Born: Yes.
Throws: Right
Bats: Are scary.
Greatest Fear: (Tie) Chewing on tinfoil, or falling down stairs in public.
Hobbies: Reading, laughing at stuff.
Proudest Moment: My birth (I cried).
Lowest Moment: Peeing in my hamper (Oops!).
Animal or Hawk?: Hawk, the double mohawk was the tiebreaker.
Why Clovis Mann?: Because the name “1910 Fruitgum Company” was already taken.
Thing You Probably Don't Know About Me: former spelling bee champ, and I once killed a Woodpecker in cold blood.
Pet Peeve: People who say, “Supposably”. God, that makes me mad.
And now, a brief manifesto. (It's a work in progress).
Anyone who says they are a self taught guitar player is full of shit. Well, unless you're a hermit in the Adirondacks who finds a guitar, and.... You get the idea.
I've had many teachers: my dad William Walkner, my brother Nate, friends, rivals, national touring acts, bar-room guitar slingers, and more. Street noises, vehicles, people's speaking voices can even help you understand melody.
Every musician has stock phrases that they carry with them, but the key is to use those to branch out and discover his or her own voice. That's where I'm at. I try to listen to as many styles that I can, even stuff i don't understand or particularly like. It's like onions-- when I was a little kid, I hated them because my palette wasn't ready for what they offered. Now I'll eat them 7 ways from Sunday.
Of course, some things will always taste like backwashed garbage juice, like Spam and boy-bands. Why? They are devoid of any semblance of flavor or substance.
I'm lucky enough to play with guys who understand what I'm trying to put down, and they play interesting, original counterparts. This lets me try things and experiment more than I could in other bands I've played with, since I know that they'll use what they know (about music and me) to create. Playing with Ethan and Stosh is like cooking with bacon. Seriously, what doesn't go well with bacon?

photography © 2005 Eric Bauman