| Weasel Walter | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christopher Todd Walter |
| Origin | Rockford, Illinois, United States |
| Genre(s) | Avant-garde jazz Free jazz Punk jazz |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Label(s) | Skin Graft Records ugEXPLODE Records Troubleman Unlimited |
| Associated acts | The Flying Luttenbachers XBXRX Lake of Dracula |
Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter in Rockford, Illinois) is a composer and instrumentalist who founded the band The Flying Luttenbachers in Chicago in 1991 with late jazz cult figure Hal Russell. Over the years, that band has included noted Chicago musicians such as Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Dylan Posa, while creating an uncompromising and mercurial body of abstract music drawing equally from no wave, death metal, free jazz, gamelan, noise music, hardcore punk and modern classical. Walter moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003, where he formed the latest of many Luttenbachers lineups, remaining on percussion with the addition of bassist Mike Green (Burmese), and virtuoso guitarist Ed Rodriguez (ex-Colossamite, Gorge Trio). Singular guitar phenomenon Mick Barr (Octis, Orthrelm) joined the group in 2005. The Flying Luttenbachers ceased to operate in late 2007. In addition to leading various free jazz ensembles under his own name, currently he is a member of Burmese.
History
Before relocating to the West Coast, Walter was a major contributor to the Chicago no-wave/noise/improvised music underground during the '90s and early 2000s. During this period, he performed as a founding member of bands such as The Flying Luttenbachers, Miss High Heel (with Jim O'Rourke and Azita of The Scissor Girls), Lake of Dracula (with Marlon Magas and Heather M. of the Scissor Girls), To Live and Shave in L.A. 2, 7000 Dying Rats and Hatewave (replacing founder Nandor Nevai) among others.
Walter has collaborated with artists like Evan Parker, John Butcher, Marshall Allen, Peter Evans, Mary Halvorson, Henry Kaiser, Damon Smith, Vinny Golia, Joe Morris, Frank Gratkowski, William Winant, Marlon Magas, Jim O’Rourke, Tom Smith in To Live and Shave in L.A., and Ken Vandermark as well as many influential underground rock bands including Lair of the Minotaur, Bobby Conn, U.S. Maple, Cock E.S.P., Curse of the Birthmark, the Scissor Girls, Erase Errata, The Chicago Sound, Harry Pussy, Quintron, Sharon Cheslow, and Cheer-Accident, in addition to producing albums by the Coachwhips, Burmese, Total Shutdown, Arab on Radar, AIDS Wolf, and Glenn Branca.
References
- J. Niimi (2007-03-14). "Spaz of All Trades: Weasel Walter sneezes and a new song comes to life". SFweekly. http://www.sfweekly.com/2007-03-14/music/spaz-of-all-trades/.
External links
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