Weasel Walter

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Weasel Walter
Lydia Lunch Retrovirus W71 13.jpg
Weasel Walter at Club W71 in 2017
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Todd Walter
Born (1972-05-18) May 18, 1972 (age 51)
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
Genres Avant-garde, experimental, free jazz, no wave, death metal, technical death metal, progressive metal, Avant-garde metal, noise, noise rock, brutal prog, new music, punk jazz, hardcore punk, free improvisation
Occupation(s)composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, record label owner
Instrument(s)drums, guitar, double bass, bass, bass clarinet, c melody saxophone, trombone, trumpet, mellotron, organ, piano, synthesizer, electronics, vocals
Years active1991–present
LabelsugEXPLODE, Thirsty Ear, Skin Graft
Member of
Formerly of
Website ugexplode.com

Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter, May 18, 1972) is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. [1] Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including Avant-garde, experimental, no wave, free jazz, extreme metal, punk jazz, hardcore punk, noise, new music and free improvisation. He coined the term "brutal prog" to describe the aggressively dissonant strain of prog played by groups like his band the Flying Luttenbachers. [2]

Contents

Known as an unrelenting [3] and abrasive [4] provocateur whose performances trend toward overblown antics and "nihilistic glee", [5] Walter has been described by renowned guitarist Mary Halvorson as "completely manic and extraordinarily sensitive" [6] and by The Chicago Reader as "a splinter lodged beneath the fingernail". [7] Avant-garde artist Glenn Branca once called him "one of the greatest rock composers who ever lived". [8]

He has performed as leader and sideperson in a number of bands, including Cellular Chaos and Lydia Lunch Retrovirus. [9] Walter has worked with Roscoe Mitchell, Marshall Allen, John Butcher, Tim Dahl, Peter Evans, Mary Halvorson, Henry Kaiser, Jim O'Rourke, Evan Parker, Elliott Sharp, Ken Vandermark, and William Winant, [10] as well as in bands including XBXRX, Bobby Conn, Cock E.S.P., Curse of the Birthmark, Erase Errata, Harry Pussy, Lair of the Minotaur, The Chicago Sound and others. He has produced albums by AIDS Wolf, Arab on Radar, Glenn Branca, Burmese, Lydia Lunch, Coachwhips, and Total Shutdown. [11]

Career

In 1990, Walter moved to Chicago to work with free jazz composer Hal Russell (born Harold Luttenbacher) at Columbia College. [7] The following year, Russell joined Walter in co-founding the band the Flying Luttenbachers; saxophonist Chad Organ played in the early trio lineup. [12] Russell left the band in the summer of 1992, and shortly after Ken Vandermark took his place for the recording of the band's first 7". [13]

Walter was highly involved in cultivating what he deemed the "Chicago No Wave" scene, [7] [14] meeting new musicians and collaborators through the Luttenbachers' art rock-continuum gigs and the experimental improvised music series he ran at Myopic Books. [15] He graduated from Columbia College in 1995, with a final project, "Un-nerve", performed by a nonet including Ken Vandermark, Gene Coleman, Jim Baker, Kevin Drumm, Jeb Bishop, and Gustavo Leone. [16]

A prolific performing and recording artist, Walter was a founding member of projects including Miss High Heel (with Jim O'Rourke and Azita of The Scissor Girls), Lake of Dracula (with Marlon Magas and Heather M. of the Scissor Girls), To Live and Shave in L.A. 2, 7000 Dying Rats, and Hatewave. [17]

Walter moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003, [18] where he reformed The Flying Luttenbachers with the addition of bassist Mike Green, guitarist Ed Rodriguez, and later Mick Barr. The Flying Luttenbachers officially disbanded in 2007.

In late 2009, Walter announced that he was moving to New York City to join Behold... The Arctopus as the band's second drummer. [19] He played on Horrorscension, released in 2012, and in two tours before leaving the band in 2013. Walter continued finding new collaborators and formed a number of groups in New York, among them Cellular Chaos, a band with Marc Edwards, Admiral Grey, and Ceci Moss. [20]

In 2017, after a ten-year hiatus, the Flying Luttenbachers played several shows in France, with a new trio lineup of Walter, on drums, joined by bass guitarist Tim Dahl and guitarist Chris Welcome. [21] In 2019, a quartet arrangement of the band released Shattered Dimension, with Walter and Dahl joined by saxophonist Matt Nelson and guitarist Brandon Seabrook. [22] Over the next several years, the varying lineup also included bassist Evan Lipson, guitarist Henry Kaiser, guitarist Wendy Eisenberg, guitarist Katie Battistoni, guitarist Alex Ward, and drummer Sam Ospovat.

Discography

As solo artist

As band member

with Behold... The Arctopus
with Burmese
with Cellular Chaos
with Encenathrakh
with The Flying Luttenbachers
with Hatewave
with Lake Of Dracula
with Lydia Lunch
with XBXRX

Collaborations

with Sheik Anorak & Mario Rechtern
with Josh Berman & Aram Shelton
with Jeb Bishop & Alex Ward
with David Buddin
with John Butcher & Damon Smith
with Charity Chan, Peter Evans, & Tom Blancarte
with Nels Cline, Henry Kaiser, Jim Thomas, & Allen Whitman
with Kevin Drumm & Fred Lonberg-Holm
Marc Edwards / Weasel Walter Group
with Martin Escalante
with Peter Evans
with Peter Evans, James Fei, & Damon Smith
Peter Evans / Weasel Walter Group
with Sandy Ewen
with Sandy Ewen & Damon Smith
with Den Svarta Fanan (Nonoko Yoshida, Ron Anderson, Joe Merolla, Walter)
with Maria Faust & Tim Dahl
with Paul Flaherty
with Paul Flaherty, C. Spencer Yeh, & Steve Swell
with Michael Forbes & Andrew Scott Young
with Michael Foster, Steve Swell, & Brandon Lopez
with Gianni Gebbia & Damon Smith
with Vinny Golia & Damon Smith
with Forbes Graham, Greg Kelley, & Paul Flaherty
with Mary Halvorson
with Mary Halvorson & Peter Evans
with JeJaWeDa (Jeb Bishop, Jaap Blonk, Walter, & Damon Smith)
with Henry Kaiser & Charles K. Noyes
with Henry Kaiser, Paul Plimley, & Lukas Ligeti
with Henry Kaiser & Damon Smith
with Henry Kaiser, Damon Smith, Vinny Golia, & Ra-Kalam Bob Moses
with Yoni Kretzmer & Pascal Niggenkemper
with Dominic Lash & Alex Ward
with Matteo Liberatore & Elliott Sharp
with Jacob Lindsay, Ava Mendoza, & Damon Smith
with Fred Lonberg-Holm & Jim O'Rourke
with Kenny Millions & Damon Smith
with No Mor Musik (Nandor Nevai, Walter, Keshavan Maslak)
with Phonon (Elliott Sharp, Álvaro Domene, Colin Marston, Walter)
with Chris Pitsiokos
with Chris Pitsiokos & Ron Anderson
with Sam Weinberg & Henry Fraser
with Sam Weinberg & Teté Leguia
with Sam Weinberg & Sandy Ewen
with Nate Wooley, Damon Smith, & Scott R. Looney

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References

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  2. ↑ Masters, Marc (26 July 2019). "A Beginner's Guide to Brutal Prog". Bandcamp. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Roe, Nat (16 February 2012). "Brain Melters - Weasel Walter". VICE. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  4. ↑ Kendrick, Monica (6 January 2000). "Flying Luttenbachers". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  5. 1 2 Pecoraro, David M. (8 December 2002). "Flying Luttenbachers: Infection and Decline". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Cohan, Brad (15 August 2012). "Weasel (Walter) Nation". The Village Voice. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
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  13. ↑ Sanchez, John (12 September 1996). "Music Notes: Flying Luttenbachers take off". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  14. ↑ Margasak, Peter (31 July 2009). "The Toy Killers: from Weasel Walter's no wave archives to your ears". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Polidori, Kendall (22 January 2019). "Myopic Books with a side of improvisational music". The Columbia Chronicle. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  16. ↑ Margasak, Peter (22 December 1994). "Spot Check". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  17. ↑ Shteamer, Hank (May 9, 2012). "Interview: Weasel Walter". Invisible Oranges . Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  18. ↑ Margasak, Peter (23 December 2007). "Head-to-head during the holidays". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  19. ↑ Cohan, Brad (2010-01-12). "The Weasel Walter Welcome Wagon". Village Voice. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
  20. ↑ Cohan, Brad (15 August 2012). "Q&A: Admiral Grey And Ceci Moss Of Cellular Chaos On Getting Into People's Faces, Rolling Around On The Floor And Playing With Drummer Marc Edwards". The Village Voice. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
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  22. ↑ Shteamer, Hank (2019-02-26). "Hear Flying Luttenbachers' First New Music in 12 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
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  26. ↑ Levinson, Leah B. "Weasel Walter: Curses". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  27. ↑ Montoro, Philip (13 March 2013). "12 O'Clock Track: "Horrorsentience" by Behold the Arctopus, who play tomorrow at Ultra Lounge". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  28. ↑ Masters, Marc (8 October 2013). "Cellular Chaos: "Adviser"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  29. ↑ Swihart, Stanton. "The Flying Luttenbachers: Destructo Noise Explosion: Live at WNUR 2-6-92". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  30. ↑ Knot, Greg (29 November 1996). "Indie-Rock's Apex". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
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  32. ↑ Gotrich, Lars (27 October 2009). "Blast Beat Improv: Metallic Free Jazz". NPR. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
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  35. ↑ Armstrong, Liz (30 September 2004). "Flying Luttenbachers". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  36. ↑ Perera, Nilan (13 August 2007). "The Flying Luttenbachers Destroy All Music: Revisited". Exclaim!. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  37. ↑ Smart, Dan (15 November 2019). "The Flying Luttenbachers swoop down from on high like the heroes they are with new album Imminent Death". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  38. ↑ Margasak, Peter (5 December 2006). "Dredging Lake of Dracula". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  39. ↑ Masters, Marc (17 October 2006). "Lake of Dracula: Skeletal Remains". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  40. ↑ "Music Pick: Lydia Lunch Retrovirus". LA Weekly. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  41. ↑ Peters, Taylor (21 January 2015). "Lydia Lunch lurches lovingly, letting loose new 3x3 EP, leaks a little about forthcoming LP". Tiny Mix Tapes.
  42. ↑ Margasak, Peter (13 July 2017). "Postpunk chanteuse Lydia Lunch sounds more vital than ever fronting the career-spanning Retrovirus". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  43. ↑ "Lydia Lunch Retrovirus: Live in Zurich". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  44. ↑ Kendrick, Monica (5 July 2019). "Lydia Lunch pairs weapons-grade spoken word with manic no wave in Verbal Burlesque". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  45. ↑ Crock, Jason (27 September 2005). "XBXRX: Sixth in Sixes". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  46. ↑ "Below The Radar 03: "The Forbidden Beat Part 2"". The Wire. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  47. ↑ Corroto, Mark (25 September 2009). "Josh Berman / Aram Shelton / Weasel Walter: Last Distractions". All About Jazz. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  48. ↑ Acquaro, Paul (22 September 2017). "The Continuing Adventures of Damon Smith". The Free Jazz Collective.
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  51. ↑ Meyer, Bill (June 2018). "Sandy Ewen/Weasel Walter: Idiomatic". DownBeat. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  52. ↑ Margasak, Peter (15 October 2019). "Saxophonist Maria Faust Understands the Power of Memories". DownBeat. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
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  57. ↑ Longley, Martin (10 March 2010). "Weasel Walter / Henry Kaiser / Damon Smith: Plane Crash". All About Jazz. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  58. ↑ Longley, Martin (7 September 2018). "Bassist Damon Smith Helps Steer Astral Plane Crash's Improv". DownBeat. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
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