Walt Hamburger on ...And Louie!, Punk Survival, and Finding Purpose Beyond the Spotlight
With his new full-band album ...and Louie! officially out, Wisconsin punk troubadour Walt Hamburger talks gear (sort of), the hustle of staying afloat in music today, surreal backstage moments, why he's still hitting the road, naps and all.
With his brand new album '…and Louie!', now out in the world, underground punk mainstay Walt Hamburger proves once again that heartfelt songwriting, chaotic road stories, and self-deprecating humor never go out of style.
Backed by a powerhouse punk lineup -Neil Hennessy, Mikey Erg, Jon Snodgrass, and Asher Simon- the record marks a loud, full-band evolution for an artist who’s spent years grinding it out on DIY stages across the globe.
In our conversation, Walt reflects on recording in Katy Perry’s old house, the gear he kind of remembers using, and the ongoing hustle of staying afloat in today’s music world. We also get into Fat Mike tour bus all-nighters, Netflix plot twists, dream collabs, and why being billed as Walt Hamburger and the Appleton Shadowband might be the most honest branding move.
Chris Roditis, Musicngear: Hi Walt, welcome to Musicngear. Can you walk us through the gear that helped you shape that full-band punk sound on the album?
I recorded at my good friend Asher Simon's studio (formerly Katy Perry's house) in LA. He had a plethora of gear available. I used a Les Paul Jr. for the guitar parts. He had 2 of them, they sounded slightly different, so I used one for each of the guitars.
I honestly don't know what the rest of the gear we used was. I'm really bad at that. That and remembering people's names. So bad. But I can say we tried lots and lots of different sounds until we found the one we liked. Neil Hennessy was the mastermind.
Musicngear: You’ve worked with some killer names on this record: Neil Hennessy, Mikey Erg, Asher Simon, Jon Snodgrass. As a fellow musician, I’ve gotta ask: is there a piece of gear or studio trick you used during the sessions that totally surprised you or changed the game for you?
Didn't feel like we had to use a lot of tricks with the talented people I was working with. Neil and Asher also produced, and it was a very low-pressure atmosphere.
I will always suggest having one headphone ear off when tracking vocals. Helps you stay in tune. Headphones are gear, right?
Musicngear: You’ve been at this for a while; from The Hamburgers to One Week Records and now “…and Louie!” What were some of the toughest hurdles you’ve had to overcome to keep the music going, and what would you tell younger artists hitting similar walls?
Well, there's pretty much no money in music at my level. Where I'm from, there are a lot of local artists, as I imagine there are anywhere, but almost none of them ever get to tour or see the world.
Getting signed in 2014, having a booking agent, and most importantly, having people come see me when I travel the world: I'm very fortunate. It comes with expenses: flights, hotels, merch, rental car, food, gas, blah blah blah.
So, anyone trying to get into this business, I suggest getting famous in the mid-90s when CD sales could fund your career, family, band, and alcoholism.
Musicngear: Now that the album is out, what’s the mission moving forward? Are you aiming for streams, packed live shows, more blog coverage, or something else entirely?
When Joey Cape first signed me, I was in my early 30s, and I felt like, well, I'm kinda older now, but I'll do this album and the tours, and I'll have a great story. And then another tour was offered. And then another record. And then more tours. And it's just kinda kept going. I feel like I'll keep making music and hitting the road so long as people keep asking me to.
Like I said before, I know most musicians never get this chance. It's also cool coming back to cities for the 5th, 6th, 7th time. People know the lyrics to the songs and enthusiastically sing along. Makes it all worth it.
I suggest getting famous in the mid-90s when CD sales could fund your career, family, band, and alcoholism
Musicngear: What are your thoughts on the value of music blog coverage today and where it's heading, especially with platforms that connect artists with bloggers and curators, like SubmitHub, Groover, Musosoup, and Wallstream?
If I'm being honest, I don't know a lot about this. I'm grateful there are people that want to talk about my music and that it can help my songs reach a new audience, but that's all I really know about it.
Musicngear: If you could pick any artist, dead, alive, DIY legend, or mainstream heavyweight to collaborate with on a future track, who’s on your dream list? And while we’re dreaming, what venue or festival would be the ultimate place to play this new material live?
Brandi Carlile for living. She's the artist that made me think, 'hey, I could do music without a full band'.
It's pretty fun to sit in with Ramones for a song. I actually did play with one of the Ramones once, but it was doing a Tom Petty cover, so I dunno, odd situation.
Love to be a fly on the wall for a Queen recording session, seeing how they did all that on tape.
Ultimate festival? I'd like to play Punk Rock Holiday at some point. I've gotten to play some really great ones like FEST, Pizza, Brakrock, Passpop, KNRD Fest, oooo, and the upcoming Buddies Fest, which is absolutely loaded. Riot Fest is on my list too.
Musicngear: Ηow do you navigate the challenges of making a living as a musician today? Is music your main source of income, or do you have other ways to sustain yourself financially?
It's hard. I'm well-known, but I'm not famous or anything. I just started bartending on the side.
COVID dried up a lot of the venues I played at locally, so making money at home performance-wise isn't really enough anymore.
Appleton, WI, where I live, there's almost nowhere to play anymore, which is a bummer. We're kinda shadowbanned.
That's why live we are billed as Walt Hamburger and the Appleton Shadowband. Pretty clever, right?
Musicngear: Your biggest hit is now a Netflix series. What’s the plot, and which celebrity randomly shows up as a guest star?
At first, I thought you were talking about my dog, Wednesday, which did indeed become a big Netflix series.
I guess it'd be based on divorce, and I'd be played by Chris Pratt, but you know, season 1&2 Parks & Rec Andy.
Dakota Johnson would play my partner, and Bill Murray would insist on a cameo.
Musicngear: You’ve been around long enough to have at least one “did-that-just-happen?” moment, whether it was a weird fan interaction, something hilarious during a gig, or a total studio meltdown. Got any favorite stories that still make you laugh or cringe?
Fat Mike dragging me onto a tour bus for an all-nighter is probably all I need to say.
Tim Mcilraith giving me his phone number, but having to pause to take a call from Moby was pretty funny and surreal.
Honestly, listening to a punk radio station, like Sirius or something, and realizing I'm friends with or have met over half of the bands that play is kinda the wildest part.
Musicngear: After the upcoming album, what’s on the horizon? More shows, another single, a tour, a nap?
So many naps. Eastern Canada is in July. Looking at Western Canada in the fall. Europe next year. And some more super secret stuff that I can't ever talk about, even after it happens, ever!
But that's show business, baby!
Connect with Walt Hamburger
Facebook // Instagram // X // Spotify // Bandcamp
About Chris Roditis
Chris Roditis has been an active musician since 1995 in various bands and projects across a variety of genres ranging from acoustic, electronic to nu metal, british rock and trip hop. He has extensive experience as a mixing engineer and producer and has built recording studios for most of the projects he has been involved with. His passion for music steered his entrepreneurial skills into founding MusicNGear in 2012.
Contact Chris Roditis at chrisroditis@musicngear.com
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