****** Andy Walo Trio: Andy Walo - Guitar & Vocals *** Bass - Roger Bueno *** Drums - Rena Beavers ****** [Special Guest, Brother Rayzur - Harmonica]
Influences
Chicago Blues & Soul - Big Band Jazz - Euro Classic Rock (in particular The Who, Led Zep, Free & Black Sabbath) - The Beatles & The Stones - Inventors of Texas BluesRock: ZZ TOP, Johnny Winter.. Any good music, from Sex Pistols to Gregory Isaacs.. Jimmy Reed.. Albert Collins...
I grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. Though a Military family, mine was also a household filled with music. My dad, a Navy Captain used to play tons of Big Band era Jazz records.. Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong. My mom was totally into Mahalia Jackson, Gospel & Classic Country.. Patsy Cline etc. I was the youngest of five kids and after my older siblings got older & moved out, they left all their great 60s music behind.. Music I wouldn't normally get exposed to, growing up in the Eighties. So I inherited lots of Rolling Stones, The Who, Donovan, Motown and Beatles! I remember when I was five, I spent nearly everyday at the turntable listening repeatedly to The Beatles 'White Album'.. I couldn't get it through my head how in their later years they were kinda 'spaced out & out of tune' but STILL sounded so good! Four years later I bought a geek classmate's toy-guitar for 50 cents, and with only two strings I eventually figured out a few guitar-melodies. A year later my dad got me my first 'real' guitar (An Acoustic Spanish/Classical guitar with nylon strings) I fell in love right then & there! I was playing in my first band at age 14, we did Beatles and Stones songs note for note. A few years later, Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin became huge influences. After high school I became more curious of Blues and early Rock and Roll, I wanted to know what my heroes were listening to! I watched a friend's video with Albert King one night.. and I knew I had found the Blues.. From that day on I've felt more comfortable with Blues than ANY other music. My faves were Jimmy Reed (still is), Albert Collins, Otis Rush and John Lee Hooker - At eighteen, during my Military enlistment process (All Swedish males between 18 & 34 had to by law, spend about a year in the Military) I had put in a request to my recruiting officer for a position in the elite Paratrooper Regiment.. and yes, I was all-gung-ho & restless for my Army days to begin. However, a year before my service was to begin, I was relocated to neighbouring country Denmark which finally gave me an oppurtunity to play music fulltime.. and this really changed my 'life-path dramatically' since I then was transferred to England and later on to Chicago. I guess it may have been some 'weird cosmic fate' decision made for me to play guitar instead of setting up 'Perimeters on the battlefield'. My father had been relocating the same way during the 'Cold War' when the old Soviet Union was lurking at our doorstep and I've always respected his achievements growing out of humble beginnings, taking his first job as a sailor on Cargo Ships at age 16 and after joining Navy reaching the full rank of Submarine Captain as he chose to stay in deep waters. He had in fact played a little guitar when 'off duty/on leave' in those early days. So who knows.. since I continued his 2nd passion 'music', Fate may have reached full circle now.. - I was now based in Central Europe and established myself as a full-time musician, living and performing in Denmark and England from 1989-1993 - I met Aaron Burton (formerly bassplayer w/Albert Collins) when they toured Denmark 1992. They saw me perform at a club Copenhagen, and He and his drummer Tino Cortes are the ones who actually convinced me to move to Chicago in spring of -93, I'd been most places in the states as a kid but had no clue I would ever live in Chicago. In Chi-Town I sat in with all the Blues-greats; Buddy Guy, Big Time Sarah and soul singer Otis Clay. And almost right away was asked to go on the road with people I didn't know anything about. I shared tours & stages with Bo Diddley, J.J. Cale, Canned Heat, Koko Taylor, The Ohio Players and classic rock heroes the Blue Oyster Cult, all this in my first years in Chicago! Someone had heard me at a Jam & said nice stuff about me to the road manager for Junior Wells, I soon auditioned and in 1995, I became the lead guitarist for Blues legend Junior Wells. I spent the next two years touring the world with Junior Wells and our eight-piece band. We played everywhere.. Europe, Japan, every state except Alaska! And really cool shows too.. like the 1996 New Orleans Jazz Festival with Allman Brothers Band and B.B. King. I also played lead-guitar on the last two records Junior made before he passed away from cancer; We recorded Grammy Nominated "Junior Wells Live at Buddy Guy's Legends" (two days after returning from playing twentynine shows in thirty days in Europe) Junior had pnemmonia during the show but still kicked ass!. The second album "Junior Wells - Live Around The World" was recorded live in Europe & Japan and my lead-guitar stood out a little more *** Junior Wells: 1934 - 1998 ***
*************************************************************************************** After Junior had died from cancer in 1998 I didnt feel like going back playing clubs & bars in Chicago so I moved to Los Angeles.. I had some family in Long Beach and I've always loved SoCal. I played with some local bands at the beginning for work but I turned down a couple of big offers because I really wanted to start from scratch in Cali. My Trio thing started around 2002.. I wanted to play music that was completely honest & true to my roots and though half of that is Blues, I also wanted to play original songs in the Blues/Rock vein of Free and Led Zeppelin or the Who.. sounds I grew up combined with Chicago Blues.. which I simply can't stay away from.
*************************************************************************************** Andy Walo Trio have built a strong following mainly in the South Bay. They perform 15 - 20 shows a month throughout Southern California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
"Live Your Life" - Andy Walo (available on: www.itunes.com, www.amazon.com, www.virginmegastores.com and www.cdbaby.com)
Released In March 2004 by Philadelphia indie-label Canadian-American Records, the full-length CD includes the folky "Traveled" which charted at No. 1 on the Austrailian Indie Charts and pure rock songs such as title-track "Live Your Life" and "We Are Together". In August 2004, Andy performed at the Annual Harley Davidson Festival in Sturgis, South Dakota Featuring Kid Rock & ZZ Top. He also spent six weeks touring Northern Europe in the summer of 2005. In 2006 Andy Walo & friend Stephen Rowe performed in Nashville, Tennessee. opening up shows for 80s Aussie band Men At Work. Andy Walo Trio received a standing ovation at the 2008 Long Beach Blues Festival where they performed opening for Booker T & The MG's, John Mayall & Chuck Berry with others, this lead to the band performing Headline Stage at the 2009 Long Beach Blues Festival. Since 2007 Andy Walo Trio performs several shows monthly at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas, combined with gigs all throughout Southern California. New CD/EP Flamethrower released May 2009.
Ciao,Andy Thank you for the add and the friendship. you are very good, I like your stupendous music a lot, Band, and stupendous voice. compliments ..really. you are one of my prefeitis, I feel great admiration for you, be really one whom is worth rather a lot! I hope to listen soon to you, in italy .. talk to you soon, and all of my best wishes to always listen to your good music all the best.. from italy.. and good life.. every day neal
Hello Andy I jammed along with your CD Live Your Life all night long last night. Man, What a great time. I know my neighbourhood heard it. I used my new Marshall to play a lot of rhythems for you guys. Tee Hee... Very cool Record Brother. Miss Ya Man.. Be Well Shane
Ciao Andy, Thank you for friendship and support. I love listening to your music. Great sounds.!! You are a great guitarist. Greetings from Stockholm. //Thunderdib
How's it going Andy??? Give my best to Razur on his Bday. Hope to see you at the LBC blues fest-good gig! Same old same old down here......new day same dives!
I loved seeing you again. You sound just as good as I remember. When you coming to the East Coast? I may have to hire you for one of my birthdays! Love from North Carolina
ANDY HOW ARE YOU ?I MISS YOU LOTS YOU ARE SO MUCH FUN..... BROKE AND HUNGRY I LOVE THAT SONG YOU JAM IN THAT SONG... YOUR THE BEST LOVE YA DAWN MICHELE XOXOX
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