Showing posts with label Jeff Porter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeff Porter. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

The Rainmakers & Bob Walkenhorst: Top 100 Songs

The Rainmakers/
Bob Walkenhorst

Top 100 Songs

The Rainmakers are a roots-rock band from Missouri. They started as a trio in 1983 named Steve, Bob & Rich for members Steve Phillips (guitar and vocals), Bob Walkenhorst (vocals, drums, and guitar), and Rich Ruth (bass and vocals). They released one independent album, Balls, in 1984.

They signed to Polygram Records, added drummer Pat Tomek, and renamed themselves the Rainmakers. They released their self-titled debut in 1986. Four more studio albums followed from 1987 to 1997. Rich Ruth had left in 1994 and was replace on their 1997 album Skin by Michael Bliss.

The band were then inactive for more than a decade, during which time frontman Bob Walkenhorst released a solo album and collaborated with Jeff Porter, who joined the Rainmakers when they reunited in 2011. Steve Phillips and Pat Tomek returned to the fold as well.

After three more studio albums, the band again went dormant during which time Walkenhorst collaborated with his daughter Una for a 2018 album and released another solo effort in 2021. He has also recorded two albums, known as Spare and Spare Vol. 2, of stripped-down, acoustic versions of his songs with and without the Rainmakers. Also appearing on this list are a few cuts from the 1977 album The Last Adventure by the Walkenhorst Brothers.

Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Bob Walkenhorst and the Rainmakers based on this list. It debuts August 24, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs

Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

DMDB Top 20%:

1. Let My People Go-Go (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
2. Snake Dance (1987)

Beyond the DMDB Top 20%:

3. Downstream (1986)
4. The Wages of Sin (1987)
5. Big Fat Blonde (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
6. Small Circles (1987)
7. Nobody Knows (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
8. Spend It on Love (1989)
9. Government Cheese (1986)
10. Like Dogs (2011)

11. Suspicious Minds (2015)
12. Last Song of the Evening (2011)
13. Given Time (2011)
14. Primitivo Garcia (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
15. Drinkin’ on the Job (1986)
16. Information (Steve, Bob, & Rich: 1984; The Rainmakers: 1986)
17. Go Down Swinging (2011)
18. Half a Horse Apiece (2011)
19. Hoo Dee Hoo (1989)
20. America (2015)

21. Another Guitar (1984)
22. Reckoning Day (1989)
23. One More Summer (1987)
24. Suspicious Minds (2015)
25. The Lakeview Man (1987)
26. For Tomorrow (Bob & Una Walkenhorst, 2018)
27. Different Rub (1997)
28. No Romance (1987)
29. Long Gone Long (1986)
30. Missouri Girl (2011)

31. Thirty Days (1989)
32. Rockin’ at the T-Dance (1986)
33. Doomsville (1986)
34. Turpentine (2011)
35. The Battle of the Roses (1989)
36. Siamese Twins (1997)
37. The One That Got Away (1986)
38. Stick Together (live, 1989)
39. Baby Grand (2011)
40. Wild Oats (1989)

41. Kansas City Times (2011)
42. Skin (1997)
43. To the Hum (1997)
44. 13th Spirit (2014)
45. Rainmaker (1987)
46. Renaissance Man (1989)
47. Carpenter’s Son (1987)
48. Tattoo (1997)
49. Fool’s Gold (1994)
50. Shithole Town (2014)

51. Life Can Turn (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
52. Width of a Line (1994)
53. Miserable (2014)
54. Little Tiny World (1994)
55. Jan Vermeer (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
56. J-Walkers (Bob Wakenhorst, 2003)
57. Just Leaving (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
58. Shiny Shiny (1989)
59. Along Comes Mary (2015)
60. Tornado of Love (1987)

61. Just Another Joe (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
62. The Day We Hung Up the Flag (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
63. The Other Side of the World (1987)
64. Fly Over (Bob & Una Walkenhorst, 2018)
65. You Remind Me of Someone (1994)
66. Monster Movie (2014)
67. I Talk with My Hands (1987)
68. Greatest Night of My Life (1994)
69. Silver Lake (Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter, 2009)
70. Remarkable (Bob Walkenhorst, 2006)

71. No Abandon (Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter, 2009)
72. Mystery Road (1994)
73. Dry Dry Land (1989)
74. Sugartree (Bob Walkenhorst, 2020)
75. We Walk the Levee (1989)
76. Happy Enough (Bob Walkenhorst, 2020)
77. View from the Tower (1994)
78. Rock On (2015)
79. EGBDF (Steve, Bob & Rich: 1984)
80. A Million Miles Away (1997)

81. Punching Bag (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
82. Call a Wrecker (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
83. Stolen the Moon (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
84. Overland Hill (Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter, 2009)
85. Burgers (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
86. Spite (1994)
87. Winter Dreams (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
88. Shenandoah (Bob Walkenhorst, 2016)
89. Kissin’ Time (Steve, Bob & Rich: 1984)
90. Good Sons and Daughters (1997)

91. Kissses from St. Louis (1993)
92. Rockin’ Around (1993)
93. Autumn Song (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
94. When We Say Goodbye (Walkenhorst Brothers, 1977)
95. Vermillion (2011)
96. Who’s at the Wheel (2014)
97. These Hills (2011)
98. Broken Down (Bob Walkenhorst, 2003)
99. Too Many Twenties (1997)
100. Signs of a Struggle (2014)

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First posted 6/17/2021; last updated 8/24/2021.

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Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Bob Walkenhorst: Artist Profile

Bob Walkenhorst:

Artist Profile


Born: June 1, 1953
Where: Norborne, Missouri

Known As: roots-rock singer/songwriter and musician from the Rainmakers
Significant Bands/Collaborations:
  • Steve, Bob & Rich (1983-85)
  • The Rainmakers (1986-1997)
  • With Steve Porter (2009)
  • With daughter Una Walkenhorst (2018)

Awards (Rainmakers):

Quotable: “The Rainmakers are the Georgia Satellites with Doctorates in Theology” – Jonathan Rundman, Showcase Music Magazine

The Albums:

Hover over an album for the name and year of release. Click to see its DMDB page.

Compilations:

Live Albums:

Key Tracks:
  • Let My People Go-Go (Rainmakers, 1986)
  • Downstream (Rainmakers, 1986)
  • Big Fat Blonde (Rainmakers, 1986)
  • Snake Dance (Rainmakers, 1987)
  • Small Circles (Rainmakers, 1987)
  • The Wages of Sin (Rainmakers, 1987)
  • Spend It on Love (Rainmakers, 1989)
  • Another Guitar (Rainmakers, 1994)
  • Different Rub (Rainmakers, 1997)
  • Primitivo Garcia (2003)
  • Life Can Turn (2003)
  • Silver Lake (with Jeff Porter, 2009)
  • Given Time (Rainmakers, 2011)
  • Go Down Swinging (Rainmakers, 2011)
  • Like Dogs (Rainmakers, 2011)
  • 13th Spirit (Rainmakers, 2014)
  • For Tomorrow (with Una Walkenhorst, 2018)
  • Fly Over (with Una Walkenhorst, 2018)

Overview:

“Missouri has long boasted of being the home of two of America’s greatest artists, Mark Twain and Chuck Berry. However, it wasn’t until The Rainmakers thundered into the national music spotlight in 1986, had anyone combined the guitar power of Berry with the social wit of Twain to form a unique brand of Missouri rock n’ roll.” AZ

“Even at the height of their popularity in the late ‘80s, The Rainmakers never got the respect they deserved. Their rootsy rock not only included keen musicianship but also some of the most memorable lyrics of the era. While Michael Stipe was mumbling through his too-much-integrity phase, this Kansas City-based foursome were having a blast with singer Bob Walkenhorst’s story-telling tunes, which were equal parts humor and social commentary.” EH

These “prototypical Midwestern roots-rockers…ironically achieved their greatest commercial success overseas, despite generally good reviews in their homeland. Chief songwriter Bob Walkenhorst’s playful wit and topical lyrics set the Rainmakers apart from their Heartland bar band peers, though musically they drew from the expected roots rock influences (Chuck Berry, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen, etc.).” SH

Steve, Bob, & Rich (1983-1986):

The band was “originally formed in 1983 as the 3 piece bar band Steve, Bob, & Rich;” AZ “the lineup consisted of guitarist/vocalist Steve Phillips, guitarist/vocalist Bob Walkenhorst, and bassist Rich Ruth.” SH “These Kansas City rockers became an instant favorite throughout the Midwest. Soon fans stood in line to see this trio they described as ‘energetic,’ ‘intense,’ but most importantly ‘fun.’” AZ

“This group recorded an independently released album (titled Balls).” SH “Within months…, Steve, Bob, & Rich had signed a multi-album contract with Polygram,” AZ “upon which point they added drummer Pat Tomek and changed their name to the less specific Rainmakers.” SH

America’s Next Great Band (1986-1990):

“Their self-titled official debut was released in 1986.” SH “Heralded as ‘America’s Great Next Band’ by Newsday, The Rainmakers were drenched in critical acclaim. Feature articles in Newsweek, Rolling Stone, CMJ, USA Today and others poured in singing the praises of this hard working band breathing new life into the rock format.” AZ Stephen King even “twice quoted lyrics from Rainmakers songs in his best seller The Tommyknockers, and again in his 1991 novel Gerald’s Game.” AZ

“Critics particularly enjoyed the unique writing style of lead vocalst Bob Walkenhorst, whose talent for choosing unusual and sometimes controversial subjects provided an eye opening perspective of life – sprinkled with sarcastic humor. The Rainmakers received notoriety for their songs’ lyrical content, including Music Connection’s award for Lyric line of the year: ‘The generation that would change the world is still looking for its car keys.’” AZ

1987’s “follow-up Tornado didn’t attract as much critical attention in the U.S., but the Rainmakers’ European audience continued to grow.” SH “Let My People Go-Go gave the Rainmakers their first Top-20 single on the British charts.” AZ “By the time of 1989’s The Good News and the Bad News, the band was concentrating mostly on that area.” SH

“As critics abroad sang the band’s praises, with feature articles in New Musical Express, Kerrang, Rock Power, etc. Frequently, The Rainmakers could be spotted on European television with live appearances on Top of the Pops, The Tube, and MTV Europe. European concert dates grew in number each year, with The Rainmakers often enjoying headline status on festival bills. Their reputation as an electrifying concert act eventually led to the recording of a live album at a sold-out show in Oslo, Norway.” AZ

Hiatus and Return (1990-1998):

“In 1990, after 4 albums, 5 videos, 500,000+ records sold, and countless concert dates,” AZ “the Rainmakers disbanded, ostensibly for good. However, Scandinavian interest in their music held strong, and Polygram’s Norwegian division requested a new Rainmakers album in 1994. The band obliged and recorded Flirting with the Universe on their own in Steve Phillips’ basement. The album was a smash in Norway, achieving that country’s equivalent of gold sales within two months, and the band was encouraged enough to stage a full-fledged reunion.” SH

“Overwhelmed by the response to Flirting...,” AZ the band “signed with the independent Kansas label V&R,” SH and “returned to the studio to record, Skin. As with previous releases, Walkenhorst proved that no subject matter was too controversial choosing to take aim at pornography and its societal impact.” AZ “Ruth left the band during the recording sessions, with accounts divided as to whether it was due to the lyrical content or the fact that he had moved from Kansas City to Nashville; regardless, he was replaced by Michael Bliss. The resulting album, Skin, was released…[in 1997] to mostly good reviews.” SH

Bob As a Solo Artist (2003-2010):

Bob Walkenhorst released his solo debut The Beginner in 2003, maintaining the same lyric and vocal style that made The Rainmakers one of the most distinct band of the ‘80s and ‘90s, even if most of the world wasn’t paying attention. In 2009, he paired with fellow Kansas City musician Jeff Porter for the release of No Abandon.

The Reunion (2011-2015):

With the 25th anniversary of the Rainmakers debut album coming in 2011, Walkenhorst thought the timing would be perfect for a Rainmakers’ reunion. Steve Phillips was busy with his band The Elders, but bassist Rich Ruth and drummer Pat Tomek both came on board. Walkenhorst’s duo partner from No Abandon rounded out the quartet for the band’s first studio album in 14 years – 25 On. A series of reunion concerts followed and they followed up with the Monster Movie and Cover Band albums in 2014 and 2015.

Back to Solo Work (2015-2021):

After Cover Band, the Rainmakers did shows sporadically and Bob recorded the album For Tomorrow (2018) with his daughter Una. The title cut was voted the #1 song of the year by Kansas City’s 90.9 The Bridge radio station. Bob was back with his official second solo album, A Thousand Words, in 2021.

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First posted 3/17/2011; last updated 6/5/2021.

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Monday, April 21, 2014

The Rainmakers Monster Movie released

Monster Movie

The Rainmakers

Released: April 21, 2014

Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: roots rock

Tracks:

Song Title (Writers) [time] Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Shithole Town [3:56]
  2. Monster Movie [3:36]
  3. Who’s at the Wheel (Tomek, Walkenhorst) [2:24]
  4. Blue Museum [4:16]
  5. Miserable [2:54]
  6. Your Time Has Come [3:13]
  7. Save Some for Me (Porter, Walkenhorst) [2:34]
  8. Believe in Now (Porter) [3:27]
  9. 13th Spirit [3:26]
  10. Dogleg Ruth, Walkenhorst) [2:55]
  11. Signs of a Struggle [4:03]
  12. Swinging Shed [3:01]

All songs written by Bob Walkenhorst unless noted otherwise.

The Players:

  • Bob Walkenhorst (vocals, guitar)
  • Rich Ruth (bass, vocals)
  • Pat Tomek (drums)
  • Jeff Porter (guitar, piano, vocals)

Rating:

2.920 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

The Rainmakers, “arguably Kansas City’s best known band,” DL returned in 2011 with 25 On, their first studio effort in fourteen years. Rather than it being a one-off, though, it launched a second wave for the band. They followed up that album three years later with Monster Movie. While not as strong as its predecessor, songs like Shithole Town, 13th Spirit, and Miserable are worthy additions to the Rainmakers’ repertoire and this is still “a band that is comfortable with itself and dares to still care about what can be done musically.” DL

“Shithole Town” “starts out like a crowd-clapping sing-along, then morphs into a country-tingled tale of backwoods/back roads folks, bad country music, and small towns. Then it shifts gears again as the music moves from a country feel to a rock and roll song; as the story changes and moves forward, the music does, too.” DL

“13th Spirit” touches on religious themes. As frontman Bob Walkenhorst says, the song “is just asking the big question…Can you please – YOU UP THERE! – please just give us a hint as to what this all means? Is there supposed to be some kind of secret code we’re supposed to be figuring out? Why does this all seem to make no sense at times?” KM

The goal with the album was a record “that was loud and aggressive and rooted in its early style.” KM The album “examines the horrors and realities of everyday life.” KM Walkenhorst said, “There’s plenty of monsters and horrific ideas in our modern culture. I’ll address a few of them.” KM He also explained that the title came from bassist Rich Ruth’s “taste for B-grade terrible monster movies.” KM

Regarding the title song itself, Walkenhorst said “I thought it would be a really funny song…about bad monsters and bad scientists and all that. Songs have a mind of their own. You can start with an idea…and the song will suddenly rear its ugly head and go, ‘No, I’m gonna be THIS!’ So this became more of a very blunt, social criticism.” DL

Pat Tomek “provided the poetry that became the lyrics to Who’s at the Wheel, a lovely conspiracy song with Creedence-like chooglin’ guitar work from Walkenhorst and Porter. Like fellow Missouri resident Chuck Berry, who wrote similar Americana-themed songs, this song takes a wry look at human foibles and Internet-fueled paranoia.” DL

Porter contributes the “mid-tempo, introspective’ DL Believe in Now and co-wrote Save Some for Me with Walkenhorst. The song “has a folk rock feel aided by Porter’s music and a great acoustic riff.” DL

The album closer, Swinging Shed, is “a catchy song about a club in the town where Walkenhorst grew up.” DL The song “references music from the early ‘60s” DL and “sounds as catchy as something by Chris Kenner or Freddy Cannon.” DL

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First posted 8/19/2021.

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Rainmakers Live at Knuckleheads: May 15, 2011

image from rainmakers.com

14 years after their last album, The Rainmakers returned with 25 On. In support of the reunion, they toured, including a hometown stint at Kansas City's Knuckleheads saloon on May 14 and 15, 2011. As part of the show, the group performed their 1986 eponymous debut in full. Here's the set list for the entire show:

THE SET LIST
1. Rockin’ at the T-Dance 1
2. Downstream 1
3. Let My People Go Go 1

4. Doomsville 1
5. Big Fat Blonde 1
6. Long Gone Long 1
7. The One That Got Away 1
8. Government Cheese 1
9. Drinkin’ on the Job 1
10. Nobody Knows 1
11. Information 1
12. Given Time 6
13. Half a Horse a Piece 6
14. Like Dogs 6

15. The Wages of Sin 2
16. Small Circles 2
17. Spend It on Love 3
18. The Lakeview Man 2
19. Missouri Girl 6
20. Another Guitar 4

21. You Remind Me of Someone 4
22. Reckoning Day 3
23. Shiny Shiny 3
24. Width of a Line 4
25. Hoo Dee Hoo 3
26. Go Down Swinging 6

ENCORE:
27. Turpentine 6
28. Burning Love *
29. The Last Song of the Evening 6
30. One More Summer 2

THE ALBUMS
1 The Rainmakers (1986)
2 Tornado (1987)
3 The Good News and the Bad News (1989)
4 Flirting with the Universe (1994)
5 Skin (1997)
6 25 On (2011)
* Elvis Presley cover

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Monday, March 14, 2011

The Rainmakers return with 25 On

25 On

The Rainmakers

Released: March 14, 2011

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: roots rock

Tracks:

Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Given Time [2:54]
  2. Vermillion [2:13]
  3. My Own Bed [3:10]
  4. Missouri Girl [2:38]
  5. Half a Horse Apiece [3:04]
  6. These Hills [3:46]
  7. Kansas City Times [2:41]
  8. Baby Grand [4:13]
  9. Like Dogs [3:23]
  10. Turpentine [3:22]
  11. Last Song of the Evening [5:11]
  12. Go Down Swinging [3:39]

All songs written by Bob Walkenhorst.

Total Running Time: 40:14

The Players:

  • Bob Walkenhorst (vocals, guitar)
  • Rich Ruth (bass)
  • Pat Tomek (drums, vocals)
  • Jeff Porter (guitar, piano, vocals)

Rating:

3.759 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

Quotable: “What could be their most mature and soulful work to date.” – Kevin Triebsch, Atlanta Music Examiner

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

This Kansas City-based rock band formed in 1986 and became popular in the Midwest and overseas in Norway. They released five albums in just over a decade, calling it quits after their 1997 album Skin. The band’s lead singer and chief songwriter, Bob Walkenhorst, returned with a solo album, The Beginner, in 2003. A regularly weekly gig at a Kansas City club led to a partnership with another local musician, Jeff Porter. They paired for an album (No Abandon) in 2009.

However, as Walkenhorst acknowledged, “the response was good…but we realized the people who’d come to see us were primarily Rainmakers fans who wanted to hear Rainmakers songs. We won some people over, but we came back thinking a Rainmakers tour was the next, natural thing to do.” TF

With 2011 marking the 25th anniversary of the band’s debut album, the timing was right for a celebratory reunion tour AND a new album. Pat Tomek and Rich Ruth, the band’s original drummer and bassist respectively, signed on board again and Porter filled the shoes of original guitarist Steve Phillips, who was committed to hs band The Elders.

Walkenhorst acknowledged a difference between the group’s material and his solo efforts. “There’s a distinction between songwriting styles…It’s about attitude. There’s some humor on my solo stuff. No Abandon is pretty serious.” TF “When you’re hanging out with the guys, you’re not going to be so sensitive, although there are some heartbreaking songs on the new one, too. But mostly, there are a lot of big smiles.” TF He also said, “It reminded me that, sure, you can be the big, nutty lead singer, but it’s the combination of people and personalities that make a band happen.” TF

“The good news is…their unique vision and sound is fully intact.” JM This is “a true return to form: traditional rock n’ roll about all the non-traditional subjects – politics, turpentine, religion, friendship, delivering newspapers, dying, dogs, driving in the snow, going down swinging, and one about girls.” VR “25 On is another great album from a truly exceptional band.” LTB “The new songs bear the Rainmakers’ imprint, especially Walkenhorst’s inimitable voice and his unusual ways of turning a phrase.” TF “Sense of humor intact, and sense of heartbreak within reach, the Rainmakers deliver it all with meat-and-beer guitars and drums. And a little piano.” VR “For literate, humorous, challenging, lyrics and elemental barroom rock and roll, nobody since Creedence has ever done it better than these guys.” LTB “This is real, this is fun.” VR

“In 25 On, the Rainmakers show that they have not lost one ounce of their fervor to cynicism” JM and “have released what could be their most mature and soulful work to date.” KT “They have not become a listless oldies act and this is not an effort to squander past glory on a distasteful money-grab. This is a great rock & roll album, crafted by masters, who understand that standing behind microphones with all the wisdom of the ages in their back pockets don’t mean squat if the people on the dance floor ain’t smiling. The Rainmakers have managed to…become 25 times as good and still just as much fun.” JM

The quartet used Tomek’s home studio to record the album. As Porter said, “The recording process was very shoot-from-the-hip…And I mean it in good way.” TF

“There are no duds, the Rainmakers don’t do duds.” LTB Songs “run the gamut from a first class melodic rocker (Given Time) to a story of life on the road and the joy of finally getting back home (My Own Bed) to a wicked political stomper that begs Americans to work together (Half a Horse Apiece).” KT “25 On has it’s soft spots as well, as in Baby Grand, which will touch the heart of any father of a daughter.” KT

“The second track finds Walkenhorst rhyming ‘ceiling’ and Vermillion possibly achieved for the first time in music recording history (do the research). On Turpentine, the band grooves to a jazzy piano intro and a soulful wonder of a song as Walkenhorst sings, ‘Got the rollin’ bass, got the baritone / Got a ringin’ high tenor reachin’ Jesus on the phone / And a smooth lead singer got the women cryin’ / Sweatin’ salvation, turpentine.’ This song is a prime example of Walkenhorst’s superb songwriting ability as well as showcasing the entire band’s superior musicianship and harmonies. It sounds like a gospel choir straight off the bayou.” KT

“The album closes with Go Down Swinging, a raucous tribute to life itself, if not simply a musical career. Walkenhorst channels his best gritty-voiced good ole boy blowing away that harmonica and professing, ‘If I go down, I’m gonna go down swingin’ / If I grow old, It won’t be gracefully / I’m gonna trip and fall, and pass it off as dancin’ / I’m gonna croak and moan, say it’s a new kinda singin’ / I’m gonna go down swingin’’ as the rest of the band tries to keep up.” KT

“It sounds like the greatest of parties, but it also witnesses a singer and a band looking at what’s left of their lives. The Rainmakers have a multitude of fans around the world who will likely be transported back in time for a joyous musical experience with a band that has been there and back.” KT

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First posted 6/1/2011; last updated 2/5/2022.

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Bob Walkenhorst and Jeff Porter released No Abandon

No Abandon

Bob Walkenhorst & Jeff Porter

Released: June 22, 2009

Peak: --

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: roots rock

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. No Abandon
  2. Silver Lake (2003, --)
  3. Ruin the Rain
  4. Overland Hill
  5. Stay Ahead of the Wolves
  6. Sinking Hour
  7. Broken Radio
  8. Ridiculously Beautiful
  9. Hey Bird
  10. I Hope You’re Laughing
  11. Jimmy Lee

Rating:

3.283 out of 5.00 (average of 6 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album:

“Middle-aged musicians often make albums where they long for the glory days of their youth, or, worse yet, pretend they never ended, or even worse, sound like they learned nothing along the way. Bob Walkenhorst, former singer and songwriter from 1980s’ rock group the Rainmakers, has teamed up with fellow Kansas City musician (and musical bud for the past 6 years) Jeff Porter” VR for No Abandon, the first album by the pair as a duo, but Walkenhorst’s second post-Rainmakers outing.

The album “is a collection of 11 songs about that immortal subject for mortals, mortality. ‘We thought of calling the CD ‘Death,’ but thought that might sound too commercial,’ says Walkenhorst.” VR

“What you get is observations about being more than half-way through the journey, not regretting a second, and being determined to pay attention and squeeze every drop from what you have left. Sideways traditional, familiar but not predictable, these are acoustic guitar/2-part harmony songs that might have been written last week, or a century ago. A few echoes of the Carter Family, and Paul and Art, even the neighborly Ozark Mountain Daredevils, mix with Bob and Jeff’s acoustic-rockers common sense and sensibility.” VR

“Standout tracks – No Abandon, a cryptic but emotionally clear painting about the joy of the journey along with the beautiful Silver Lake, Sinking Hour – the ghost of A.P. Carter is smiling down on this one, Stay Ahead of the Wolves – dangerously close to falling into ‘wind beneath my wings’ territory (it doesn’t), a soaring beautiful melody about, what else, Keeping On. And Hey Bird, Porter’s jazzy acoustic tune about chasing the song and the girl. No filler, or light entertainment here. This is the real stuff, about the real stuff.” VR

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Other Related DMDB Pages:

First posted 6/1/2011; updated 8/9/2021.

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