Walter Salas-Humara with Jeff Crosby

WALTER SALAS-HUMARA 

A Cuban-American whose parents fled Castro’s Havana with him still in the womb, Walter Salas-Humara was raised bilingual in Fort Lauderdale. College in Gainesville and a residency with the Vulgar Boatmen left him with a lifelong habit of Mudcrutch/Tom Petty-style crunchy guitar riffs. Chasing the punk prairie fire to New York just in time to sift through the ashes, he formed The Silos in 1985 and was  was voted Best New American Band in the Rolling Stone Critics’ Poll of 1987, and according to The New York Times, “His austere style inflects the astringent twang of The Velvet Underground with R.E.M. and adds countryish echoes that recall Gram Parsons. The Silos recorded 12 albums, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and put in thousands of miles on the road.

Released August, 2018:  WALTERIO, from the website Rhyme & Reason

“FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — For years, Walter Salas-Humara has split his time between making music and visual art, so it’s not surprising that Walterio, his August, 2018 release on Rhyme & Reason Records, contains rich imagery — both lyrically and on its cover. But one of the strongest images it evokes actually comes from the music itself, which might be described as the sonic equivalent of a tree — a rock ’n’ roll family tree. Salas-Humara was made in Cuba, too, but born in America. (The album’s title is his Hispanic nickname.) He spent a good chunk of his Florida childhood studying drums, which, of course, led to teenage bands. 

Tracks such as “Here We Go,” “She’s a Caveman” and “Out of the Band” can trace lineage back to the Silos, the still-kicking band Salas-Humara co-founded in New York’s post-punk ’80s scene. Playing alt-country before anyone called it that, they were named Best New Artist in the 1987 Rolling Stone Critics Poll— which temporarily deep-sixed Salas-Humara’s art-career plans. 

As for beginning again, Salas-Humara says he never imagined he’d sign another record deal at this stage of his career. He was shocked — and pleased — when he was approached in 2017 by a co-founder of Rhyme & Reasons Records.  He’s hoping he can add to their success — and his own — with Walterio.”

Walter Salas-Humara has shared the stage with: Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Matthew Sweet, American Music Club, Chris Whitley, Hootie and The Blowfish, Violent Femmes, The Jayhawks, Yo La Tengo, The Reivers, The True Believers, The Wild Seeds, Victoria Williams, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Mark Ribot, Ryan Adams, Jon Dee Graham, Alejandro Escovedo, Living Color, Souled American, The Minus 5, Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3, The Waco Brothers, Chuck Prophet, Lynyrd Skynyrd …to name a few.