Walrus - Cool To Who (2019)

Walrus are one of the best live bands on the planet. Okay, that may be a bit hyperbolic, and maybe a stretch, but it’s definitely not out an outlandish statement. See, for the past few years, Walrus, made up of two brothers and two pals from Truro, Nova Scotia, have been putting in the work at becoming the best live band on the planet.

Walrus are banned from Avis Rental Car. You see, these rental companies offer unlimited mileage on a vehicle for families renting a minivan to go to their cabin, Disney World or a family reunion. They don’t anticipate the renters to rack up 18,000 km’s in less than 3 weeks. It was worth it, the band played throughout the US and Canada, earning a devout following of their dynamic live show. After being banned from Avis, the band got their own van, and promptly drove it into the ground after more relentless touring.

There are a lot of good live bands, that can’t make a good record. It’s not easy trying to capture that intense live energy in a studio, where there’s no energy from a live audience to propel a band. To recreate that live environment, Walrus found the biggest live space they could in Riverport, Nova Scotia at the Old Confidence Lodge, an 18th century old theatre on the banks of the LaHave River; “Originally we had just planned on trying out OCL for a couple days to see if we liked it, but ended up just banging out the whole record that weekend. The main room there is enormous so we were able to have the whole band setup to play at once. Pretty much only the drum tracks were kept from that, but being able to play along with everyone definitely gave it that live sound,” says drummer Jordan Murphy, who along with his brother, guitarist and vocalist Justin, formed Walrus in 2012.