alberta since 2000, Matt
has worked with the Graham Guest
Band, Donald Ray Johnson,
Billy Joe Green, Russell
Jackson, Doug Jenson and the Feelkings, the Rault
Brothers Band, Studebaker John, Shelly
Jones, and Rick
Holmstrom. The respect Matt
has garnered across the country for his solid drumming and solid work ethic is evident by the roster of talent
on his debut album Low Down.
When it came to recording his own CD, Matt wanted to create an exceptional recording that would incorporate the
raw feel and spontaneity of 1950's Chicago blues. Matt approached his old pals from his club days in Toronto and
his Edmonton buddies — some of the who's who of Canadian blues performers. The album, first created in Matt's mind
and inspired by his passion for the blues, began to take on a life of its own. Matt harnessed the intense, deep
energy that makes the blues a true art form of the soul, and expressed that landscape of emotion song after song.
The result – Low Down – an exceptional album, a mixture of Blues
and Rock filled with passion, and with outstanding arrangements.
Low Down covers a lot of ground musically. Low Down leaves you wanting more, and is a testament to the virtuosity of
everyone involved in the project. Low
Down is a tasteful blend
of strong, well-written original songs, and songs made famous by blues heroes like Elmore James,
and Junior Wells. This album is rounded out by a natural vocal
sensibility that moves and propels the songs on this record into new territory.
Matt says, "I wanted to
make a record that moved me. I wanted to keep it real, keep it honest, and it had to be fun, not contrived in any
way, something true."
I think he got his wish. |
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