The Walking Guys’ Long Journey Into Fall

Not only is this not your usual tour announcement but The Walking Guys is hardly a typical band.  The story begins with musician Benjamin Butler, who has been envisioning a walking tour since 2013.  Earlier this year he posted a message on a Nashville musicians’ Facebook group page asking for “other musicians/videographers to go on an adventurous tour with.”

Enter Christopher Kessenich, who was browsing the Facebook page that very same day.  He called Butler, who dodged the whole walking bit for about 15 minutes before copping to it, saying it would be a 1,600-mile excursion.  Kessenich responded with silence before saying, “I’m in.”

Butler then called guitarist – Will Stevens, whose wife advised he quit his job and join the tour.  Riley Moore, another acquaintance of Butler’s, joined soon after.  The result is four dudes who barely know each other forming a band and going on a long hike together.  The fact that each member has his own music career makes this band thing a relatively new development.

Operating under the mantra “Live Simple, Spread Music,” The Walking Guys begin picking ’em up and putting ’em down July 8 in Portland, Maine.  Other than a trip to Wisconsin for the Mile of Music Festival in August, the men will walk, walk, walk, and then walk some more.  If a band ever needed a little corporate sponsorship love from an athletic shoe manufacturer, this is it.

The routing is more of a roadmap than a tour itinerary, in that it accurately shows the group’s planned journey.  However, not all gigs have been booked.  Plus, some shows may not be at traditional venues.  Word from The Walking Guys is that the group plans on playing everything from “esteemed theaters to dive bars and around campfires.”

Here’s the plan:

July 8 – Portland, Maine, Dogfish Cafe
July 9 – Portland, Maine, Andy’s
July 10 – Portland, Maine, Acoustic Artisans
July 11 – Biddeford, Maine
July 12 – Wells, Maine
July 13 – Portsmouth, N.H.
July 14 – Portsmouth, N.H., The Press Room
July 15 – Seabrook, N.H.
July 16 – Willowdale, N.H.
July 17 – Seabrook, N.H., Chop Shop Pub
July 18 – Boston, Mass.
July 19 – Boston, Mass., Cuisine En Locale
July 20-21 – Boston, Mass.
July 22 – Providence, R.I.
July 23 – Fall River, Mass.
July 24 – Newport, R.I.
July 25 – Newport, R.I. House Concert
July 26-27 – Newport, R.I.
July 28 – Block Island, R.I.
July 29 – Montauk, N.Y.
July 30 – East Hampton, N.Y.
July 31 – Hampton Bay, N.Y.
Aug. 1 – New York, N.Y.
Aug. 2 – Brooklyn, N.Y., Bushwick Public House
Aug. 3 – New York, N.Y.
Aug. 4 – Brooklyn, N.Y., King County Saloon
Aug. 4 – Brooklyn, N.Y., The Way Station
Aug. 5-9 – Appleton, Wis. Downtown Appleton (Mile of Music Festival)
Aug. 10 – New York, N.Y., Flatiron Hotel
Aug. 11 – New Brunswick, N.J.
Aug. 12-13 – Princeton, N.J.
Aug. 14 –  Trenton, N.J.
Aug. 15 – Bensalem, Pa., Mugg’s on Main St.
Aug. 16 – Ardmore, Pa., The Nail
Aug. 17 – Philadelphia, Pa.
Aug. 18 – Philadelphia, Pa., The Raven Lounge
Aug. 19 – Chester, Pa.
Aug. 20 – Wilmington, Del.
Aug. 21 – Newark, Del., White Clay Creek State Park
Aug. 22 – Rising Sun, Md.
Aug. 23 – Darlington, Md.
Aug. 24-25 – Bel Air, Md.
Aug. 26 – Overlea, Md.
Aug. 27-29 – Baltimore, Md.
Aug. 30 – Arlington, Md., Cabaret at Germano’s
Aug. 31 – Hyattsville, Md.
Sept. 1-3 – Washington, D.C.
Sept. 4 – Newington, Va.
Sept. 5 – Dumfries, Va.
Sept. 6 – Fredericksburg, Va.
Sept. 7 – Ruth Glen, Pa., Pendleton Golf Course
Sept. 8-9 – Doswell, Va.
Sept. 10 – Glen Allen, Va.
Sept. 11-12 – Richmond, Va.
Sept. 13 – Colonial Heights, Va.
Sept. 14 – Dinwiddie, Va.
Sept. 15 – Lake Rawlings, Va.
Sept. 16 – Southside Virginia College, Va.
Sept. 17 – Alberta, Va.
Sept. 18 – South Hill, Va.
Sept. 19 – North Bend Park, Va.
Sept. 20 – Henderson, N.C.
Sept. 21 – Franklinton, N.C.
Sept. 22 – Wake Forest, N.C.
Sept. 23-24 – Raleigh, N.C.
Sept. 25-26 – Durham, N.C.
Sept. 27 – Chapel Hill, N.C.
Sept. 28 – Chapel Hill, N.C., Johnny’s 901
Sept. 29 – Swepsonville, N.C.
Sept. 30 – Elon, N.C., Elon University
Oct. 1-2 – Greensboro, N.C.
Oct. 3-5 – Asheville, N.C.
Oct. 6 – Hendersonville, N.C.
Oct. 7 – Spring Creek, N.C.
Oct. 8-9 – Greenville, S.C.
Oct. 10 – Williamston, S.C.
Oct. 11 – Anderson, S.C.
Oct. 12 – Iva, S.C.
Oct. 13 – Bowman, Ga.
Oct. 14 – Colbert, Ga.
Oct. 15-17 – Athens, Ga.
Oct. 18 – “Somewhere on Highway 78”
Oct. 19 – Loganville, Ga.
Oct. 20-24 – Atlanta, Ga.
Oct. 25 – Marietta, Ga.
Oct. 26 – Cartersville, Ga.
Oct. 27 – Adairsville, Ga.
Oct. 28 – “Somewhere on Highway 41”
Oct. 29 – Ringgold, Ga.
Oct. 30-Oct. 31 – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Nov. 1 – Prentice Cooper, Tenn.
Nov. 2 – “Somewhere on Highway 41”
Nov. 3 – Tracy City, Tenn.
Nov. 4 – Hillsboro, Tenn.
Nov. 5 – Beech Grove, Tenn.
Nov. 6-7 – Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Nov. 8 – Antioch, Tenn.
Nov. 9 – Nashville, Tenn.

Check out TheWalkingGuys.com for more details.