In the corner of Newcomb's third-floor study lounge sit two college students with tousled Saturday-morning hair, blue jeans and button-down shirts. Although they may look like standard University students, these two laid-back guys have a life beyond that of most college kids: They are Brennan Gilmore and Zack Blatter of Walker's Run.
The five-member Bluegrass group has been around since 1998, entrancing local listeners with a wide variety of styles, ranging from Russian reggae to 400-year-old Scottish tunes. Made up of two current students and three other friends, the band consists of Brennan Gilmore on mandolin and lead and tenor vocals, Randall Ray on acoustic guitar and backup vocals, Zack Blatter on bass, Anne Marie Simpson (taking over for Steve Hoke) on violin and Will Lee on banjo.
It all began two years ago when now-fourth-year Brennan began to play with a group of friends. "It began as a duo" he said, "and then Zack got a bass!" It all grew out of an original trio from Rockbridge, Virginia. They asked other friends from their hometown to join in, and managed to earn some incredible mentors along the way.
When asked which live shows stood out as particularly memorable, the two musicians replied with a long list. The group plays at bars every week (Michael's Bistro on Thursday nights), where they often encounter chatting, glasses clinking and other background noises. The band enjoys performing in smaller venues, which are more intimate. One of the group's favorite shows was one in Rockbridge playing with Steve Hoke, who now lives in Colorado. "We were playing Christmas carols, when it started to snow ... and the place was warm and packed with people," Brennan remembered.
Upon being asked about song favorites, Zack mentioned "Travelin' Kind," a track about a friend of theirs known as "Cud," a big influence on the group. Randall's personal favorite was "Tamalyn," a song borrowed from a favorite Bluegrass band of theirs, McGraw Gap. At the end of this tune Steve Hoke fiddles for a good two minutes. "He hits another level. I got chills late one night when I was listening to that song, and I focused my attention on Steve's fiddle" Brennan said.
As for its future plans, the band is still uncertain about things to come. "I can't even plan for next week," chuckles Zack as the two think about just where they might be. "I'll never quit playing music," he said. "I just don't know if it will be the focus of my life."
They do, however, know exactly where they'll be next year for spring break. The band plans on spending one week in Europe playing its unique style of Bluegrass. The group hopes to take the rest of the year off to travel.
"This style of music has a big following out West," Brennan replied. The band hopes to travel around, using the money it makes from playing to support itself. "If we need lunch money one day, and we're short, we can always just pull out our instruments like street musicians and set out a hat" envisioned Brennan, "we don't need any special equipment, just the instruments."
But before they leave Charlottesville in search of new audiences, University students will have the chance to experience the unique style of Walker's Run in person. The charming Southern duo will appear with the band at a Starr Hill Music Hall CD release party next Saturday.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
