OVERLOOKED: "WALK THE MOON"

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a band names themselves and doesn't even bother to check to see if that name has already been taken.  In my view, once a band name has been taken, it belongs to that band - end of story!  You could modify it but you can't just use a name that has already been used!  I recently was searching out for an old album, the debut, self-titled album from Walk the Moon released on MCA in 1987.  I was surprised when I saw a flurry of new web pages and information about the band - until I realized that it was all about a NEW band from Ohio or somewhere called Walk the Moon.

Granted, the earlier band Walk the Moon never had a huge hit or made much of a dent in pop culture, but if they reached me as a kid growing up in the middle of nowhere, they were at least a blip on the radar.  Besides, it's not like Walk the Moon is really even that great of a band name - as the original band themselves must have known, because after their one album under that name, they rechristened themselves Eleven and released some really outstanding music, including the fantastic album "Avantgardedog" in 2000.

"Walk the Moon" was an album I picked up from a dollar bin at my local five and dime when I was in junior high.  It looked interesting and for a buck, I figured I'd give it a chance.  It never became one of my favorite albums, but it stuck with me enough that years and years later I dusted it off and decided to look up whatever became of the band, which lead me to discovering Eleven and their great music.  The band was comprised of Alain Johannes, who I was recently able to see play live, and his partner Natasha Shneider.  They are both very accomplished musicians who have long histories in the Los Angeles music scene.  Johannes especially has worked with many notable musicians, from his time in an early lineup of Red Hot Chili Peppers, to playing with Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys.

This curious 80's album kicks off with what was presumably the lead single, "Daddy's Coming Home," which comes off as a little bit forced.  It seems like they were trying too hard to have a hit, and in 1987 this was not the cutting edge of mainstream rock.  However, it is kind of catchy so you can see what they were trying to accomplish.  The rest of the album is pretty consistent in its sound, with a few more rocking, catchy numbers like "Love is What You Make It," (which sounds vaguely Lita Ford-esque) and "Sugar" being some of the better ones.  Ballads like "On Your Lap" and "Tears in Your Smile" show more depth and passion, but the entire thing comes off slightly hollow, perhaps the result of a new band being pressured by a label to fit into a certain sound.

All in all, the album is mainly notable for me as a bit of nostalgia, because it introduced me to the amazing musicians who went on to grow and create some really great music.  Heck, they even wrote and produced a song for Adam Lambert ("Time for Miracles," a bonus track on Lambert's debut disc and featured on the soundtrack to the film 2012).

Sadly, Natasha passed away in 2008 following a battle with cancer.  Queens of the Stone Age performed a concert in tribute to her in Los Angeles featuring guest musicians including Alain, Jack Black and PJ Harvey.  They donated the proceeds to help defray the medical costs associated with Natasha's illness.

So, let's remember who the real Walk the Moon is and pay tribute to them.