by Katie Hasty |
January 27, 2009 1:40 EST
Even if you haven't heard of PT Walkley, you might have heard him whistling in a MasterCard commercial or singing "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" in a GE spot.
For a handful of years, the songwriter has earned such placements working at Frisbie, a creative advertising and branding music studio in New York. A day job as a composer has left Walkley ample opportunity to use the studio's facilities for his own music, which blends feel-good, upbeat pop with Brit rock.
Walkley's own music takes center stage on "Mr. Macy Wakes Alone," which he will self-release Jan. 27. Guests include Sean Lennon, Bob Dylan guitarist Larry Campbell, singer/songwriter Jesse Harris and trumpeter Steve Bernstein, with strings arranged by David Campbell.
His college band won a competition that landed it on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," and Walkley found his way into the biz for good after scoring a trio of films for actor/director Ed Burns: "The Groomsmen," "Looking for Kitty" and "Purple Violets."
Burns also brought Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to a New York show by Walkley's indie-rock project the Blue Jackets, and Martin was so impressed that he stayed in touch and wound up inviting the band to open for Coldplay at New York's Madison Square Garden last June. "I didn't feel out of place at all on that stage. I was like, 'This is what I was born to do!' I kind of set the bar high," Walkley says.
Tracks from "Mr. Macy Wakes Alone" have already scored spins on rock WRXP New York. And the artist will celebrate the new album with a release-day show at New York's Blender Theater, for which he'll be backed by a 14-piece band. The finale, he says, features a 12-person choir in order to "reinvent the goose bump."
"That's what's going to make touring hard. Since taking 15 people on the road isn't feasible, we're trying to make a fantastic-sounding band for the road with only five people instead," he says. Walkley, who is unmanaged, is settling on a booking agent.
Looking ahead, Walkley is working with animation company An Idol Robot on a Nickelodeon TV pilot and three videos for the album. He's also enlisted designer T-shirt maker Barking Irons to create his merchandise.
For a handful of years, the songwriter has earned such placements working at Frisbie, a creative advertising and branding music studio in New York. A day job as a composer has left Walkley ample opportunity to use the studio's facilities for his own music, which blends feel-good, upbeat pop with Brit rock.
Walkley's own music takes center stage on "Mr. Macy Wakes Alone," which he will self-release Jan. 27. Guests include Sean Lennon, Bob Dylan guitarist Larry Campbell, singer/songwriter Jesse Harris and trumpeter Steve Bernstein, with strings arranged by David Campbell.
His college band won a competition that landed it on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," and Walkley found his way into the biz for good after scoring a trio of films for actor/director Ed Burns: "The Groomsmen," "Looking for Kitty" and "Purple Violets."
Burns also brought Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to a New York show by Walkley's indie-rock project the Blue Jackets, and Martin was so impressed that he stayed in touch and wound up inviting the band to open for Coldplay at New York's Madison Square Garden last June. "I didn't feel out of place at all on that stage. I was like, 'This is what I was born to do!' I kind of set the bar high," Walkley says.
Tracks from "Mr. Macy Wakes Alone" have already scored spins on rock WRXP New York. And the artist will celebrate the new album with a release-day show at New York's Blender Theater, for which he'll be backed by a 14-piece band. The finale, he says, features a 12-person choir in order to "reinvent the goose bump."
"That's what's going to make touring hard. Since taking 15 people on the road isn't feasible, we're trying to make a fantastic-sounding band for the road with only five people instead," he says. Walkley, who is unmanaged, is settling on a booking agent.
Looking ahead, Walkley is working with animation company An Idol Robot on a Nickelodeon TV pilot and three videos for the album. He's also enlisted designer T-shirt maker Barking Irons to create his merchandise.
Comments