There is something about the classics, the really old songs, that can still feel fresh when viewed through a new lens. Enter Chris Walz, who has taught guitar at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago for decades and is a very well-respected musician and music educator. His takes on some old-time songs feel both nostalgic and brand new, and his new album, “All I Got and Gone,” is a wonderful ride down vintage streets, rife with bluegrass, folk, ragtime, and American roots vibes. Walz knows his way around the guitar, and his playing is fantastic. His warm, sincere vocal style is a wonderful complement, telling stories that still remain compelling and relevant today, even if the songs were originally written many years ago. It’s a a lovely aural treat, and we’ve had the album on repeat. Walz sat down to chat with Complete Country recently about this terrific collection of songs.
Hi, Chris! You have a terrific new album that just came out in March called “All I Got and Gone.” How did these songs come together and what broad strokes can you tell us about the collection?
These are all songs I have been living with for a long time, some for years. I wanted my first solo record to be a true “solo” piece of work. Everything on the album is just the guitar and me. Many of the records I grew up listening to were one voice and one guitar. Many of the songs are pieced together from several versions of those songs so that there would be a complete narrative to each of them. I wanted there to be a storyline for all of them. The Internet was pretty helpful to find obscure versions of some of these old songs.
One of the songs on your new album, “Alabama Bound,” is really great and stood out to me. What can you tell us about that song?
That song was originally recorded as a duet by Little Harvey Hull and Long Cleve Reed and titled “Don’t You Leave Me Here.” It’s possible that when it was originally recorded, whoever it was that was writing down the titles got it wrong, because this is one of the many versions of “Alabama Bound.” The recording has two voices and two guitars, and I gave myself the challenge of trying to figure out how to create an arrangement on the guitar that has some of the elements of the two guitars on the original recording. I basically took the lyrics from the Reed and Hull recording, and did them pretty much the same.
What inspired you to record this song?
I like the idea of taking an old song that maybe has a specific recorded arrangement and trying to do it my own way. Certainly, taking a duet record and arranging it as a solo piece is a pretty good challenge. I wanted there to be elements of the original recording that were recognizable, but enough of my own ideas to give it some originality and sound like me.
What was it like recording this album? What was the vibe in the studio overall, and how did this song, in particular, come together?
A lot of the credit for how the record sounds goes to John Abbey, who runs Kingsize Sound Labs in Chicago. John and I are old friends and teachers at the Old Town School of Folk Music. When I got the idea to record this solo record, I approached John, and he was incredibly supportive. I also knew that because we had been friends so long, he would tell me the truth when things were sounding good, and when they weren’t. The recording was basically just John and me in the studio. I would show up, we’d make a couple of cups of coffee and get to work. The records I grew up listening to were recorded during a time when there wasn’t a lot of, or any, studio tricks you could use. Certainly the great blues and country artists of the 1920s and ’30s didn’t have that. And a lot of the records from the ’60s and ’70s, at least in the folk world, I guess, didn’t really use any “punches” or “fixes.” So I wanted the tracks to be one take. I wanted the same kind of immediacy that the old records had. I did use a click to keep things relaxed. Although, “Alabama Bound” was, I think, the first track I laid down. And you can tell there’s a little bit of acceleration from beginning to end. So I think I used to click on most of the other tracks. The only concession I made to any kind of digital help would be if a take was going really well, and then there was some sort of mistake, I would keep going and pick up where I left off and finish strong. Then John and I would go in and digitally snip out the mistake. So in a sense they are complete takes.
What do you hope this album conveys to those who listen to it?
This album is a collection of old songs plus some instrumentals. I went about working up, or re-working, the songs so that they would have a complete story. A beginning, middle, and an end. I guess listening to the entire album is like reading a collection of short stories. They are not my stories, just ones that I’ve heard and picked up along the way. I don’t know if that sounds pretentious. I hope not.
The album title is interesting. What do you think the phrase means and how did you decide what to name the album?
The album title is the refrain that is repeated throughout the song “Delia.” There was something about the phrase “all I got and gone” that I’ve always liked. I remember hearing a version of “Delia” when I was a teenager and that little phrase really sticking with me. I think it can mean different things. I’ll leave that one to the listener.
If you look back over your career, you probably feel like quite a different performer now than when you began for a number of reasons – life experience, industry experience, teaching experience, studio and performing experience all factoring into that. Where do you tend to get your biggest inspiration from these days?
I think the main difference comes as a product of age. I know that when I was getting into playing acoustic music when I was a teenager, there were songs that I thought were really great but that I wasn’t sure I could sing with any kind of credibility, because I hadn’t had a lot of life experience. I look back at a lot of those early songs, older folk songs that tell big stories or songs by Woody Guthrie, and I think I have a little better handle on them now than I did when I was younger. Also, there’s a kind of “credibility” that comes with age. Certain songs that I might’ve liked to sing when I was younger about certain hard aspects of living life seem a little bit more believable coming from someone who looks like they’ve been around the block a few times. But I try not to restrict myself, especially when listening to music by younger performers. I think there is some new writing that’s really strong in modern acoustic or bluegrass music these days. Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle come to mind.
Recording music can be a really personal endeavor, yet when you release a song or an album or an EP, you share the music with so many people. How does this make you feel, and is it difficult to share songs widely like that? Have you gotten feedback from anyone who has connected with the music or had a song impact them in a deep and meaningful way?
It can be a little intimidating to think that you can get into the studio and record a group of songs, and then put it out there for the whole world to critique. I did have enough people telling me that I should do this when I started. Also, I wanted this record to be as honest a representation of who I am, and what I do, as I could make it. So, for better or worse, what you hear is what you get.
What has been the most exciting thing to happen for you in the past year? What are you most looking forward to in 2025?
Probably the most exciting thing in this past year has been getting the album together to be released. I actually recorded it pre-Covid. A number of things, not least of which was the pandemic, cut in line ahead of working on the record. So it got delayed a little bit. Over the last year, I’ve had some great folks, helping me out with graphics, getting the word out, and all sorts of stuff I don’t know how to do well. So it’s exciting that there are folks that believe in this thing that I’m doing, too. I have to give a shout out to Joel Simpson and Jennifer Ashley at Randomosity Media for tons of help. Also, I’m working with Kari Estrin and Krista Mettler to help get the word out. They’ve all been great.
Got any tour plans? Where can fans see you on the road?
I’m going to have an album release show at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago on April 11. I’ll be trying to hammer together some other opportunities to play as well. Let’s see what happens.
