Ryley Walker (Jansch-style vocals, finger-picking folk guitar with double bass and violins grooves)

Have to admit that this is really growing on me. Hearing the long versions of the songs on an NYCTaper set really gave a sense of space, space which now feels enfolded in the shorter versions,

Listening to "Golden Sings" now and I'm not familiar with any of the artist he's been compared to (aside from Nick Drake). I really like this new album, how it combines the feel of the folk singer-songwriter with some different sounds like the zither. It starts with a bang with "The Halfwit In Me" and grabs me by the collar with "The Roundabout", but the ending "Age Old Tale" has this Fairport Convention-meets-American Music Club vibe that's a total winner.

seeing walker tonight tape a radio show in boulder -- wish it was a full set, but I'll take what i can get ... new one is definitely growing on me overall. fairport-meets-american music club is a good description ...

Yes I'm enjoying this too - been on repeat for the last week or so.

I bought the double disc edition, with the 40 minute live version of Sullen Mind, which I've yet to listen to.

I must pick up his first album.

YOU CAN FIND ME AT THE ROUNDABOUT

so great. a lot of his live stuff is even better. nyctaper has a ton of good stuff but there is more. his band is hot shit

I saw him at Pickathon in Portland in August 2016. He was terrific. Wild-eyed.

I like all three of his records a lot. They're not perfect, but that's OK. I like his spirit.

New album "Deafman Glance" out 5/18.

First single:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLCqziQsbz4

Hmm, dunno. I keep coming back to him but mostly go 'Jansch!' or 'Jim O'Rourke!' and pop off to listen to something else. This is more the latter.

he's quite the rascal on twitter, and talks about all kinds of music outside of that zone it's interesting how reverent his music is

his french fry/coleslaw banter is great on this. i recorded this at an in-store he did in minneapolis

he's really great live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlkpC8J7y38

he complains a lot on twitter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d5_-hffFrk

he complains a lot on twitter

― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Wednesday, February 28, 2018 4:42 PM (nine seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah he does
i've always wondered w/these solo guys who tour a lot....that's gotta be...kind of a fucked up lifestyle, a lot of time alone

yeah. i mean how he spends his time is up to him but for someone who has been graced with the good fortune of pursuing a life in music, he sure doesn't seem to enjoy it much.
he is doing a residency at a venue here in march.

i almost talked shit to him on twitter when he was talking shit about the first leo kottke record but then i was like dude what are you doing and erased it :)

The last time I saw him in Austin it was a really small show. Maybe 20 people. A couple RIGHT IN FRONT were loudly having a conversation the entire time and he got pretty peeved about it, made funny comments, etc. What was especially funny is that I don't think they ever noticed.

i think his complainy tweets are more jokes than true complaints. i mean they're definitely roooted in some tour-life self-hatred, but his twitter seems to be on wisecrack mode 100% of the time

v. excited to see him in April! I like the new song lots

someone who has been graced with the good fortune of pursuing a life in music

"good fortune"

yeah good fortune -- plus talent obviously but he has been quite fortunate/"blessed"/whatever you wanna call it in his musical career

musician posing as a worker

Ol’ south side Irish chicago dude looked at my boots and said “those are work boots why’s you’s wearin dem if you obviously ain’t got a job dere guy” ;(

— Ryley walker (@ryleywalker) February 27, 2018

The luxurious lifestyle of the touring musician

Best gig I saw last year. On stage he was self-deprecating, witty and alert (plenty of nice back-and-forths with the audience). Great band, too.

Looking forward to the album, too. Endorsements like these sure help to build up the hype:

Getting record master back: “I’ve finally done it. This is the best thing I’ve ever done. Finally.”

Sitting on said record for 3 months: “I’m a fraud and death can’t come quick enough”

— Ryley walker (@ryleywalker) February 26, 2018

super stoked for this new record. i think if you follow him on twitter and instagram both it seems pretty clear that his tongue is typically in cheek when he's bitching about tour food or making videos of himself warming up soup.

i think if you follow him on twitter and instagram both it seems pretty clear that his tongue is typically in cheek when he's bitching about tour food or making videos of himself warming up soup.

― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0)

well i don't follow anybody on twitter or instagram but, based on my extensive personal history of "ironic" self-loathing, that looks a lot like "ironic" self-loathing to me

you should follow ppl on twitter, rush, its pretty fun

I just heard about this guy and I really like his new album. Good stuff people.

Don't think I've formally written about him anywhere yet but yeah, good stuff. He's headlining a hell of a triple bill here in a few weeks -- support is the Trad Gras och Stenar/Endless Boogie tour.

he just opened for ESPers and Vetiver in philly friday. helluva show!

his set at Marfa Myths was so great! he's very self-deprecating but seeing him live it's clear he is delighted to be playing music.

This record is right up the alley of a lot of ILMers. To make a facile comparison, it sounds like Sea Change Beck crossed with Veedon Fleece Van Morrison.

feel like the new album he's let in enough Chicago jazz/post rock into the mix to overcome the Jansch lite comparisons, definitely his best album by far and more in line with the last time I saw him with full band

still think i like the Jansch-lite jams of Primrose Green the best, but i definitely dig that he's trying out different stuff — would probably get boring if every record was like PG.

Ya some songs have a sea and cake/sam prekop vibe (halfwit in me)

The live versions even more so

I haven't listened to the new one, but I like him a lot and he is great live. The last time I saw him prompted a little concern -- he sounded great but he looked pretty raw, red-rimmed eyes and a general sense of hard living. Some friends of mine ran into him on the street a few hours later and told him how much they liked the set; he said thanks and asked if they wanted to come "do some drugs" with him. (They declined.) So, hope he's keeping himself ok!

don't worry about ryley, he'll be here long after we're all gone

He's probably drugging and drinking a bit too much but it's also part of his pose / persona if you follow him on twitter / instagram. He is basically great and hilarious and I love his music, one of my current faves. The newest one hasn't totally clicked for me but I assume it will in time, the last one was the best (Golden Sings.... Highly recommend seeking out the "Deep Cuts" edition of that one, the second disc is an extended live version of "Sullen Mind" that's ~40 minutes long.

Sullen mind is a simple but great track

also i think he does lots of drugs, the first thing he asked my friend who took him out was where to find coke so

Yeah, the most recent album didn't impress me the way "Golden Sings" did.

The "musician drinking and drugging" persona is so boring. More's the pity.

he is a talented person; i wish he didn't get so much of a reward from the persona so he would see more of a benefit to cleaning up his act

About that persona

https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/qvmydp/ryley-walker-listens-to-leonard-cohen-for-the-first-time-fuck-this-guy

talk about a pointless article

If you walked to his apartment, I feel like his bookshelf will fall over and kill me.

OK, lol

sorry, but this guy rules

i mean i don't feel like i'm smart enough to listen to Lynyrd Cohen either, so i relate

there's a whole napoleon complex specific to dudes who make the most milquetoast, inoffensive music but express the most virulent assholish opinions about other people's music. it can be funny but do you really want to put yourself in the same persona type as father john misty

As I said elsewhere, I've never heard a Ryley Walker song and I likely never will, but anybody that hates Leonard Cohen and Lou Reed this much is OK by me.

LL did we see this guy play at the same festival with royal trux and lightning bolt? i get him confused with several other acoustic guitar dudes

He's great fun live - you can tell he's enjoying himself

playing bass last night with the Moles. been a while, good to see him. and yes, he was having a good time up there.

Moles warming up for a GBV opening spot they have coming up, Ryley also has a show with Tara Jane O'Neil in April, as the TJO Duo.