Lonnie Walker
Formed in 2002ish by solo performer Brian Corum with a few art class friends in Greenville, NC, Lonnie Walker is now a mainstay in the ever-changing NC music scene. Since the release of their debut album “These Times Old Times” in 2009, Lonnie Walker has become a staple of the Triangle music circuit, with their raucous-punk-meets-quirky-Americana sound livening up WKNC’s Fridays on the Lawn, DBB VI, Hopscotch Music Festival (numerous times), and a whole host of local venues. Lead singer and guitarist Brian Corum’s uniquely twisted vocals and lyrics, along with catchy riffs and rollicking rhythms from the band (currently Raymond Finn, Eric Hill, and Mike Robinson), make Lonnie Walker a can’t-miss show; just try to listen to “Summertime” without a huge grin spreading across your face and your head unconsciously bobbing with the drum beat, or not shouting along to “Compass Comforts.” Yet from its beginnings, the band has also been unafraid to let go with long, jam-style instrumentals.
Brian Corum also helps run Diggup Tapes, a Raleigh record label known for its affinity for cassette tapes, which has put out releases by Lonnie Walker as well as T0W3RS, Lilac Shadows, Oulipo, Zack Mexico, and more. Though Lonnie Walker themselves have not released an album since 2009, they have released a smattering of singles and compilations. They teased fans with a somewhat somber single, “All Bombs Away,” last summer, sparking excitement for a new full-length. Rumor has it that a very limited release of this long-awaited second album, “Earth Canals,” was distributed at Hopscotch 2014, when the band took the City Plaza stage before Spoon and St. Vincent. Be sure to catch this electric act at Lincoln Theatre on Feb. 7 – you never know what could happen!
– Meg Bryson, WKNC Indie Rock Music Director