Old Soul Staying on the Rails, Fighting the Good Fight: An Interview with W.B. Walker
If you find yourself asking, "Who or what is W.B. Walker?" I’m about to bring a world of joy, creativity, and intention to your attention. What started as a way to show friends and family what one smooth, southern, baritone-voiced, pirate radio DJ was listening to, blossomed into a way for artists to break into a brand new stratosphere. Being on the “Old Soul Radio Show” has become a stop on the way to stardom in the lives of many Country, Americana, or whatever genre the kids are calling twangy, honest, traditional American music these days. When you have someone like W.B. who dedicates his time without expectation of compensation, maintains integrity over popularity, and shares artists who go on to be stars, megastars, superstars and any other kind of star you can dream up, a platform like his becomes paramount to artists looking to stay fed on the road.
W.B. is some combination of mysterious night DJ and podcaster, using the platforms and technology of an ever changing world, while maintaining the vocabulary, integrity and artistry of a bygone era. If you ask him, and I know because I did, what his expectations were and are, he’d tell you: “Well, hell, I just wanted to create something so that artists could get exposure using whatever voice I had.” If you’ve listened to many records that pass through circles with the folks here at The Amp, you might’ve heard of some deep voice from Saskatchewan named Colter Wall. If you’ve listened to his discography, you’ve heard W.B. Walker on his second record on a track called “W.B.’s Talkin.” As someone close to artists, a friend, a compadre, a brother in arms in the war for independent music, these artists see the value in an Old Soul telling the world to stop and take notice.
Whereas radio may feature a song from an artist that hasn’t broken out in a block of music rotated and played multiple times in a day, where you may find something you love in a sea of things that don’t interest you, the OSRS takes the time to feature an artist. W.B. also lets you know where to buy the music, and gives you some background. An entertainer and artist in his own right, in a format that has its own soul, with a personality that has his own following, W.B. takes the time to showcase artists, pushing his audience to seek out ways to buy music, which far more directly helps artists. He uses his growing audience to shine a brighter spotlight on other people who may be searching in the dark to find an audience.
I’m going to try to keep things free of a lot of “legalese,” but there are some points that I think are ultimately important to address. I’ve always been a fan, but recently there was an incident that anyone surrounding W.B. will be familiar with. The world was almost left with a blank spot where the Conductor of the Old Soul Radio show once stood. The future of the podcast/radio show was in jeopardy for copyright violation. Without a discussion of what was considered to be legally offensive, a blanket cease and desist was dropped on W.B. without any way to decipher what had violated the “law.” I want to be really clear with where I go next, because I think it’s very important. W.B. understands that copyright is copyright, he isn’t looking for these laws to go away. The fact that there’s an avenue for radio to pay licensing, venues to pay licensing, but no clear cut path for someone like W.B., puts platforms like the OSRS in jeopardy, where a loss of free promotion could be crippling. If there was a fundraiser for someone like W.B. to pay licensing in a reasonable fashion, it’d be cleared up tomorrow because he’s revered in a community that loves independent music. To W.B.’s point, “There needs to be legislation that covers someone like me, because I’m not out here getting people just spins on Spotify, I buy the records with my own money, I tell people where to buy them, I give artists a place to sleep when they’re on the road. If four of my listeners buy a record, that’s worth more than 10,000 spins on Spotify, and it’s immediate, on the road, when they need it. That’s gas money, that’s dinner, that’s right now money.” Labels send music to W.B. to cover, knowing his endorsement, is a direct impact to an independent artist’s career.
It was all but over, the end was nigh, and whatever other hyperbolic doomsday colloquialism you want to chuck on the fire. There was a deadline to pull podcasts, and W.B. was ready to take it all down. “I was staring at the last eight plus years of my life, thinking about it going away, and I was hurt, I didn’t know what to do.” W.B. said he reached out to other people in the industry, including other podcasters for help and the answer he received unanimously was, “don’t expect the RIAA to even respond to tell you what the issue is,” and because of that he “didn’t see any way to remedy it, other than to shut it down, and try to come up with another way to do the show, if I could do it at all.” Thankfully a chain of events akin to “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” happened. Colter Wall posted about his frustration over the loss of a legend in W.B., and David Macias, a Grammy Award winning producer and co-founder/President of the now near legendary Thirty Tigers, saw Colter’s frustration and stepped in. Using his contacts within the industry, he got an answer. The answer was almost as confounding as the question, “Three songs, three songs, two of them the same song, in 7 years worth of material, countless hours, it was three songs. I’ve gotten permission from every artist ever played here, and it was almost all gone, over three songs.” That’s right, a platform nearly died, a launching pad for independent artists, scanning countless hours of a show, caught three songs. Those three songs included one that W.B. did as a year ending best of list in 2014, that unbeknownst to W.B. was captured by a larger label. The other song (which made it through twice) was a song from W.B.’s wedding and was in the background while talking. Luckily the RIAA was willing to work with the West Virginia song slinger, and graciously gave him a chance to resolve the offense. W.B. noted that once the shows in question were resolved, the RIAA was grateful and it seems, at least for now, there are no issues with the show as it stands.
When I asked W.B. about David Macias’ involvement and how well they knew each other he said, “I’ve never met him, I don’t know him, we’ve never talked, I guess he just saw what we do here as valuable to him and the artists he represents, and I’m glad he did. I don’t know what I would’ve done.” After Macias became involved he and W.B. spoke multiple times on the phone during the resolution process. Let’s all just take a beat and give thanks that a label like Thirty Tigers exists. This wasn’t the only label with artists W.B. has showcased that were prompted to comment. Oh Boy! Records also tweeted after the resolution, knowing WB was going to move forward: “Haven’t been able to say this much in 2020: Here’s some great news.” Not only because of the albums none of us would have without them, but also because of their recognition of what the independent artists’ journey is, and how important a man like W.B. Walker is in that journey.
When I asked W.B. about the history and future of the show, he had more stories than I have time to tell you, and they were better than you could imagine. From Tyler Childers playing in his living room, and his wife Fallon’s disbelief when W.B. told her he was on track to be the biggest star in Country Music. His pride in the success of people who have come to and gone through the Old Soul Radio Show. His love, that’s what comes through in everything he does; love for independent music, the people who make it, and his role that he discounts as “small” in their ability to get it out to people. He sees himself as just a train conductor from Dingess who wanted to share music that he liked. Well, hell, let me say for everyone, we’re grateful for it. The patience, the sacrifice, the selflessness, the joy, and the love.
Talking to W.B. was like talking to an old friend; two good ol’ boys from the heart of Appalachia, talking about a love of music being more valuable to both of us than anyone could ever imagine. When we talked about the light going out in our respective journeys in music, and being reignited, W.B. told me that Chris Knight is the artist that made him pause and realize that music out there still spoke to him. That started a journey which led to one of the most recognized platforms for independent music alive today. That’s all it takes: one album, one artist, one song. Without someone like W.B. out there exposing people one episode at a time, the next Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, or hell, even W.B. Walker, may not hear that one song. That’s why it’s so beautiful that he’s still around.
I asked W.B. about how he stayed optimistic through the whole ordeal. His response: “It was the best thing that could’ve happened.” I was floored. I didn’t know how to take that, so he elaborated, “I’ve had ideas on how to make it better, make it different and I got comfortable, this will be a catalyst for what comes next.” Admittedly there’s still some fear something like this could happen again. “Who’s to say I won’t get another email tomorrow. I hope it doesn’t happen, but if there isn’t legislation to protect what me and people like me do, it’s inevitable,” but W.B. is staying steadfast. “Any obstacle so far in life, I’ve gotten over it. I think about the worst situations, and it gives me perspective. I knew I had to fight for what I believe in,” and thank goodness he feels that way.
The latest episode of the Old Soul Radio Show uploaded after our conversation. I was elated. By now, you’re tired of reading. So stop. Go listen to The Old Soul Radio Show, and be grateful that where there was fear of losing an icon in the scene, he’s just getting started, and there’s only more to come. Keep an eye out for a video version of the OSRS which W.B. is currently running a Kickstarter campaign for. Follow W.B. for fundraising opportunities to help that venture. The future video installments will be a companion piece to the OSRS and not a replacement. Likely to be focused on conversations with friends and items more personal to W.B. in his personal life and not just music. And folks, when you can, where you can, how you can, help these independent publications, podcasts, and journalistic avenues. Even *cough* *cough* your very own here at the Amp!
Follow W.B.’s YouTube for upcoming video content here:
