Lonnie Walker!!!

The first time I heard Lonnie Walker was the first time I played a show with them, and I don't remember paying a lot of attention to them that night, honestly. Something about seeing a band play Americana-based rock music in a well known punk/metal/whatever venue like The Brewery didn't add up to me, and I was probably the only one in the building that didn't go crazy over them.

Man, im stupid. I should have watched their set. Ear Farm got it right, Lonnie Walker is most definitely one of the best bands in North Carolina.

I can't quite place what it is about them that I like so much, but after listening to their cd, I was hooked. When people (or music journalists, at least) talk about them, they seem to always mention Bob Dylan or Bright Eyes, among others. But I don't really listen to much Dylan, and I never really got into Bright Eyes. Something about Brian Corum's hooks just draw me in so much more than a lot of the bands/artists that he and his bandmates are compared to.

When we first started throwing around ideas for our CD release show, Lonnie Walker was one of the first names that came up, and they actually ended up being the first band (other than ourselves, of course) that was confirmed for the show. As soon as we had them on the bill, I knew the show would be epic.

Obviously its not just Ear Farm and I that think they are amazing: they were also chosen as one of the News & Observer's Great 8 in 2009, and Terpsikhore Records offered to put out their cd before the band was even fully formed. Plus, sometimes they have a dude onstage with them that paints a huge picture during their set. Is there anything cooler than that?