The Walters

The Walters were an independent five-piece indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, composed of Luke Olson, Walter Kosner, MJ Tirabassi, Danny Wells, and Charlie Ekhaus.[1] As of 2017 they had released two EPs and three singles and were touring the United States on their first national tour.[2][3]

The Walters
Background information
OriginChicago, Illinois, United States
GenresIndie rock, alternative rock
Years active2014–2017
LabelsUnsigned
Members
  • Luke Olson
  • Walter Kosner
  • MJ Tirabassi
  • Danny Wells
  • Charlie Ekhaus


The band performed at prominent Chicago venues such as the Metro, House of Blues, Riot Fest Chicago, and the 2017 Lollapalooza Festival.[4] Their first EP, Songs for Dads, placed on the United States Viral Top 50 list on Spotify.[5] The Walters have described their music as "cardigan rock" and are generally classified as indie rock and new wave.[5]

History

The band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 2014 after the band's guitarist and namesake Walter Kosner moved from Connecticut to Chicago to attend DePaul University. After dropping out of the school, Kosner recruited the rest of the band members who eventually would form The Walters.[6] That same year the band released their first recorded effort, Songs for Dads. The release saw the band charting on Spotify's United States Viral Top 50 which caught the attention of Canvasback Records. As part of the label's ongoing monthly singles series, Canvasclub, The Walters released two songs, entitled "Hunk Beach" and "I Want to Be Good".[4] Their song "I Love You So" has earned over 15,000,000 views on YouTube since 2014.

In a 2015 interview with Ben Niespodziany from These Days[7] the band stated that the names of their EPs and singles are not always reflective of the music's content and were instead chosen for their humor or because the band liked the name.[4] During 2015 the band also recorded their second full-length effort, Young Men, which was also an independently recorded and distributed release.

This recording was followed up with an early 2017 release of a single and an accompanying music video entitled She's Gonna Leave You", working with producer Phil Ek.[8] In 2017 the band began their first national tour and also performed at the Lollapalooza music festival. On September 23, the band announced via their Facebook page that they "currently had no future plans to release new music as The Walters".[9]

In 2019, Walter, Danny, MJ, and Charlie reformed a new band, calling themselves Corduroy. Their first single, "It Won't Be Long," was released December 19th.[10]

Members
  • Luke Olson (lead vocals and guitar)
  • Walter Kosner (lead guitar)
  • MJ Tirabassi (vocals and guitar)
  • Danny Wells (bass)
  • Charlie Ekhaus (drums)

Past members
  • Joseph Lucente (vocals and guitar)

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details
Songs for Dads
  • Released: November 28, 2014[11]
  • Label: Independent release
  • Formats: 12" vinyl, Compact Disc, digital download
Young Men
  • Released: December 23, 2015 [12]
  • Label: Independent release
  • Formats: 12" vinyl, Compact Disc, digital download

References
  1. "The Walters on growing popularity, finding success without a label". FOX 32. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  2. Parrella-Aureli, Ariel (March 17, 2017). "REVIEW: The Orwells, The Walters shake it down at home show on US tour kickoff (PHOTOS)". The Columbia Chronicle. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  3. "Live from Studio 435: The Walters". WGN Radio. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  4. NIESPODZIANY, BEN (September 25, 2015). "Hunky Dads: An Introductory Interview with The Walters". These Days. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  5. Blanco, Luke (18 January 2016). "Review: The Walters' EP "Young Men"". Medium.com. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  6. "The Walters". Lollapalooza. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  7. "Hunky Dads: An Introductory Interview with The Walters". These Days. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
  8. Domanick, Andrea (January 12, 2017). "Sweat Out Your Heartbreak to The Walters's Video for "She's Gonna Leave You"". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  9. The band's official statement: https://www.facebook.com/TheWaltersband/
  10. "The Walters". Facebook. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  11. "Songs for Dads by The Walters". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  12. "Young Men by The Walters". Bandcamp. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
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