Premiere: Robbie Walden Band

Chains And Shackles, all a part of life

Over the years speculations have been made about the band’s strong similarities to Texas/Red Dirt music, but this 5-piece band is four parts Washington and one part Idaho, lives cultivated in the big sky country and the working man—in short, the definition of Americana.

The Robbie Walden Band is also a bona fide jam band whose planning for any given show determines only the locations for the drums, mic stands and amps that night. The band tries out new songs in performance, allowing crowds a front row seat to the band’s creative process. The majority of the band members are ex-military, with a code that directly translates to their live show experience; the trust between the band and the fans allows an organic experience, everyone all huddled together in the trenches while the sparks fly overhead. Their new album, When The Rooster Crows, was recorded live in Tacoma, Washington, another example of the Robbie Walden Band’s authenticity—a full band performance captured the way albums used to be recorded, before the age of dubbing.

A concept album, When The Rooster Crows follows Walden’s life over the last five years, including his experiences growing up in Alaska and then Washington, his service in the military, his enduring discipline as an athlete, and his stint as a signed recording artist. When it comes to his music, Walden says, “First and foremost it’s about the story. I want people laughing and crying.”

Walden told Elmore “This song is about trying to escape the chains and shackles of the mental, emotional and physical torture a scorned ex has placed on you via her own jealous and sometimes psychotic actions. She is holding you prisoner so to speak, refusing to let you go and move on by interfering in your ability and attempt at a life without her. It’s a groovy song, delivered like a chain gang on the highway of love, with a little jam band twist.”

“‘Chains And Shackles’ is also an introduction to the newest addition to our band’s lineup, a unique countrified version of a soulful horn section,” Walden noted. The Robbie Walden Band is: Robbie Walden (vocals, baritone guitar), Gabe Burdett (drums, backing vocals), John Coker (lead guitar, backing vocals), Dan Tyack (pedal steel), and Blake Flemming (bass) and horns: Diego Ruiz (sax, trumpet), Austin Long (sax), Jacob Herring (trombone) and Colby Sander (utility player)