Go Start a Band!!! WCL interviews Erin Walter from Parker Woodland

I might be a Universal Unitarian after this one! Erin Walter, the vocalist and bassist from Parker Woodland calls in from Estes Park Colorado to talk to us about her passion for her music, the ideas that permeate her writing, and what she did during quarantine.

Austin, Texas indie-rock collective Parker Woodland has been fighting the good fight to share the healing powers of music even before the pandemic hit. And when it did, they doubled down. The band’s driving force is inspiring songwriter/vocalist/bassist Erin Walter, a Unitarian Universalist minister, activist for Girls Rock Camp and a whirlwind of positivity. Instead of sitting things out for the year, Walter and company released the “propulsive” (Austin American Statesman) EP The World Is On Fire (And We Still Fall In Love) in February and launched a 80-city virtual tour which includes UU churches, a festival for peace with Willie Nelson and Eliza Gilkyson, a Girls Rock Camp SXSW event and festival, a women’s conference, and Play For The Vote (Beyonce, Paul McCartney, Adele and Aretha Franklin also performed) to remind people of the good things that connect us despite the hardships life throws at us. The tour continues at least through August (more info here). 

While the band started as a trio of friends with Walter, Strait Music’s Dan McMonigle on guitar, and DJ/artist Ralph Cutler on drums, during the pandemic Parker Woodland has evolved into a diverse collective of musicians which has resulted in even more exuberant and lively performances than before. With the ongoing virtual tour, a livestream video trilogy release party and discussion with the video creators and actual live performances to be announced soon, you can bet when those live shows happen they will be even more uplifting and explosive than before. In the meantime, there is plenty to experience online. “The World's On Fire trilogy is my documentation of Austin band life, from practice space to studio, the garage to the stage to the road,” Walter said. “I hope the videos celebrate how special the Austin music community is and remind everyone how much we have to look forward to as we emerge from the pandemic. Though some things will be forever changed, like losing Music Lab, music is the magic that brings us together.

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