BACKSTAGE PASS: Walden at Teragram Ballroom
Los Angeles, CA — Four lifelong best friends from Atlanta, known as the genre-blending indie band Walden, open up about their 10-year backstory before their long awaited performance at the historic Teragram Ballroom downtown Los Angeles, California.
Walden wraps up an explosive 2022 by taking the stage at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles, California supporting legendary bayou soul artist Marc Broussard. The genre-blending indie rock band consisting of four lifelong best friends – Richard Becker (vocals/guitar), Jamie de Lange (bass), Eric Hangartner (vocals/piano) and Andrew Mendel (drums/background vocals) – are the epitome of “life’s about the journey, not the destination.” Backstage before their highly anticipated performance, Walden opens up about their 10-year backstory, personal and professional challenges, finding motivation and overcoming adversity, and so much more.
If you're new to the world of Walden, the Atlanta born and Denver based band has released 3 independent EP's to date with their latest being "Waiting for the Moment" followed by their latest single "Wishing Well." The band consists of 4 lifelong best friends who've made a claim to fame with their self-funded and self-produced "Where's Walden" tour where the group toured all 50 states (yes, that means Hawaii too) on a $50 starting budget in 2021. This was a truly monumental accomplishment for an independent band with $50 and a dream but these guys pulled it off. But these guys aren’t new to the limelight. Walden’s most notable performances to date have been Bonnaroo, Shaky Knees, KAABOO Del Mar, Summerfest, Suwannee Hulaween, and even supporting renowned acts including Moon Taxi & Ripe. Walden has been on a rocket this year creating and performing their masterful catalog of music consisting of relatable and reflective lyricism, risky yet crisp productions, and a catalog variety usually seen only with seasoned music industry vets.
The conversation with Walden backstage before their set opening for Marc Broussard at Teragram ballroom in Los Angeles, California begins with Jamie, Eric, Richard, and Andrew reflecting on the band's origin story. 10 years ago, self-proclaimed "closeted-musician sports guys" Andrew and Eric first came together as a band at a young age before indoctrinating Richard and Jamie into the band come high school in their hometown of Atlanta, GA. From talent shows and rocking out a Pizza Hut parking lot to a 50 State solo tour and supporting Marc Broussard on his west coast tour, Walden has overcome countless obstacles to make it this far over the last 10 years.
Walden's first show goes way back to Andrew's cul-de-sac outside his house growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. Come time to leave home and see each other off for college, the group went their separate ways. However, that didn't last long because they were back together within only 6 months. Reunited once again, Walden performs one of their most humbling shows to date at a Pizza Hut back home in Atlanta.
Reflecting on performing at a Pizza Hut to successfully executing their own 50-state tour (flyer below) in the US and supporting Marc Broussard in Los Angeles as an independent band, Richard shares "I haven't ever thought about that. It was so long ago that it’s easy to forget you know?" Jamie adds, "So much has happened between Pizza Hut and today over the last 10 years. The amount of work put in and build-up to be here today is incomprehensible."
Bands sticking it out together for 10 years is not unheard of, but it's certainly not common. Speaking to how the group has outlasted countless other indie rock bands over the years, "That is our biggest accomplishment to date," shares Richard. He adds, "Keeping a band together this long is really hard to do but I think it came down to the fact that we were friends first and we've always put the friendship first over artistry and business. We also have a common dream of making it big together doing what we love. " Easier said than done but its more than fair to say that Walden has withstood the test of time and has no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Walden has had its share of highs and lows, both in the personal lives of its members and in the band as a whole. Without taking too much time before their performance going through every obstacle from the last 10 years, Walden opened up about their top challenges they overcame that they were most proud of. Their top achievement was very recent being that the band survived COVID. Bands around the world were seeking to survive while Walden was seeking to thrive and grow both personally and professionally to come out of COVID ahead.
Walden are also immensely proud of making it to where they are today as an independent band. Having past experience with a fruitful, but short-lived booking agent and a former manager, the group is confident they are the living-breathing dream team with the help of their manager Matt Ladis. The need and hunger to hit their goals without the help of a label or agent was the motivation behind the groups 'Where's Walden' tour where the group started with a $50 budget and toured all 50 states in the USA.
So, where did Walden find the motivation and hunger to strive and make these incredible accomplishments happen? The theme of "doing what you love" was at the core of their responses. These gentlemen know they thrive on stage, thrive in front of live audiences, and blowing them away with their unforgettable sound and stage presence. Chasing that feeling of being on stage was a very strong motivator for Walden. It's also clear that none of the band members have any intention of going back to their day-jobs. Nothing is more motivating than avoiding going back to a hollow and unfulfilled lifestyle by taking the stage and performing for the fans who continue to fuel Walden's fire.
Walden has learned countless lessons over the years having just released their third independent EP "Waiting for the Moment" and their latest single "Wishing Well." Speaking to the best advice he's ever received, Richard shares. "Life's about the journey, not the destination. It's cliche but it's true. That goes way beyond any other measure of success. You really don't know how long you'll be doing this so it's so important to find the joy in every single moment." Eric adds, "Nothing in life is guaranteed. At the end of the day, it's truly not about the dollar bills. It's about doing this thing together and just having the opportunity to hopefully do it for a long time."
Photography Credit: Lauren Trahan
If Walden had the opportunity to give Walden advice knowing what they know now before they released their first EP, Richard immediately responds, "Stop overthinking sh*t." The others laugh in agreement. He continues, "In terms of your music and art, just do what you want to do. Don't do it for anybody else but you." Eric elaborates, "I think as a young artist, its super important to not be precious. At the start, we wanted everything to be perfect and now listening back, it was still so flawed! But that's the thing, you just have to accept that there are phases to being an artist. Seeing artists with breakout discographies from day one is almost an illusion. You need to know how much time lead up to that and how much of the process is an experiment. I think that's crucial especially when you're a young musician or band."
The last topic of discussion before setting foot on stage at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles, CA in front of hundreds of die-hard fans was the band's desert island albums -- as in one album to take with them on a stranded desert island. Andrew goes with "This Is All Yours," the second album by by Alt-J, Richard "Viva La Vida" by Cold Play, Eric chooses "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" by M83, and Jamie went with "Animals" by Pink Floyd.
Walden's latest single "Wishing Well" speaks to the next era of Walden. The track is more electronic driven than their previous work but this speaks to the groups desire to continue pushing the limits of their genre-blending abilities as songwriters. "Wishing Well" features ethereal synth driven melodies combined with the epitomic Walden vocal energy. This single captures Walden's journey of discovering their sound, experimenting with different production styles, and ultimately creating a sound all their own.
Photography Credit: Lauren Trahan
Speaking to the meaning and inspiration behind "Wishing Well," Richard shares, "We spend our whole lives chasing a goal, often looking for a quick fix to get there. But, by only focusing on the end goal, you miss out on enjoying all the steps to get to that goal. Healing and growth are not a linear journey and it does not happen overnight. You just got to keep on the journey and try your best to find enjoyment along the way."
Once the interview was completed, Walden went off to perform their unforgettable set opening for Marc Broussard. To set the scene, the historic downtown Los Angeles music venue has hosted countless music legends over the years but tonight, it's the home to Walden and Marc Broussard.
The night fired off with Walden's set and it was nothing short of magical. From the anthemic orchestral driven track "Alive" off their ‘Static’ EP to their more rock-driven songs "Greenlights" and "Changing," Walden put on an unforgettable set list performance satisfying the fan's needs for deep cuts and their top hits.
The most unforgettable moment and highlight of the set was when Walden surprised their fans by performing an acoustic version of their track "Relapse." The band gathered around a single microphone to perform this track for a truly indelible experience (photo below). Walden was able to captivate the crowd from beginning to end of their performance and absolutely made a lasting impression on all those in attendance. It was clear the audience was left with an insatiable appetite for more Walden.
Photography Credit: Lauren Trahan
Walden is truly a special group that continues to push the boundaries of music creation, live performances, and defining what is possible as an independent band of four best friends. The band has already marked their own place in history and it will be exciting to see how they can do it again. Walden's return to Los Angeles was a night to remember.
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Photography Credit: Lauren Trahan
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