Waldemar, Caley Conway, Free Dirt

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Gabbie Henn

Waldemar and a drum set.

Waldemar

$15 ($12 adv.).

media release: Waldemar – named after Larson’s grandfather, a hard-laboring Midwestern farmer – exemplifies an acceptance of personal heritage and an understanding of the difficulties we inherit and share. Years ago, at a creative crossroads following a band breakup, Larson found inspiration in the tenacity of his once-struggling ancestor and used it to forge his path forward. With his brother, he transformed a rundown horse barn on his property into a professional recording studio, then meticulously wrote, recorded, scrapped and rewrote the 11 songs that make up Ruthless. The previously released album-titled single can be heard here.

Throughout the five-year process, Larson worked manual labor jobs installing floors, fixing roofs, painting houses, and driving school buses to fund his passion and support his growing family. The story is a living metaphor – rather than abandon those things that needed repair, Larson and his collaborators tirelessly worked to remake them and find a way to instill personal meaning. 

Ruthless is the relentless vision of a musician perfecting a sound, the cascades of guitars, synths and vocals washing over a listener like rivers polishing stone, like grit on grains of wood. In a Midwestern setting that gave rise to so many other American dreams, Waldemar’s debut album is a testament to the power of struggle – that we are made by what we make