Montauk Pioneer - May 29, 2009 - A Musical Interview

Taking a cue from the songwriting masters of the '60s, PT Walkley, who also serves as frontman for rock outfit The Blue Jackets, offers fans a complete musical experience with his first solo album, Mr. Macy Wakes Alone.

These days, with people constantly plugged into their iPods and the music they listen to shuffling every few minutes, most don't have the attention span for anything more than short, snappy singles, which tend to dominate the current musical climate. But Walkley's Mr. Macy - a concept album revolving around the characters of Audrey Macy, a trust fund kid, her evil record executive father and the songwriter he exploits, Calvin the Coroner - goes against the grain, forcing listeners to actually focus on and really think about the music.

"The songs are pretty eclectic so I decided to thread a story line through it," he said. "This is a singles-based era. People have so many things thrown at them every day, it's harder to stay focused on something like a concept album." Still, he noted, while every song on the album fits together to tell a cohesive story, ultimately each song is capable of standing alone and being listened to on its own.

Musically, Walkley, who was born and raised in Cold Spring Harbor, gives a nod to the '60s, the decade he refers to as "the golden era of musicianship." With the songs that make up Mr. Macy often reminiscent of bands such as the Beatles and the Kinks, much like these and other bands from that period, Walkley "mixes pop music with lush string arrangements, winding melodies and storytelling." And he brought an impressive line-up of musicians into the studio to help him record - Sean Lennon, who plays guitar and piano on several tracks, guitarist Larry Campbell (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm), trumpeter Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob, Rufus Wainwright), string arranger David Campbell (Beck, Johnny Cash) and mixer Trina Shoemaker, who has worked with artists such as Sheryl Crow and Queens of the Stone Age.

Growing up on Long Island, with no formal musical training, Walkley tooled around with the guitar a bit, as many teenagers do, but didn't really take music seriously until he began playing with bands while studying at Boston University. Even then, he wasn't writing his own music, choosing, instead, to back others on guitar.

He moved to New York City in 1999, after graduating from college (today he calls the Lower East Side home) and finally began writing his own music in early 2000, releasing an album as PT Walkley and the Adventures of Track Rabbit. "I always had messed around on piano and had little ditties in my head," he said, but it took him some time to get "the guts" to write and record his own songs.

Then, while working in a guitar store, he met actor and director Ed Burns and the two struck up a friendship. Walkley scored and wrote songs for several of his movies. And eventually, they formed The Blue Jackets together, which is actually a side project for most members of the band. "It's the perfect situation," Walkley said. "There's no pressure." Still, the band has released several EPs, will likely work on a full-length album in the near future and also recently opened for Coldplay at Madison Square Garden.

Although Walkley plays often at the Stephen Talkhouse with The Blue Jackets, he will be doing his first solo gig at that Amagansett venue on June 6 at 8 p.m. For more information, go to www.ptwalkley.com or www.stephentalkhouse.com.