An Interview with Singer/Songwriter/Bank Robber Nico Walker of Safari

NOTE: Just days before this article was set to publish in Consequence of Sound, Nico Walker (the guy I interviewed) was arrested for armed bank robbery (yes, seriously). So it got taken down there. But you can read it here!

In Swahili, the word safari means “long journey”—a good name for a band of Cleveland-based indie garage-rockers who’ve had more member changes than albums, even though they’re one of at least five other groups with the same moniker—including a Chilean hip-hop ensemble, a band of Japanese instrumentalists, and a synth-beat five-piece from London.  “As far as the future of the name, I've given thought about changing it, or augmenting it because of all the different Safaris out there,” says Nico Walker, Safari’s singer, songwriter, and sole permanent member. “I've been considering Sexual Safari. Every now and then I come close to changing it to that... or spelling it using the phonetic alphabet. The name will be different by the time we play our next show, or when we put our new record out.  I just haven't settled on how it will be different.”  

Walker cites Graham Coxon, Mick Jones, and Lou Reed as his biggest influences, and specific facets of each can be heard on Safari’s October 2010 LP, Maybe Tomorrow. This jangly little album features the kind of upbeat alt-rock that would fit nicely into the Empire Records soundtrack, along with one track, the melancholy “Murray Swill,” that could pass for a Lou Reed B-side.  Most importantly, says Walker, “all the songs are about something, so it's not bullshit.”

The critical response was varied. “A guy in London said that one could find our brand of clichéd spew in any East London toilet,” Walker laughs. “But we've mostly gotten good reactions from people at our shows and from other bands. Some even came up and said that we had the goods, which was nice – even if we don't have the goods.”

Clearly, positive feedback has not turned Walker into a diva, nor a PR-monger. Having dealt with pushy, uptight bandmates in the past, he’s pleased with the way things are now, citing that none of Safari’s current members “have any gift for promotion, and that’s a good thing.” His most recent roster includes Marco Nerone (drums), Alex Lackey (guitar), and Doug Roj (bass). Roj is already in the process of being replaced, since he had to move to New York City for school, but Walker isn’t worried. “This incarnation of Safari is the best yet,” he says. “Hopefully, it stays intact for a long time.”

Safari’s next album is expected to drop in June, and the plan is to support it with a local tour, starting in Cleveland and surrounding areas. What to expect? You’ll have to wait and see. “Our sound develops organically,” Walker says. “Lately, I've come in and started playing something and then Marco and Alex drop in and we really focus on working up some interesting textures, juxtaposing rhythms, and getting full clean tones or rounder fuzz sounds.”  Anything else?  “We play loud.”

Ultimately, Walker says, “I'm not in a band to get laid or do drugs. You don't have to be in a band to do either of those things.  I'm in a band because I write songs that I put everything into. My life is fucked like so many other people's lives are, and music helps that. The older you get the more you see that everybody's spinning plates, just hanging on by a thread, and at any moment everything can fall apart and your house is gone and you have no money and people say you're a loser. But a song somebody can really feel is consistent. No matter how fucked things get, you're guaranteed to feel something when you hear it, and that sort of thing can keep people from losing it altogether.”