Arts / US musician to kick off tour with intimate Lerwick gig
AN ACCOMPLISHED guitarist, singer and songwriter from the US is headed to Shetland next month on what he says is set to be his last tour.
Ryley Walker will perform at the Dowry in Lerwick on Sunday 15 September, with local act George Spence scheduled to support.
The musician has carved a well-respected path in music circles over the last decade and a half.
His last record Course in Fable combined folk and singer-songwriter themes with elements of prog rock, with Pitchfork calling the 2021 release Walker’s “most ambitious and satisfying solo album to date”.
Speaking to Shetland News, he said the Lerwick audience should expect “70 minutes of good, old fashion, guitar picking and singing”.
“A temporary relief from day to day life,” the musician added. “I’ll entertain you to the best of my ability.”
Although Walker’s music can be strikingly melodic, there can also be an experimental edge.
“I come from the Chicago DIY scene where everything has a lining of ‘weird’,” he explained.
“Take a sweet tune and make it uncomfortable for a minute. Kill your idols. Now Genesis, they are just a fantastic band…”
Shetland is the first date of a European tour, and he is set to travel many hundreds of miles afterwards to play his next show a couple of days later in Bristol.
Walker said he has been “dreaming of a Shetland gig for years”.
“Your little corner of the world fascinates me,” he added. “I always make a point to come to remote areas of the world. It’s the greatest gift of this job.
“New places, new faces. I have a lot of gratitude for this opportunity.”
Despite that, Walker appears to have confirmed that the European tour will actually be his last – with his ‘dayjob’ taking precedence.
“In terms of indie rock and touring, I’m geriatric,” he said.
“I have a stable job at home and health insurance. I find a lot of validation just doing a 9-5 and being a worker amongst workers.
“Life changes. I welcome it. The road is not for me anymore.”
Tickets for Ryley Walker at the Dowry are priced at £20 and can be bought online.
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