San Fran Voice

When I was first introduced to Walty through a reference by John Bartkowiak (who provides some of the songwriting talent on Walty’s CD, Let It Out), I wasn’t sure what to expect. I read the info on the website and couldn’t quite figure out if Walty was a singer-songwriter or the name of a band. And though it was pretty clear what was meant by the information that Walty first played in the Bay Area with a ska bluegrass pop trio called Yah-Yah Littleman, it didn’t really give me too much indication of what to expect from the music itself.

As soon as I popped Let It Out into the CD player, it made sense. Walty is the nickname for John Walter who is the lead vocalist, bass and guitar player on the rock-based CD. And it’s a CD that’s got a really interesting mixture of the singer-songwriter sound and the back-up of a full band. What I mean by that is that the lyrics are not only heartfelt but are sung by John Walter as though he feels them fresh every time that he sings them. But they come along with the support of more than just his own strumming guitar; he’s got a band playing drums, electric guitar and electric piano, singing back-up vocals and helping to record and mix for the CD. So the CD is filled with the passion of a songwriter but the talent of a band. There is a genuineness throughout the music that is often lacking in many studio-recorded bands. But there is the fun instrumentals of a skilled set of people.

As for the genre … it’s rock. There are hints of the type of sound that you would hear on late 90’s rock. There are smidgens of alternative tastes at the corners of the songs. There are a variety of influences leaving their mark on the music. But basically, this is just good modern rock music. To hear what Walty sounds like with the band, check out the CD through his website. And to hear what he sounds like without the full support of the band, you can check out his solo acoustic show tomorrow at Hotel Utah (where Heather Combs will also be performing).