Eva Walker: Harmonizing Passion and Parenthood in the Pursuit of Music
Photos provided by Eva Walker
By RayJaun Stelly
The journey began here in Washington when a teacher loaned a guitar to teenage Eva Walker and from that moment, she blossomed from the concrete and pursued music to its fullest capacity. From the first moment of touching and feeling a guitar, it brought back the fact she always wanted to play this instrument but unfortunately did not have the access to one.
Maximizing her opportunity with countless hours, Walker’s mother took notice of that and rewarded Eva by purchasing her a guitar.
”I started writing songs, probably some pretty bad songs, as I wasn’t a seasoned songwriter yet,” said Walker. “But I remember feeling so good that I could express all these feelings I had about the world and myself through this instrument.”
Developing herself into a music artist and coming to terms that this is what she wanted to do numerous times, Eva discovered African-American guitarist, songwriter, and singer Jimi Hendrix which opened her eyes to a whole new world.
”I realized I was going to pursue music a couple different times, the first time discovering Jimi Hendrix, and seeing a black person rock, it made me go yeah I’m doing this,” said Walker. “The next time was when my twin brother Cedric and I actually started The Black Tones.”
When it comes to the music, Eva doesn’t put a limit on the theme or message in the songs she puts out. Whether it pertains to her dating experiences that took place during her 20’s when she made ‘Ghetto Spaceship’, or her fear of spiders with ‘Mama! There’s A Spider In My Room!’, speaking on social issues with ‘The Key Of Black’, or to her maternal grandparents with ‘Plaid Pants’.
Walker has even made a song about the black and white striped wall she painted in her room once, which also speaks to the levels that she went to continually broadening her horizon.
”I don’t stick to a specific theme or message because I don’t like to limit myself,” said Walker. “So is there meaning to me in the songs? Yes of course, but they’re all different and I wouldn’t tell anyone listening how to interpret it either. Whatever the music does for them is personal, I just appreciate them listening.”
Dedicating her time, effort, and energy into the craft, one of Eva’s main focal points when it came to music was preserving the love for it. Having that mindset releases the pressure of feeling obligated to make music or release deadlines, and this helps keep the promise she made to herself which was to not go to her deathbed hating the art of music.
“So when I don’t feel like playing or making music, I won’t, I’ll listen to it or I’ll sit in silence because I enjoy that too, it’s only important to me to work on it if I want to work on it,” said Walker. “But I can’t force myself to do it to meet the expectations of others, I never want to feel resentment because I love it so much. I want to die with the love I had for it since I was a kid.”
From the moment she got her hands on a guitar as a teenager in high school and putting in countless hours of practice to discovering Jimi Hendrix, writing songs that aren’t always dedicated to a theme or message has never limited Walker as an artist. When you combine all of these attributes, they display how Eva Walker built herself into the musician she aspired to be.
Alongside her title as musician, Walker is now also holds the title of mother, recently welcoming a daughter into the world. Still in love with music and never letting that fade, Eva has found happiness in motherhood.
”Music will always be a love of mind and right now in these beginning stages of parenthood, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” said Walker. “Having a child is the best decision I’ve ever made, I will do music when it’s time to do music, and be a mother when I need to be a mother. Not a problem.”
Although motherhood is now in the picture, the music has continued to be streamed on iTunes and other music platforms. Currently available is the group’s debut record Cobain & Cornbread, two singles released via Sub Pop Records for their Singles Club, and ‘Blue Matrimony’ is their most recent release.
“We have a second album almost done, and I’m super excited to show everyone what we’ve been doing,” Walker expressed.
To keep up with Eva Walker and the Black Tones, find them on Instagram @theblacktones.
