Walter Hansen Shares Insights on His musical Journey

How do you shut things out?

I am assuming you mean shut things out to concentrate on music? It is hard to shut things out and I think for any artist, we wear the vulnerability fairly close to the surface and feed off the vibe of our surroundings and experiences. When I do want some peace of mind, I walk and walk and walk some more.

What’s your motto or the advice you live by?

Keep the dream alive. Something that drives you from deep within must be worthy of insistence or perseverance. You must know that dreams come from what can be and stick by those dreams until they manifest in this life.

You write all of your own music; where do you draw inspiration from when you write songs and what’s your favorite part about the process?

I like storytelling, actually am an author as well but my inspiration comes from the storytelling and movie making with a soundtrack in my mind. I picture music, some of it is already there and I pull down melodies that are in the air/in my head. I have learned to appreciate the sleepless nights with my mind racing by a sort of meditation and mindfulness that can harness while relaxing instead of ramping up. That has become my favorite part of the process because I feel like I am in tune with myself and enjoy the experience.

At what age did you start singing?

I started singing in a choir at church because we had to, lol. I was raised catholic but really out of the Gregorian-styled worship, I found appreciation later in works by Enya and Enigma. I was primarily an instrumentalist for years and dabbled in bands as lead singer at times, then was given an opportunity to work with Bernard Jackson from the group Surface, and well, he is such a great mentor and person.

If you could perform with anyone, in the future, who would it have to be?

You know I appreciate so many artists it is hard to say. It would mean the world to me to share the stage with Justin Timberlake or Chris Stapleton, Nelly, Lady Gaga, Blake Shelton, etc. As you can see I love all genres and my influences vary greatly. I appreciate the art process.

Which instruments do you play?

I started on the accordion when I was 4, so it became my foundation, I still write with the accordion sometimes. I play the saxophone and flute and have played them in some of my releases. I also have some instrumental singles out there.

What was the first tune(s) you learned?

What was the first tune I learned? My accordion teacher was old school so I grew up listening to 30s, 40s, and 50s classics and they were the first tunes I learned like Lady of Spain, Swing tunes, and the boogie…as I grew up in a multi-ethnic home but in America, my dad listened to Motown

 Hmmm
a) “I like dreamin'”
b) Lose Yourself from 8 Mile by Eminem
c)Just a Dream by Nelly
d)I Go to Work – Kool Mo Dee

What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?

Fondest musical memories? In my house? In a neighborhood or town? The first thing is I remember playing by ear with my dad and grandfather on accordion for relatives. My grandfather played the harmonica and dad played the accordion all by ear so they would start a song and I learned their Norwegian tunes and some oldies while playing with them. Another fond memory is of my dad dancing around the house to Motown music like his favorites: The Supremes, Smokey Robinson. He had a reel to reel that played the Supremes live in concert. As I grew up I have fond memories of starting a synth styled band with my brother and friends playing songs from Tears for Fears and The Cars, etc. I also love dancing and have great memories of break dancing, radio sponsored competitions in Tampa, FL breaking in the roller rinks…fun times.

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