“And I do the best I can with this head that I got. / And it’s a mighty fine nice head, and it’s got mighty fine nice thoughts,†sings Brian Corum just before imagining his brain and spinal cord strolling down the block donning protective sunglasses and sunscreen. The lyric, from “Summertime†a track off Lonnie Walker’s debut LP These Times Old Times, strikes some sort of playful absurdist mix of nonsense and total sense.
And considering that Lonnie Walker began as Corum’s own sort of one-man-band-choose-your-own-adventure-quest in Greenville, NC, it’s also telling in it’s confidence. Not everyone would take their brainstem for a walk down the block and, furthermore, not everyone would invite four of their best friends along for the ride. Now a Raleigh outfit, featuring the talents of Corum plus Eric Hill, Justin Flythe, Raymond Finn, and Josh Bridgers, Lonnie Walker’s music is a lively bounce of fun and friction—part Americana, part punk rock with a dash of indie-pop just for good measure. And you can catch Lonnie Walker live this upcoming Thursday at the Local 506 where they’ll be joined by their friends Futurebirds and Johnny Corndawg.
And now just the five hardest questions in faux business:
1. If your band were a painting, which would it be? (why?)
This question is pretty difficult. It’s hard to make a match out of two mediums that are so different from each other. You could compare a band by a comparison in the artist’s life, the concept that drives his/her works, the aesthetic of the pieces alone, and I’m sure there is more I’m forgetting. Anyways, I don’t want to just make this comparison for my band alone and since I love the triangle so much, I chose 20 local bands to compare to visual artists.
1.) Bowerbirds– Andy Goldsworthy: he uses what he finds around the area of land in which he chooses to work to create earth sculptures that decay sometimes just as fast as they’re created.
2.) The Love Language– Gustav Klimt: Klimt’s work is decorative, romantic, and very erotic in certain pieces. I feel like “Libraries” fits the look at points in the album.
3.) Hammer No More the Fingers– Keith Haring: don’t really have a good reason why Haring’s work reminds me of HNMTF but it does
4.) Mount Moriah– Rembrant- super classic painter and print maker. I especially love his prints b/c he would etch them and flatten the metal and etch them again over and over.
5.) Shit Horse- Andy Warhol: There is almost a sense of irony in Shithorse. I guess I think that comes mainly from the way the was band started. They are also the best punk rock group in the triangle.
6.) Megafaun– Robert Rauschenberg- I feel like anyone who has seen Megafaun play live and have also seen Rauschenberg’s work should know exactly what I’m talking about. This was an easy comparison.
7.) Americans in France– Basquiat: Josh’s voice reminds me of Basquiat’s brush strokes.
8.) Veelee– Piet Mondrian: I chose this artist b/c just like Veelee, Mondrian creates his designs while using a very limited pallet.
9.) Embarrassing Fruits– Arcimboldo: HA
10.) The Rosebuds– Georgia O’Keefe- We’ll this was hard. I guess the flower reference is something you could easily compare. Her works are all very naked, beautiful, and they engage the viewer.
11.) Lonnie Walker– Jeff Wall: Jeff Wall is one of my all time favorite photographers. Â His work is, a lot of the time, based off of classic paintings that he then recreates without mimicking. I feel that lots of times I write after experiencing some sort of inspiration through already written songs, movies, books, and whatever other creative pieces or ideas I stumble upon. This isn’t always the case, but I make it a point to never push that part of me away. Wall also arranges his subjects to create a scene that brings about a story before he even puts his eye through the lens of his camera. I find that I work out most of what I want a song to sound like in my head before we ever start arranging it as a band. This also can change, but thus far it has been working alright for me.
12.) The Light Pines– Hieronymus Bosch: When I hear the lyrics Josh is saying it reminds me of something classic and mystic at the same time. Also, There is a lot going on in his work besides just the overall painting. If you zoom in close up there are tons of little subplots and important details.
13.) Annuals– Frida Kahlo: Adam Baker writes and arranges most all of Annuals parts alone. Spending hours upon hours arranging and rearranging the his songs. Kahlo spent a good portion of her life in the hospital painting self-portraits in isolation.
14.) Old Bricks– Andrew Wyeth: The art of the debut Old Bricks album reminds me of something Wyeth would paint.
15.) Motor Skills– Man Ray- Motor Skills’ live show with all the lights is kind of like a rayograph.
16.) White Cascade– Jackson Pollock: The layers of the music is so thick that at times it almost sounds like white noise. Pollock’s paintings remind me of the same.
17.) NAPS– Marcel Duchamp: This is directed to Daniel’s take on creating music and his avenues in getting it heard by others.
18.) Birds of Avalon– Ansel Adams: Both artists feel epic and create something that feels larger than the sum of its components.
19.) Max Indian– Paul Cezanne: Most everyone wouldn’t mind having a Cezanne piece on their wall. Max Indian’s music can’t really piss anybody off. You hear it, understand it, enjoy and accept it.
20.) Whatever Brains– Willam de Kooning: Both artists feel/look sloppy in a very good way. Colorful and catchy as well.
2. When did you first think music was something you’d like to try?
I first started writing songs near the end of middle school and continued through early high school. I stopped playing in mid to late high school and it was around my sophomore year in college that I began writing songs again. I don’t really know why I stopped or anything. I guess I just got board of it and didn’t think I was gonna be any good at it. I got a push from some friends who I played some songs for in College and so I started playing solo at house shows and DIY venues. It kind of just grew into something that people wanted to hear and I had buddies that would book me shows, which kept me busy at writing new songs. It was just a natural progression I suppose. I mean, I always knew that I wanted to do something with my life that I found enjoyment in. I’m still not convinced that music is a great way to go to maintain a decent living, but even if I wasn’t playing shows and doing interviews like this I would still be at home writing songs and recording them because it’s something that I find pleasure in completing

3. Describe how North Carolina has affected your music.
I have found a shit ton of bands that I love here. North Carolina music keeps me inspired because I’m always hearing new acts that I love and sharing ideas with like minded artists keeps my mind fresh. I feel like people who live in Baltimore would say the same thing about Baltimore though, just as all the bands that picked up and moved to Brooklyn would say the same thing about the music scene in Brooklyn. I will say that North Carolina music fans give more attention to local music than most places that I’ve been. I feel that they are the best part about it all.
4. Who/what might be a few inspirations or influences that might really surprise people?
I’m not really sure what would surprise people. I really love Slick Rick and a bunch of other old school Hip Hop. I listen to a decent amount of classic country too, but I feel like that might not be all that surprising to people.
5. What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (how ’d that turn out?)
When I was in daycare I used to draw my own comic book characters. I’d give them superpowers and tape 4 pieces of paper together to create a huge battle scene with all of them fighting each other. I was super young but at that time I thought I wanted to be a comic book Illustrator. I also remember wanting to be an oceanographer at one point because I was so intrigued by the ocean. When I was playing hockey I fantasized about being a pro hockey player and when I was playing Sega Genesis all the time I wanted to be like Sonic the Hedgehog. I used to spike up my hair as a kid so that I could look as cool as Sonic. haha. As far as the “how did it turn out?” part, I never really ended up doing any of the previous things mentioned professionally. I also, never turned into Sonic the Hedgehog but the future is still uncertain and anything can happen.
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Truck on down to the Local 506 next Thursday, October 14th to catch Lonnie Walker in action. And, by all means, give Brian a high five when you see him!