A Conversation with Walter Salas-Humara – HuffPost 9.3.14

Mike Ragogna: Walter, you have a new solo album, Curve and Shake. How could you possibly have left your band The Silos out of the mix?

Walter Salas-Humara: I wanted to make a more intimate album. I started with Latin percussion and guitar and built it up from there. I recorded my nephew Charlie Salas-Humara and his buddy Marius Libman playing what I would call “free music” on synths and effected guitars and stirred that in. I had been writing songs with a wonderful young band from Ontario, California called GrooveSession, so I had GrooveSesion do a couple tracks and invited their guitar player Sarven Manguiat to play quite a bit of guitar on the album. I had also been writing and recording with Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons. We both ended up using songs from that session on our respective new albums. I’ve been working with a very talented keyboard player here in Flagstaff, Ryan Williams. He’s all over the album. And finally fellow Silo Jason Victor came in and layered guitar and he and Sarven play an exceptionally fine interweaving guitar solo on “What We Can Bring.”

MR: What are the main differences when approaching a Walter Salas-Humara album compared to creating a Silos album?

WSH: The Silos albums, especially the early ones, are classic band albums. My solo albums tend to be more personal, a little more eccentric, and the case of Curve and Shake very intimate yet also very inclusive. It draws you in like a warm bath.

MR: If you had to define what you do, what that be?

WSH: Firstly, I am a songwriter. That’s the root of the work. That’s what defines the work. On top of that I have a unique singing voice that is very recognizable. It’s not exactly pretty and it’s not exactly dirty, but it’s very real, and my delivery is very real. The songs range from stories to simply images and poetry, but the overall effect is one of honesty and
integrity.

MR: What are some of your personal highlights of the album? Got any behind the scenes stories?

WSH: The recording of this album has been one the more rewarding experiences in my career. It has felt like a family affair – from tracking with the GrooveSession in a barn in Joshua Tree and enjoying family dinners prepared by their parents, to tracking in Portland with the Jackmormons and my nephew Charlie, hanging out in bars and going to shows after a days work in the studio. My nephew is an awesome cocktail maker, from the exotic to the classic–if you are visiting Portland you must go to the Bunk Bar while he is working. The writing of the songs was a joy also. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with mature writers like Jonathan Lethem and Jerry Joseph as well as young talents like Sarven Manguiat, Aaron English, and Amy Daggett.

MR: The Silos are considered a seminal alternative band. Does living up to that rep end up being a bit daunting when you’re creating your solo projects?

WSH: It’s all simply part of my life, this is just the next chapter. I am truly humbled and thankful that I’ve been able to pursue a career and make a living at something that I enjoy so much. I don’t have any anxiety or thoughts of failure or disappointment, I am honestly exuberant at my great fortune.

MR: What bands or artists do you listen to for enjoyment?

WSH: I have a lot of friends who are at the top of their game. Tom Freund is making great music. He’s a great songwriter–very intuitive and smart, both lyrically and musically. His albums are always great. Jerry Joseph is making the best music of his long career–very passionate and exciting. A friend of mine who is not well know but equally exceptional is Pete Galub. His album Candy Tears is phenomenal. I listen to it on repeat.

MR: Curve and Shake is your third solo album. Why haven’t you recorded more solo projects?

WSH: I was on a long journey building up the band and trying to keep it going and keep everyone working and involved, so I put all my time and effort into that project. The passing of our beloved bassist Drew Glackin in 2008 was the end of that era for me. The current version of The Silos came together for all the tribute shows we did for Drew’s family and friends and we made the album “Florizona” together. Once that album was completed and released, I felt like I had been released from a great responsibility. Thankfully, all the members of the band are involved in lots of other projects and bands, many of which are far more successful than The Silos, so I am free now to do more solo albums and tours.

MR: Tell me about your career as a visual artist and why you paint dogs?

WSH: I graduated University with a Fine Arts degree and went to NYC to pursue a career as a visual artist when I was 22. I made large expressionist paintings. This was the 80s–painting was at its height and the New York art scene was incredibly exciting. Warhol was still alive and active, Jean-Michel Basquiat was come coming into his own, Julian Schnabel was a bona fide rock star, and Keith Haring’s chalk drawings were all over the subway system. I was painting, try to get noticed, and found work driving an art delivery truck – picking up from artist’s studios, galleries, museums and auction houses in New York and delivering to galleries, museums and collectors in the Eastern States. I later worked at Leo Castelli Gallery installing work by all my heroes–Rauschenburg, Stella, Johns, Warhol, Ruscha, Oldenburg, Lichtenstein, etc, etc. I was never able to get arrested as a painter, but I learned so much and have so many great memories. I got involved in music as part of the original Indy Scene, making and releasing albums on our own and playing the new network of alternative clubs, and spent the next 20 years making only music. I started painting again as a way of gift giving. I have a large family, lots of birthdays and holidays, and wanted to give them something personal. It’s difficult to give art, not everyone has the same taste, so I chose dogs as a subject because everyone everywhere loves dogs. I began making very primitive paintings of dogs on wood, people started seeing them and asking for them, and then of course people began asking me to make portraits of their dogs. It’s been a great ride and a wonderful counterpoint to my work as a songwriter.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

WSH: Try not to take yourself to seriously. Enjoy it. Share your talents freely, collaborate with other artists across the entire spectrum of the arts, not just within the scope of your particular strength. Be a good listener, there is always something to learn.

MR: Is there any advice given to you that helped and was there any you wish you had taken?

WSH: My parents were very supportive. I was encouraged to trust my instincts. They were forced to leave their country, Cuba, and all their possessions at the height of their lives and careers and rebuilt their lives in middle age. I learned confidence and humility and most of all perseverance from them. In my 30s I had several good friends advise me not to party so hard. Advice I ignored and had all the usual problems associated with too much partying. Of course I had some unforgettable adventures as well.

MR: What’s next?

WSH: I’m going to perform as much as possible. I’ve been taking a break–doing a lot of skiing, hiking, biking, and generally enjoying the great outdoors for the last couple years–so I’m anxious and very excited to get out there and perform the new material as well as the old favorites. I’ve got shows booked in both the US and Europe all the way through February 2015.

MR: If the readers want to find out more about your music and art, what websites should they visit?

WSH: https://www.waltersalashumara.com, https://www.waltersdogs.com, andhttps://www.thesilos.net