EMQ’s With GIANT WALKER
Hi Everyone! Welcome to another EMQs, this time with UK Based Heavy Progressive Rockers, Giant Walker. Huge thanks to them all for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hey, we’re Giant Walker and we play Heavy Progressive Rock. We’ve been playing music together since 2015, but Giant Walker was born a mere few months ago, as a rebirth of one of our previous projects.
How did you come up with your band name?
We were brainstorming different band names for months before we settled on Giant Walker. In the end, Jordan (bass) was looking at mythical creatures and from that inspiration, imagined a giant being walked by a little child and so ‘Giant Walker’ was created!
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We’re all from Newcastle, UK, but ¾ of the band now live in the South of England. I’d say Newcastle has a quite lot of rock and metal fans but unfortunately, doesn’t get anywhere near the amount of funding and infrastructure as South and London.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Our latest single, ‘Optophobia’ was released on the 3rd of December, and followed our debut single, ‘The Fact in Fiction’ which came out on the 15th of October!
Who have been your greatest influences?
We obviously all have our own different inspirations, but collectively we’d say Soundgarden, Karnivool, Queens of the Stone Age, Deftones, The Contortionist, Radiohead, Tool, Big Wreck, Rage Against the Machine.
What first got you into music?
Everyone in the band grew up in households where music was and still is a big deal, so that’s definitely had a big influence on us pursuing music. We all chased that cathartic feeling you get when you find a new song that you really connect with, and this adds so much detail to the memories you have when you think back to being a kid.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
That’s super tough, but we’d probably have to say Josh Homme – we’re a big fan of his work and also because he has such a distinct sound, it would be really interesting to write with him and see how the styles would work together.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Probably Download, because it’s one of the – if not the most – iconic rock festivals in the UK, so definitely one that you idealise playing as a kid.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
No gifts ☹
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Bring gifts 😉
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Chris Cornell
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Being a musician means you have the ability to create something that captures exactly how you feel at any given moment in time, which is pretty cool, as then when you’re old and unable to function you have your life documented in sound. In terms of what we hate – it’s expensive AF!
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
One of the worst things about the music industry, in general, is just the fact that because you enjoy it, people expect you to do it for free when you still need to make a living. So, we’d say making sure artists are actually paid a decent percentage for music streaming.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Soundgarden – “Superunknown”
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?
CDs
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Well, very depressingly, we haven’t actually played a gig as Giant Walker because of the shenanigans of the past year and a half!!
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Jamie – Skateboarding and doing generally nothing productive with my life
Alex – Fuck knows! My other passion is cooking, so maybe a chef…
Jordan – Hard to say as by about 4 years old, I knew I only wanted to play music. But before that, I wanted to be a fireman so… that?
Steff – I’d like to think I’d still be creating something in some sense, so perhaps some kind of digital art… Or maybe like, organising music events. Who knows!
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Ozzy Osbourne, Gordon Ramsay, Jack Black, Louis Theroux and probs our mate, Lewis… it would be rude to leave him out.
What’s next for the band?
More singles on the way and some live shows (fiiiiinally)!!!
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
Facebook – www.facebook.com/giantwalker
Instagram – www.instagram.com/giantwalkerband
Website – www.giantwalker.co.uk
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyE2MMmggMfXKtSxHVv2iMA
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
They are a cake masquerading as a biscuit. But ultimately, a cake – clues in the name 😉
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks Ever Metal for having us! And to all those reading, thanks for listening! We’re just getting started, so stay tuned!
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