The Josh Walker band

• What is your government name?

Josh Walker

• What is your stage name?

Josh Walker — The Josh Walker Band

• Where are you from originally?

Roanoke County, Virginia

• When did you start playing music?

I got my first guitar when I was three or four, though I don’t really recall picking it up in earnest until I was thirteen or fourteen. I’ve been singing my entire life. Some of my earliest memories are singing with both of my grandmothers, whether at church or in the car. I grew up Southern Baptist, and song is a huge part of that culture.

• Why did you start to do music?

I wanted to make a joyful noise I suppose. I started publicly performing in the youth band at church in my early teens. 

• Why do you continue to do music?

I can’t imagine not making music at this point. Although it’s irreverent at times, I suppose I have something to say. And, some people might want to hear it. I’m not particularly devout anymore, but I feel a deep urge to keep on making a joyful noise. Plus, I have a bunch of guitars that won’t play themselves.

• Who do you look up to in the industry?

 Jason Isbell’s 2013 album Southeastern very much inspired me to get back to into singing and songwriting. I can’t stop spinning the entirety of Tyler Childers’s discography. 49 Winchester is probably my favorite band right now. Those guys are redefining country music.

• What influences your music?

Everyday people and their experiences. I’m a storyteller. Most of my songs start with grain of truth — something I read, heard, observed, or experienced. Sometimes they’re a straightforward retelling; other times there’s quite a bit of embellishment. My favorite songs are those that write themselves in a matter of minutes; they seem to come from beyond yourself sometimes.

• What do you do with your free time?

I suppose the obvious thing is songwriting. I’m still grinding at a day job; I got bills to pay. I get a bit bummed when I realize it’s been a couple days since I’ve sat down with a guitar, pen, and paper. That said, the wife and I like to get out and explore new places around the state. I enjoy thrifting and collecting a bunch of weird stuff. My favorite thrift find is a handmade Hawaiian ukulele.

• What is your perspective on the current state of the industry?

I’m ambivalent. Mainstream country can be so uninspiring right now. Most of it is just cheesy pop with twangy guitars and southern accents. The gatekeeping in the industry is obvious. In 2017, for instance, Sturgill Simpson won the Grammy for Best Country Album of the year but didn’t even get nominated at the Country Music Association Awards. That said, there are artists that are beating down the gates — the gatekeepers be damned. Artists like Simpson, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, Zach Bryan, and many others give me hope for country music.

• What are you currently working on?

I’ve been playing with the band in its current form for a little under a year. It’s been incredibly rewarding. The guys have made the songs come alive in ways I couldn’t have imagined. We’re currently working on getting our live sets as tight as we possibly can. We’re also in talks about getting an album produced and recorded. We play live gigs whenever we can and are always trying to book shows.