Seth Walker
Side Door, Sacramento
April 5, 2025
Photos by Paul Piazza
Singer/songwriter Seth Walker made a stop at Sacramento’s The Side Door venue recently as he embarked on a 5-week US tour. This was the second night of the tour in conjunction with the release of his excellent new record Why the Worry.
Walker, who resides just outside of Asheville, North Carolina, took a page from Willie Nelson in his approach to this record. Heeding Nelson’s famous quote,“ I’ve never seen worry accomplish anything, so I decided not to do it,” Walker and some key collaborators created one of this year’s best records.
This was the second time Walker worked with Wood Brothers percussionist Jano Rix as his producer, and the results are an album that resonates with depth and feeling and gets everywhere it needs to without a rush. Rix’s bandmate Oliver Wood lent a hand in penning the title track, as did Ed Worthy of Band of Heathens who assisted on “Midway Girl.” Walker’s father Scott Walker, a classically trained musician, added strings in some of the arrangements.
The record contains five originals and also a nice batch of choice covers. Walker adds his flavor to the genius of JJ Cale’s “Magnolia” and “Up On the Mountain.” There is a lightly funked version of Bill Withers “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh.” He settles into a deep groove on Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” and gets deep into the redemptive plea of “I’m Getting Ready” by Michael Kiwanuka. “I Must Be In a Good Place Now” by Bobby Charles closes things out, with a note of affirmation.
Walker was in great form during the show in Sacramento. He played many cuts from the new record and dug into some of the gems from his decade long blues sojourn in Austin. There was much storytelling, a little bit of philosophical musing and a shout-out to bluesman Rick Estrin (Little Charlie and the Night Cats), who was in the audience on this night.
During the performance, Walker mentioned collaborating with Raul Malo of the Mavericks. Walker wrote “Moon and Stars,” which is the title track of the Mavericks most recent album. He has collaborated with many great artists over time and shared the stage with legends like B.B. King and Ray Charles. About halfway through this five week tour, Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers will be joining him for a number of the shows.
Walker explained that the Asheville area is still pretty devastated by Hurricane Helene, which happened just last September. He explained that a bridge was still out near his home. The hurricane hit just as Walker was trying to wrap the album. And naturally, the theme of the album came into play. The worry wouldn’t undo any damage, and there was still service in song. So, in many ways, this album is a spiritual reset and that’s exactly what Walker’s performance in Sacramento on a warm spring night exemplified. It did the same for the satisfied crowd as they filed out with smiles into the night.
