Hartford, CT -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/15/2013 -- “If Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash were still with us, they might be cranking out tunes like these. Catchy, infectious lyrics and melodies that will tug at the heart of even the most calloused traveler.” --Noel Ramos, Intermixx magazine
Re-invention is the key to longevity, and Tracy Walton is no stranger to transformation. On his upcoming album, “If I Ever Get Away,” the musician draws on a wide range of musical genres and eras, creating an album best described as “Americana” for all it encompasses. “If I Ever Get Away” was released on May 14th on Levon Wilson Records.
The eclectic range of songs on “If I Ever Get Away” reflects Walton’s close study of popular music, including such masters of rock as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie.
Walton strives to take you on a traveler’s journey, and he does so by offering his Springsteen-influenced storytelling in his trademark deep, weathered voice. “I try to make music that I want to hear and that I can get lost in. I hope that the listeners will give me 36 minutes and lose themselves in it once in a while.”
The album features Rich Hinman (who currently tours with Rosanne Cash) on guitar and pedal steel, but it is undoubtedly all Walton—his songwriting; his vocals; his electric and acoustic bass and guitar; and his production. “Songs For You” is, Walton feels, the best track he has written. “Redeemed” exudes “stripped-down honesty.” Walton describes the title track as “epic.”
As a young, starving artist, Walton had to find a way to make ends meet while still pursuing his passion. He found the answer in—of all things—formal music training and education. Walton earned a degree in jazz at the Hartford Conservatory and by the mid-90s, he had played with the likes of the Eric Miller Trio, Missing Slim, and the Black Lab Project. He also joined the National Guitar Workshop and Kent School, which allowed him to author three books under Alfred Publishing, and play with heavyweights Vernon Reed, Aaron Scott, and David Bromberg. In 2007, he accepted a full-time teaching position at a Connecticut prep school, in light of the mounting financial pressures and touring with the Black Lab Project. Walton taught for a few years; then, in 2010, he set his sights on his solo career, releasing “Brand New Again” in 2011. Whereas Walton’s last project focused on the struggles of artists trying to make it, with “If I Ever Get Away,” Tracy presents a more hopeful message.
Walton will be touring in select cities this year as part of his summer concert series and also for Musikfest 2013 (PA). Walton is currently planning an East Coast tour to take place in the fall. For more information on Tracy Walton, please http://www.tracywaltonmusic.com. To schedule an interview—or for any other media inquires—please contact Laurena Marrone of Grit PR: info@gritpr.com.