by Runs Nov. 21-25th.
Members
Chris Thorsteinson (Vocals, Electric Guitar) Dave Wasyliw (Acoustic Guitar, Back Vocals)
Country duo Doc Walker had their origins in small-town Manitoba, Canada, where guitarists, vocalists, and songwriters Chris Thorsteinson and Dave Wasyliw grew up together in Portage La Prairie. By the time Thorsteinson and Wasyliw were 14 years old they had already formed the group Freedom and were doing local gigs. In time the name morphed into Doc Walker and it became just Thorsteinson and Wasyliw working socials, fairs, and campgrounds as a duo.
With over 20 Top 10 singles, Doc Walker is one of the most recognized Canadian country acts of the past two decades. The group has received multiple Canadian Country Music Awards, including Fans‟ Choice, Group or Duo of the Year, CMT Video of the Year, Single of the Year, and Country Music Program or Special of the Year. In addition, Doc Walker has been nominated for several JUNO Awards for Country Album of the Year, including a win in 2009 for the album Beautiful Life.
Even with several mantelpieces worth of hardware to their credit, and a growing international profile that has resulted in three Australian tours, the band refuses to rest on past laurels “With every new album we evolve to some degree. I think it’s exciting to go to work and not know what’s going to happen next.”
The band‟s seventh album, 16 & 1, released in 2011, was a bit of a sea change for the group musically, but still reflected the values that have made the band enduringly popular over time.
Fresh off of the 2016 CCMA Awards, which saw Doc Walker host the SOCAN Songwriter Series, the Country music legends are gearing up for a fall tour, with Echo Road: The Best of Doc Walker set for release on September 30, 2016.
“Releasing this album just after spending some time in London, Ontario for the 2016 CCMA Awards has led us to reflect over the last twenty years,” said lead singer Chris Thorsteinson. “We can’t wait to be back out on tour and engaging directly with our fans; at the end of the day that is what we love the most.”
“Our music speaks to the pride we have in our roots, and the gratitude we have to the fans,” says lead singer Chris Thorsteinson, “and that is the most important thing. At the end of the day, all we want to do is write a record that we love, and that we know our fans are going to love and want to sing along to.”
With six kids between them, an upcoming Fall tour, and an album of new material planned for March 2017, the pair will take that downtime where they can. “It’s busy, but being busy is a good thing,” says Thorsteinson. Wasyliw agrees, “We’re going on our tenth record. Echo Road is more of an evolution than a catalogue of our work,” he says, describing it as a “best of, so far.”
