Seth Walker has released today, “No More Will I,” the second single off his forthcoming studio album, ‘Are You Open?’ due February 15, 2019 on RPF Records. Produced by The Wood Brothers’ Jano Rix, the album marks Walker’s tenth studio effort. Hear “No More Will I” on all streaming services, including:
Spotify | AppleMusic |Tidal | Soundcloud | YouTube
“I’d never really written a topical song like this before,” Walker tells Billboard in an interview accompanying the publication’s exclusive premiere of the track. “But thinking about the landscape here, socially, it got to a breaking point for me. I could not stand idle watching this – just the fear-mongering and the blatant racism going on, right in our back yards. I just kinda looked at it going, ‘Man, this is actually happening…’ And our president’s rhetoric is setting a tone for all this.” (Read the full Billboard interview here)
As for Walker’s new studio album, ‘Are You Open?,’ the Nashville-based singer/songwriter sees the ten-track effort as continuing the conversation his music has been engaged in from the start, contemplating growth, loss, acceptance and fulfillment, but he tackles those notions from fresh angles on the album, incorporating Caribbean and African influences as well as hints of Eastern philosophy. The result is a melting pot of sounds and perspectives, a soulful brew of roots music from the Americas and beyond. The pared down “Something To Hold” strips away the trappings of the material world in favor of a more spiritual satisfaction, while the Tom Waits-esque “Underdog” celebrates patience and perseverance, and the album’s first single, “Giving It All Away” is a slinky country soul number with Bill Withers in its DNA. The record features Walker’s guitar playing more heavily than ever before, and the new approach suits him well, showcasing a melodic prowess to match his prodigious lyrical gifts.
“For a lot of these tracks, the grooves were born first and the lyrics came after. That was a new way of writing for me, and it’s a big reason this album has a different flavor. I aim to try something new every time I record, so I end up learning a little bit more about myself with each release,” explains Walker. “Most of these songs were recorded in my house, which afforded us the luxury of hitting the little red button whenever inspiration struck. I’ve always been at the mercy of a studio and an engineer when it came to recording, but not this time around.”
The result is an exhilarating collection of songs that are unafraid to follow the muse wherever it may lead. Embracing the journey without sweating the destination, Walker traces musical threads that fan out around the globe and stretch back through the centuries. They’re both fearless and relentless, fueled by hunger and genuine curiosity, and while they may not offer any easy answers to the big picture questions they tackle, they do make one thing abundantly clear: Seth Walker is open. Are you?
Seth Walker plays tomorrow night at The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia with Dustbowl Revival, while a U.S. tour in support of ‘Are You Open?’ begins in earnest around the release date in February.
SETH WALKER
U.S. Tour Dates
1/26 – Abingdon, VA – Barter Theatre *
2/1 – Nashville, TN – City Winery Nashville ** (Sold Out)
2/14 – Aberdeen, NC – The Rooster’s Wife
2/15 – Charlotte, NC – Free Range Brewing
2/16 – Greensboro, NC – The Carolina Theatre
2/21 – Hillsborough, NC – Nash Street Tavern (Sold Out)
2/22 – Washington, DC – The Hamilton ^
2/23 – Annapolis, MD – The Soundry ^
2/24 – Lancaster, PA – Lancaster Roots and Blues
2/28 – Prosser, WA – Brewminatti
3/1 – Bainbridge, WA – Treehouse Café
3/2 – Sheldon, WA – Smokin’ Mo’s
3/4 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s Oakland
3/6 – Sacramento, CA – The Torch Club
3/7 – Redding, CA – Vintage Wine Bar
3/8 – Portland, OR – Jack London Revue
3/9 – Astoria, OR – Kala
3/10 – Redmond, OR – Tunes On The River
3/14 – Knoxville, TN – Open Chord
3/15 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
3/16 – Asheville, NC – Isis
3/22 – Austin, TX – Antone’s
3/23 – Houston, TX – McGonigel’s Mucky Duck
3/24 – Dallas, TX – Cafe Momentum
3/27 – New Orleans LA – Chickie Wah Wah
3/28 – Baton Rouge, LA – Dyson House Listening Room
3/29 – Tallahassee, FL – Bradfordville Blues Club
3/30 – Bluffton, SC – The Roasting Room
4/13 – Pinewood, SC – Birdfest
4/18 – Goshen, IN – Ignition Garage ^^
4/19 – Chicago, IL – Hey Nonny ^^
4/20 – Indianapolis, IN – The Jazz Kitchen
- w/ Dustbowl Revival
** w/ Delbert McClinton
^ w/ Kat Wright & The Indomitable Soul Band
