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Artist
The Walkabouts
12+ albums
Alt-countryindiealternativealternative rockrock
about
The Walkabouts was an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1984 by Chris Eckman and Carla Torgerson. Other members have been Michael Wells, Glenn Slater and Terri Moeller. The Walkabouts disbanded in 2015. Although the Walkabouts started in Seattle, US their main base of popularity was Europe. Their blend of folk idioms and noisy experimental rock has won them lots of devoted fans; however, even with twelve studio albums and another 15 EPs, live albums and compilations released, they still remain below the radar of the public at large. The band drew inspiration from folk and country music, particularly Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young and Johnny Cash, but also from other types of artists and musical styles such as Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, French chanson and Jacques Brel. Their sound is typically rich, with string arrangements and keyboards in addition to the standard rock instruments. In reviews the band's music is often described as melancholic or mellow, while Eckman's lyrics, concerning such themes as human relations, loneliness and restlessness, are often emphasized as poetic. The Walkabouts achieved commercial success and a strong fanbase in Europe, where they have done promotion and extensive touring since early 1990s. They have occasionally even made it high on the record charts in countries such as Greece and Norway. Carla Torgerson and Chris Eckman met in 1983 when they were both working at an Alaskan fish cannery as a summer break from Whitman College in Wal
