The Johnny & the Wallkers Story

-by William Miller of Almost Famous fame

The Early Days

It all started way back in the late 1980's on the docks at Lonsdale Quay, where two young guitar playing brothers named Stefano and Fabio Walker began playing their own skiffle version of Beach Boy songs with their cousin Joe. It was during this early period that the now famous Walker harmonies were first developed and honed.

The trio loved to replicate the California 60's sound, while introducing a raw vintage R&B beat, with stylistic nods to such diverse contemporary influences as Guns and Roses and Tone Loc. Times were tough on the Walkers however, who regularly played to indifferent passers-by, paying their dues as youths chasing their dreams (and the occasional young female tourist) on the dock. It was not unlike the start that most bands must endure during their formative years: cold and cruel, bearable only through pure passion and the relentless belief that they were too talented and good looking to quit and get real jobs.

During this time, cousin Joe departed the band to seek new challenges in rural British Columbia, but the nucleus of Fabio and Stefano remained together and committed. Now it was a matter of something happening, as Brian Jones once said.

When It Reigns It Pours

On a warm day in June in the mid 1990's, while waiting at a Skytrain station in Surrey, Fabio Walker met another guitarist, who was intrigued by some albums that Fabio had with him. They started jamming, and soon the band Reign was born, playing rock and roll covers around Vancouver, instilling the music with the flavour of their skiffle and R&B roots. All they needed was a drummer, which they soon found after luring a local player away from various other bands around town.

Reign went on to establish a solid reputation as a local cover band with a modest but loyal following and a reputation for meticulously reproducing accurate cover versions of the material they played. Alas, despite the success of the band, the lack of chemistry between the band members was problematic. The shows went on, but over the years dissention and fracturing in the band occurred, set lists began to stagnate and boredom set in. Reign was at a crossroads with respect to its musical direction for some time. It was all coming to an end and there was nothing the Walkers could do to stop the slide. In the fall of 2006 the lead guitarist of Reign resigned and the future of the band was in doubt.

Along Came Johnny

The band decided to recruit a replacement lead guitarist and promptly decided on a seasoned guitar player named John Samulski. John had previously played with Stefano in a part time pick up band called Les MISArables, where it was apparent that they shared a common musical vision and highly respected each other's abilities. The "Les MIS" gigs also served to demonstrate that they both liked to party at gigs and generally had far too much fun onstage. "Johnny" was an instant breath of fresh air to the Walker brothers, with his more adventurous musical approach, refined sound and extensive musical experience.

John had previously been a member of "Dark Angel" (Hamilton), "The Mohabs" (Toronto) and "Section 69" (Edmonton) and, after moving to Vancouver in the mid 90's, had been focussing on writing and recording original music and acting as a producer and "side man" on various projects. "Johnny" took the band by storm, and his musical abilities and broad repertoire allowed the band to add new material quickly and reach another level.

With the addition of John on lead guitar, it seemed that Reign had a new lease on life. Plans were being made to resume the band's tour schedule and an important gig was booked downtown to introduce the new line up. But there were more surprises in store for the Walkers…

Enter Ginger

A new problem confronted Reign with the sudden and mysterious departure of their drummer (shades of Spinal Tap), leaving the group again in a state of flux. In its search for a new musical backbone, the band appealed to close friends Jason and Sarah Farris, who suggested Jim "Ginger Spice" Wall, who was playing with Vancouver rock bands Six Inch Average and Robin Stanley.

After one audition, it was clear that Jim's abilities were more than enough to offset the band's concerns about his wardrobe, hair colour and obsession with 80's girly bands. Wall was offered the gig and agreed to the role, but was concerned about the schedule conflicts with playing in the three bands at once. Soon after joining however, Six Inch disbanded when it lost its lead guitarist, and Stanley's band reduced its schedule of dates. The problem was solved, and Wall suddenly found himself on a new expressway going the right way.

Aloha Spicoli?

The new line up was complete, but the band was now something very different from the original Reign. It was time for a new name and to leave the past behind. The band played their first gig in May of 2006 under the name "Aloha Spicoli" at a private party on the North Shore at Doug's house. It was a hell of a baptism for the band, including playing tunes that had never been rehearsed together prior to the gig, as well as other assorted mayhem and debauchery, and it confirmed that the chemistry between the four members was solid, maybe even extraordinary…

Johnny & the Wallkers

Recognising that "Aloha Spicoli" had only limited appeal as a band name, the boys put their heads together to come up with a new name. After about 196 e-mails and several checks on Google ("damn, that one's taken too…") a compromise solution was reached: Johnny & the Wallkers using two LL's to include the names of all four members (sort of) into the band name. Soon after, between periods during a Canucks game in a pub in Langley, the now infamous "JATW" martini glass logo was devised.

A period of shameless self promotion immediately followed, which included the development of the current band Web site (www.jatwband.com) and the production and distribution of a series of t-shirts emblazoned with the band's logo. These promotional activities, in conjunction with a number of well received milestone performances, have resulted in the band being booked regularly into some of Vancouver's premiere live music venues, including Malone's Downtown, Ceili's Irish Pub and the Team 1040 BC Lions Pre-game Party at Azure's at the Plaza of Nations. The band also maintains a busy schedule of performing at private functions throughout the Lower Mainland.

When asked to sum up their thoughts on the first year of the band, the members of JATW offered the following comments:

Jim Wall: "When we started, I thought it might be my first and last gig with the band. Right after that, I think we all just suddenly realized what we had fallen into. It was a hell of a baptism."

Stefano Walker: "I knew we had something special once I started averaging about 50 band-related e-mails in my inbox per day."

Fabio Walker: ""its not like I said we are better or greater than Jesus Christ as a person or a thing or whatever it is. I just said what I said and it was wrong, and now all this!"."

John Samulski: "Rock and roll… cocktails… fog machines… what's not to like?"

The first three years were memorable ones for the band, and 2009 should prove to be another exciting year as JATW solidifies their presence on the local music scene with a busy schedule of public gigs and private functions, new gear and new tunes for their ever expanding set list. Some are already saying that these guys are the hottest live cover band in Vancouver and, as Karen Carpenter used to sing, they've "only just begun"…