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I am glad to know that there are still some people out there that have the knowledge of good made music of the 90's. On today's radio stations you do not here music anymore. The Walkabouts are not often to here on our Dutch radio stations. There is no tension, emotion and sensibility in the music of today. We know better because there is hope on the horizon fore people who likes good music. The music of the Walkabouts is an example of bands that makes listening to music interesting again. Fore me this is the main reason to write you this report. I hope you enjoy reading it. If you read this report you might think by your self that I choose strange sentences. That's because I thinking Dutch and writing English. I am sorry about this deviation.
I am regular concert visitor in Dutch music club's circuits. I heard the Walkabouts for the first time at my brothers' birthday party. The song that hit me that time was "Feel like going home" from the Satisfied Mind CD. Although the evening was still young I was completely out of control. Next day I bayed the satisfied mind CD of the band. From that time it was to me clear that there was hope in music world. At the same time there new "Setting the woods on fire" CD was coming out in the Netherlands. The song almost wisdom was in Holland a smashing hit.
I saw the Walkabouts on two occasions in Music club Doornroosje in the city of Nijmegen. The first time that I saw the Walkabouts was in the autumn of 1994. On the first concert I did not know what to aspect from them, because the club was very small. During this concert they played almost every song of the "Setting the woods on fire" CD. Chris, Carla, Glenn, Michael and Terri were smashing. At the same evening they introduced Larry Barrett on mandolin, he played also a few songs of his latest CD. Larry's music is also pleasantly to hear. He played songs like "House of sky" and "The ringing in my ears". To me it was ringing al the evening in my ears it was incredible. It was on that particular evening that the Walkabouts took Holland by surprise and me also. The Walkabouts give you a feeling that is inexplicable and at the same time explicable.
The second occasion that I saw the Walkabouts was recently on the 21 February 1996. It was also in the Music club Doornroosje in the city of Nijmegen. It was on a very cold Wednesday evening you know a lot of snow and ice. I did not buy the Devils Road CD before. This I did on purpose because in Holland you can buy the CD´s on the spot. Doornroosje is a very small concert hall I had a reservation for that evening.
When I came in the hall it was striking calm. That gives me opportunity to talk to some members of the Walkabouts. First I had the acquaintance with the brother of Michael Wells, Joshua. He was standing behind the counter for selling merchandising. It was nice talking to him. It seams to be that he traveling along with the band during the hole European tour. If you see him during your visit of the concert, say hello for me. During our discussion his brother joined our conversation. One of the first questions I asked him was, do you know that the Walkabouts have their own homepage on Internet? His answer surprised me, he knew it and he liked it very much. During our conversation Chris joined us and I asked him, are you in a good shape tonight? His answer was likewise surprising he sad "I had a lot of drinks and a lot of drugs and if you really wanna know watch the show". He must have thought that I was a reporter.
It was the first gig on their tour through Holland so something must go wrong and it did. The concert begins with a musical beginning of "Cold Eye". It was funny to see how Chris reacted on this unfortunate mistake, he walked from the stage. It was a few minutes then the band came back. I can tell you it was worth waiting for it.
It was a changeover that I have never here before the string section was phenomenal and it persuades you into an other world. The song "All For This" was if you are watching over a valley full of corn-fields and it waving through your mind. Carla was so kind to us that she sings our favorite song "Bordertown". The song "The Light Will Stay On" was sensible and that gives you the chilliness of a cold winter evening. The band was motivated to leave a good impression. To us they do not have to proof it because we were enjoyed to see that the is ready. In the encore they played a song of Neil Young (also a favorite of me) "Like a Hurricane". It is an old song but the Walkabouts did it professionally. Carla was playing the acoustic guitars on this song. She was playing very high notes during this song. If you hear it you might think that it is a sample of the keyboards but nothing is different than watching and hearing it.
It is to me clear that the band is ready fore the big work and the big stages. I like to have one comment on it I hope that they do not leave the small concert halls. These clubs they make band like the Walkabouts unique".
The Walkabouts have the nerve to surprise anybody and nobody. Their live music is from a level that many bands can take their example of it. With the Devil's Road Tour The Walkabouts create an atmosphere and at the same moment a tour which is full of melodrama, where alienation extremely is present. This last statement is from our Dutch music news paper OOR. With this statement it is to me clear that there is hope in music world.
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