Yesterday, bedroom folk artist towhead released their second EP, titled "tap water." Our review of the release can be found here!
We were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to talk with the musical brain behind towhead, Walker C. Price, this week! Keep reading to see what he had to say about the new release and beyond.
Let's get started! Could you introduce yourself to the readers?
I'm Walker! I don’t really care what pronouns people use for me, to be honest. I write, sing, play guitar, banjo, and keyboard, and write the beats and stuff...I do basically everything [for towhead].
Your first EP, "night 3", came out earlier this year in April. Was this your first time professionally releasing music, or had you done so before under a different name or with a different band? What made you want to release these songs as the first towhead tracks?
So technically I put out another EP this year under a different project, but I ended up scrapping it and actually re-doing a few songs from it on this EP and on "night 3"...I like the way they turned out a lot better. I wanted to make these the first towhead tracks because it felt like a fresh start, and a project I could see kinda going somewhere, I guess. (laughs)
Before towhead was established, what was your musical background or experience like? Were you a theater or band kid in middle or high school? How long would you say you've been making music for?
I definitely did musical theater in middle and high school, but I for sure was not like a "theater kid!" I took guitar lessons for a few years, but it never really stuck, and then one day I sat down, started actually playing songs I liked, and eventually making tunes of my own. A little bit later I started teaching myself banjo at this local music store, shoutout to Nick from Dr. Horsedoctor for letting me do that. (laughs)
Where did the name towhead come from?
When I was a kid my hair was SUPER blond, like in the summer it looked straight-up white. A few weeks before I finished "night 3" I was sorting through old photos, I saw a picture of myself at like five years old...and it just kind of hit me.
Congratulations on the release of your second EP "tap water" this week! What has the response to it been like so far?
Thank you!! Most people I've sent it to seem to like it. My girlfriend says the title track and "return to dreamland" are her two favorite towhead songs, so that’s pretty cool. Generally, I hope people like it! I put a lot of love into this EP. It's really all about people [who are] very special to me.
Where did the titles for these two EPs, "night 3" and "tap water" come from? Are these two releases connected in any way?
So "night 3" was written, recorded, and "mixed" (my songs are mostly recorded live) in three nights, and on the third night, I was just like (makes a shocked face) night three! (laughs) "tap water" comes from the last line in the song "tap water." I really couldn’t think of a name for the song for a while, but I settled on [that]. They’re not really connected, except that they both remind me of specific seasons for very tangential reasons. (laughs)
What was the writing and recording process of making these two EPs like? Did you have a lot of help, or was it pretty much all DIY?
In terms of writing and recording, it was all DIY, but Josie from why, sloth, why? mastered all my songs and made them sound so freakin' good!! I really would not have the songs I have without her, and [why, sloth, why?] is such a good band.
Where do you find inspiration for your music, both lyrically and sonically? Are there any artists that serve as inspirations for you for either lyrics or instrumentals?
For lyrics, I read a lot of poetry. My favorite poets are Ocean Vuong and Ada Límon. I also draw inspiration from artists like Field Medic, Derek Ted, e.a. sprague, The Mountain Goats, jordaan mason, and Anjimile...also a million other places that I couldn’t name because they influence me pretty subliminally.
Now that these two EPs are out, what are your plans for the rest of 2021? Is there more new music that you want to release? Could you see yourself playing any live shows?
Right now I'm pretty focused on writing! I'm trying to put out a bigger release, hopefully by the end of this year or early next year, but going to college will probably hinder my recording process. I would love to play a few shows! If anyone in or around Washington D.C. or the San Francisco Bay area wants to play a show, hit me up!
Thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and do this with me! Is there anything else you'd like to add?
You can follow me on Instagram @MudGospel or Twitter @TowheadFuntime. Also, check out Precious Little Life, La Croix Can Recycling Center, and everyone else featured on my "homies" playlist on Spotify. Thank you so much for this interview!
Once again, a huge thank you to towhead for chatting with us about their new release and more! You can keep up with Walker and the project using the links above.
Feel free to tweet me @JENSESSlON and let me know who you'd like to see me interview next! To be the first to see new interviews when they go live on the site, be sure to follow the blog @StrawbSkiesBlog on Twitter, @StrawberrySkiesBlog on Instagram, and @StrawberrySkiesBlog on Facebook.