Some opportunities are stepping stones, while others merely reinforce one’s identity.
After receiving a DM from producers of the popular NBC music competition The Voice, Chicago-based songwriter and guitarist John Landgraft – who performs as Walker – decided to take them up on their offer and fly out to Los Angeles to audition as a contestant.
Despite being in familiar surroundings – a city he grew up and lived in for 20 years – and acing a couple rounds of auditions to make the cut, he quickly realized the Hollywood lifestyle wasn’t for him. It didn’t feel like it was his path, so he pulled out of the show.
“Honestly, it was a pretty easy decision. I would’ve had to move to LA and put my current life on hold in order to be on the show…They also don’t pay the contestants so there were some monetary opportunity costs,” he says.
“I’m from LA and I lived there for 20 years. I was kind of like, ‘yeah, been there done that.’ I figured it was better for me to stay here in my current life in Chicago and keep growing and trying new things.”
As Walker, he feels most comfortable creating soulful, pop-based music in his apartment and home studio and doing things DIY. It was there where he recorded his debut album, 2022’s Phew, and his recently released album Good Man. Walker recorded nearly every instrument heard on his new album. Besides appearances by friends like Noé Mina of Soul Food Horns (on trumpet on “Without You”), he wrote, recorded, and produced everything at his apartment.
So, it felt right to record his session for Water Tower Sessions in the same spot and bring on some close friends – including roommates and fellow musicians Eli Winter and Jonathan Gardner (who performs as Jontan – we’ll be doing a session with him soon!).
“I’ve always recorded music at home; to me it just feels like the most natural place to set up the mics and perform,” he says. “The goal of this live session was to give people a window into my life and work, so I chose the people and the place that felt most intimate to me. My friends and my apartment. I felt very supported by the folks that were there and it was super fun.”
It helped that he was able to grow and refurbish his home studio with new recording equipment that he says he had long dreamt of, thanks to an artist grant from the City of Chicago. It gave him a chance to push his craft further into exciting new areas.
To capture his DIY aesthetic, he recruited close friends Callie Kennedy and Josiah Lydon to each film with identical 2000s-era Samsung SMX-F50BN Digital Camcorders.
“We chose to use these camcorders because of a super nostalgic night we had a few months ago where we went through Jonathan’s (the bassist and engineer’s) old home videos,” he says. “I loved the look and I wanted to recreate it.”
The session features performances of “I Only Miss You” and “That Shit is On You,” both off Good Man. He enjoyed the experience getting to hang out and playing with his friends. Some of his favorite moments were the last chorus on “I Only Miss You” and the saxophone solo on “That Shit is On You.”
“I wanted these songs that I made in my apartment to have a more visual representation, where folks could see the interaction between all of the different instruments in every performance,” he says.
Most importantly, he feels the session gave him an opportunity to share who he is as a performer.
“I’ve been releasing home-produced music for many years but in the age of the internet it’s easy to do that without ever playing live,” Walker says. “I wanted the people that like my music to understand that behind every one of these songs there is ultimately a performance and all of the emotion that comes with it.”
Walker recently caught up with Scummy Water Tower to discuss his latest music.
“You and I” is a tribute to all the classic love songs with the same title. What about that title and sentiment fascinated you and how did you seek out to put a new spin on it?
To me, a lot of modern pop music comes off as a bit a-humanistic. Most of the love songs I hear are more about the writer than they are about the subject. I don’t hear about a shared sense of companionship. The song “You and I” expresses my desire for more innocent and connected pop music. It’s inspired by the many songwriters before me who believed in love and its power to change the world.
You started sharing new music not even two months after releasing your debut late last year. Your second album is coming out not even a year after. Why did you want to jump into recording a new album so quickly? How do you think it builds upon your debut? What were the biggest similarities and differences with how it was created?
After making my first album Phew I used a grant I received from the City of Chicago to seriously upgrade my home studio. The new equipment gave me a new sound, and that new sound led me to a creative space where I caught fire and kept making song after song. I think Good Man builds upon my first record insofar as it is an honest expression of who I am and how I feel and think. In making my first record, I discovered that recording music could be like keeping a diary. It helped me process and understand my life experiences on a deeper level. This record was no different. But where it differed was that the person making it (me) was different. I sang higher, I said what I really thought, I was more confident. That’s why the very first sound on the album is a massive snare hit. It’s like “hey people, pay attention. This is some heavy shit.”
Can you describe your DIY style and why that works for you? What about self-releasing appeals to you?
I have always self-produced my music. The reason I have released my two albums independently is that I don’t want to make or release music in the style of the current music industry. I don’t want to tease singles on TikTok and wait to release my first album until I have “x” number of followers. I’ve worked hard to reach the level of creative maturity that it takes to make full length projects. I want to make them and share them now, rather than waiting for support from the wider industry, or for a certain amount of external validation via social media.
Your music has a mix of R&B, pop, and soul. How do you think your sound is unique compared to others? What are some common elements that make a Walker song?
I think it’s unique, yeah. But maybe other people would disagree. In my opinion what makes it unique is that I don’t typecast myself. I’m not like, “yeah I’m the smooth R&B guy who makes songs that sound like D’Angelo that you listen to on your Sonos while you’re cooking dinner with a glass of wine.” Even though I love a lot of that kind of music, I really want to write about whatever, whenever. And I have a broader range of influences than the people who make music that sounds exactly like mine.
You’re currently based in Chicago but grew up in L.A. and studied music in New York City. How has living in different cities helped you grow as an artist? How has each city shaped you?
Each city has definitely shaped me. I think the natural beauty and sense of serenity in California informs my music. New York was where I learned to follow my own path and work on my own schedule rather than worry about what the millions of people I was surrounded by were doing. It was kind of an extreme environment to learn that lesson in, haha. Chicago is the place that gives me the freedom to follow that path.
You played most of the instruments on the album. Why is that important? What do you like about having that flexibility?
Everyone plays instruments differently. My playing is the single most important thing about my sound. I’m a very physical player and approach my instruments mostly through intuition. I do very little mixing or effecting of the sounds on my records. It’s all about physical touch.
What was your inspiration for your song “Always”?
I was feeling sort of stressed out and overworked. I was also kind of bummed out about having to do a bunch of other stuff when I felt like my calling was just to make records. “Always” was an opportunity to get all of that energy out and discover a new message of hope for the future.
You’ve played jazz guitar since you were 16. Why do you like that style of playing? How has that allowed you to do some unique things with your sound?
I’ve always loved jazz. As an 11–12-year-old I remember being drawn to the sounds of swing music and Sinatra. My love for jazz is the center of my musical world. It’s most of what I listen to at home and it’s something I practice every day on multiple instruments. I like it because when it’s done right it’s full of feeling. Jazz has encouraged me to express myself authentically in my music, rather than copying others.
Who are some of your major songwriting influences? How would you describe your songwriting?
I love the Beatles. I also really respond to the “Tin Pan Alley” era of songwriting: folks like George Gershwin, Jimmy Van Heusen, and Harold Arlen. I like a lot of different writers (throughout the 20th century mostly). The passion I have for their music definitely influences me but also I’ve learned I have to go my own way. For instance, some of my favorite writers are kind of “crafty” and use all kinds of different tricks and lots of complicated chords or partial measures, whereas my songwriting thrives more off of simplicity.
What were some of the most surprising and challenging songs to write?
They were all surprising! Most of the songs I make sort of feel like a pleasant surprise. Something I didn’t anticipate happening but that changes my perspective and makes me feel excited and hopeful for the future. I think the most challenging song to finish was “There.” I originally didn’t intend for that song to be on the record. So, I had to do some extra recording and mixing that didn’t come from the initial state of flow.
What are you most looking forward to in the future? Any future goals?
I’d like to be able to do a handstand, one-arm pullup, and front lever, haha. With music, my only goal is to keep growing, expressing, and improving, and to hopefully broaden my following as an artist enough to be able to financially support myself. I’m looking forward to all the new songs I never could have anticipated.
How has living with two other musicians impacted the album’s creation and you as a musician?
My two roommates Eli and Jonathan are more like family. We all see each other’s true selves and we know what it’s like to try to make it work as an artist in this business. We play music together sometimes. But mostly we joke around in the kitchen, share in each other’s victories, and talk to each other when we feel sad. I couldn’t have done it without them and the home that we have made together.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
