The Walters: Union Transfer's Feelin' Alright
Copyright Dylan Eddinger Photography
The Chicago hunks of The Walters hit Philly again for the first time since August, and was this a memorable show or what. They joined The Orwells on their current tour, and these are two bands that absolutely vibe so well together. Union Transfer was the perfect venue; just tight enough for the crowd to really jam together. This is one of my favorite spaces. All of my best bands have rolled through at one point or another, so UT feels like home.
Copyright Dylan Eddinger Photography
The Walters opened up with "Old Friend" off of "Songs for Dads," and closed with their hit "Hunk Beach." One thing that I love about these guys is how much depth they add to their live performances. All of the intricacy of their recorded work is there, but it's amplified times ten because of the raucous energy that frontman Luke Olson brings to the stage. He's really something to watch: completely unpredictable, live as a wire, but still so on point at any moment of the song.
Copyright Dylan Eddinger Photography
They played all the hits, and for an opener, their set was long. It was so great. I knew the words to almost every song, and it was an amazing feeling to hear the crowd singing along to this band who felt so close and personal to me. They played in a friend's basement a few months ago, and now they're on a real tour. The whole venue was moving with these guys. Even if you were there for The Orwells, you were leaving with newly-made room in your heart for The Walters.
Copyright Dylan Eddinger Photography
So this was cool: after the show, guitarist MJ Terrabassi invited us backstage to hang with the band for a few minutes. What?! In all our time working on this blog, we've never received an invitation like that before, so you'd better believe we jumped on it. We chatted with the guys about how their tour has been, their favorite cities, and obviously, what they think of Philadelphia. It's really awesome to see a band in a completely different element, right as the high of being onstage begins to wear off and they turn back into people again.
Copyright Dylan Eddinger Photography