Joshua Ray Walker Gives A Peak At Life On The Road (And Kyle Gass In A Feather Boa) In New “Linger” Video – Watch
Watch the self-directed “Linger” video (shot and edited on an iPhone) here
Walker’s upcoming covers album What Is It Even? – paying tribute to Lizzo, Cher, Regina Spektor, Sia and other powerful female artists - out next week via Soundly Music
“A vocalist confident in who he is as an artist.” -Rolling Stone
Newport Folk Festival debut this Friday, first-ever headline tour of UK and Europe in August/September, touring with both The Mavericks and Marcus King this Fall
July 26, 2023 – The life of a touring musician can be a whole lot of “hurry up and wait.” Joshua Ray Walker decided to pull back the curtain on life on the road in the video for his take of The Cranberries “Linger,” a standout from his upcoming covers album What Is It Even?, out next Friday, August 4th via Soundly Music. Walker shot and edited the whole thing on his iPhone, and Tenacious D’s Kyle Gass makes a cameo in the video to recreate his recorder solo on “Linger” in a dashing feather boa.
“During a late-night drive, on the way to the hotel after a show, the band had a spontaneous sing-along to this song when it came on the van radio,” Walker says. “There aren’t many songs that could cause this reaction with my band’s disparate taste in music, so we knew right away it had to be added to the record. What Is It Even? is about celebrating powerful female artists. But it’s also about how great art, which I consider the best pop songs to be, can connect us. Don’t be afraid of who you are or what you love, because a lot of other folks may love it too.”
Walker has been called “country’s most fascinating young songwriter” by Rolling Stone and “one of country’s most exciting storytellers” by Spin. After releasing his first three albums, a trilogy of sorts that No Depression calls “the country music equivalent of the great American novel,” Walker decided it was time to just have some fun. The result is What Is It Even?. “The latest display of his extraordinary versatility and dynamic talent” (KXT), Walker’s interpretations are equal parts familiar and jarring. Yet there is a through line that ties What Is It Even? together – songs created by powerful female artist with an uncompromising vision for their art.
“I realized how influential female pop records and artists have been on me as a person,” explains Walker. “Even more than in a creative sense.”
The country music canon is littered with standout covers and cover albums, but a vast majority of those come from within country music’s rich history. Walker offers a fresh twist by pulling mostly from outside of country music and by being unafraid to be a man singing songs originally crafted by and for women.
Walker will make his way to Newport, RI for his Newport Folk Festival debut and a special Newport Folk Festival after party show later this week. He’ll begin his month-long, first-ever headline tour of Europe and the UK on August 11th, then head out with The Mavericks for a run of Texas dates before opening Marcus King’s Fall tour.
What Is It Even? track list
“Cuz I Love You” (Lizzo)
“Linger” feat Kyle Gass of Tenacious D (The Cranberries)
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston)
“Believe” (Cher)
“Cheap Thrills” (Sia)
“Blue” (LeAnn Rimes)
“Goodbye Horses” (Q Lazarus)
“Nothing Compares 2 U” (Sinead O’Connor)
"Joshua" (Dolly Parton)
“Halo” (Beyonce)
“Samson” (Regina Spektor)
Joshua Ray Walker – 2023 Tour Dates
July 28-30 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival
July 28 – Newport, RI – Parlor Bar & Kitchen (Newport Folk Festival after party)
August 3 - Crossville, TN - Byrds Creek Festival
August 4 - Indianapolis, IN - HI-FI Annex
August 5 – Appleton, WI – Mile of Music 2023
August 11 - Kristiansand, NO - Vaktbua
August 13 - Oslo, NO - Cosmopolite Scene
August 14 - Trondheim, NO - Trykkeriet
August 15 - Bergen, NO - Ole Bull
August 17 - Stavanger, NO - Tou Scene
August 18 - Bodø, Norway - Parkenfestivalen
August 20 - Stockholm, SWE - Rootsy Live Stockholm
August 22 - Gothenburg, SWE - Pustervik
August 23 - Malmö, SWE - Folk å Rock
August 24-26 - Copenhagen, DK - Tønder
August 27 - Lutterworth, UK - The Long Road
August 28 - Hamburg, DE - Nachtwache
August 30 - Nijmegen, NL - Merleyn
August 31 - Amsterdam, NL - Het Zonnehuis
September 2 - London, UK - Oslo Hackney
September 3 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny 2
September 4 - Glasgow, UK - The Hug and Pint
September 5 - Manchester, UK - The Deaf Institute
September 6 - Brighton, UK - The Prince Albert
September 8 - Cologne, DE - Blue Shell
September 9 - Enschede, NL - Tuckerville
September 10 - Berlin, DE – PRIVATCLUB
September 21 – Amarillo, TX – Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts**
September 22 - Dallas, TX - Majestic Theatre**
September 30 - Houston, TX - House of Blues**
October 22 – Ventura, CA – The Majestic Ventura Theater#
October 25 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre#
November 3 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall#
November 4 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall#
November 5 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live#
November 7 – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live#
November 9 – Knoxville, TN – The Mill & Mine#
November 10 – Knoxville, TN – The Mill & Mine#
November 11 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium#
November 14 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre#
November 15 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre#
November 18 – Mobile, AL – Soul Kitchen Music Hall#
** supporting The Mavericks
# supporting Marcus King
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Download new press photos here (photo credit David McClister)
Download What Is It Even? cover art here
For more information on Joshua Ray Walker, please contact Rob Krauser at REK Room Media, rob@rekroommedia.com or 917.703.8361.