AD: It seems like you’ve found your niche at combining the improvisational with the structured.RW: Coming up through the noise and punk scene definitely helped with that. This style has just worked out for me, it’s been more rewarding. I just like music a lot, they’ve always co-existed.

I was always in punk bands in High School, but I was in jazz band, too. I think I’ve always just liked doing everything at the same time. RYLEY WALKER: There wasn't really a switch that went off. What cause the shift from a more industrially progressive sound to a more organic one? I do wonder, though, why you think those earlier folks influences like Nick Drake, or all your Zeppelin inspiration, started appearing in your sound when it did. Lucky for us, the product of these collaborations continue to be damn good.ĪSHLEIGH DYE: I wasn't too surprised to learn that you started off in more punk, and then noise based scenes, especially after listening songs you'd recorded like that Live in Toronto excerpt and Sweet Satisfaction on your latest album. When talking with Walker his intentions are unspoken but clear, and he intends on continuing to make music he likes, with people he likes. I was fortunate enough to exchange some quick words with Ryley the day after his Chopin Theatre record release (and the day of his solo show at Permanent Records). From the first recordings to the photos on the covers, everything is Chicago-centric, showcasing the beauty of a city that collaborates and grows together. Walker plays alongside a rotating cast of some of the most talented Chicago jazz musicians, a collection of friends and colleagues developed over years of involvement in the underground Chicago music scene. No two shows are the same and you often times leave having bore witness to a genesis of new songs, songs in progress, and favorites that have been re-worked, stretching and expanding beautifully before your very ears. If you've have the pleasure to see him IRL ('in real life' grandpa!) you know that Walker's live show is like a graceful, audio-enigma. His acoustic influences, paired with an affinity for improvisation make for an album that builds into a wonderful sonic landscape that is well beyond his 25 years and his songs have found their way on my playlist more times than I'd like to admit.

Learning that he had his hands involved in the noise and punk scene as a precursor to his current sound came as no surprise. As a newcomer to the music of Ryley Walker, I was instantly captivated by his unique blend of jazz and folk. It's an album that's easy to lose yourself in, one that helps you travel through time as it streams through your speakers. The new album by Ryley Walker, Primrose Green, out Tuesday on Dead Oceans, ebbs and flows effortlessly in all the right ways.

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