Gig launches new line-up for TJ Walker Band

Tom, who has to perform under the name TJ Walker rather than Tom Walker because of the other Tom Walker on Spotify, has added bass to extend the band.

“I've done a lot of solo stuff because when you are trying to get work it is much easier to go out and do solo support slots but I've always been in bands and love playing electric guitar.”

Recent solo support slots include Nick Kershaw and Big Country plus a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute.

“But on my album I played with Mike on keyboards and Ralph on drums. The three of us have been playing now my original material for three or four years. They were both on the last album. But for this gig we've also added Beau on bass. We have made it a four piece and we're rehearsing for this gig which hopefully will be the first of many.

“When I'm playing solo and doing the support slots, it's different for me and I use loop pedals but the intention has always been to play these songs with the band and it is just fantastic having a band with you on stage and playing with them. I get to play electric guitar rather than acoustic which I love doing and you can do so much more with arrangements and you can just be so much more dynamic. You can improvise more. You are interacting with the other people in the band. Obviously you can improvise to an extent when you're playing solo but the more people you have got on the stage, the more variety you can have.”

Tom is hoping that the band will really now take off: “I'm speaking to the local venue in Shoreham, the Ropetackle, about putting on a night starting probably in the New Year. The idea is just to keep putting on more gigs and really just to see how it goes. These things don't happen overnight but I'm trying to build it up and really I have been trying to build it up with the solo slots that I have been doing.

“I have done two albums and the last was in 2022 called Halfway To Somewhere. It went well and it had reasonable coverage. I got a reasonable amount of press. It went alright but as an independent artist it's difficult when you measure yourself against the big artists. I'm now writing songs for a new album, probably for release early next year. Albums are your calling card and I think that's what people look out for but it is difficult to make money from albums and recordings. Live music is where it is at and that's what I love doing the most.

“The music is classic and timeless. It is not of an era and I would say that the genre it falls into is probably Americana, blues and country.

“The other thing I've been very busy doing is a weekly YouTube video. I'm up to 7,000 subscribers now. I put up a lot of my original stuff and also do gear reviews. It's just finding any way to diversify that you can to get yourself out there.”