Tanner Walle

Singer/songwriter Tanner Walle honed his performance chops in the culturally vibrant city of Lawrence, KS, where he shared the stage with Wilco, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Neko Case, and Matt Nathanson. It was in Lawrence where Walle also began his recording career, first with his full-length release "It Was" and sophomore "The Future of Tape." After extensive touring, selling out clubs and ...theaters throughout Kansas and the Midwest, Tanner relocated to New York City in Summer 2007.

In Spring 2012, Tanner released this third album entitled "Shelf Life."

Tanner Walle's Shelf Life is a product of self-divulgence. An organic approach gives way for bright interweaving acoustics and broad bass lines that provide a pillowy clime to usher Tanner's captivating and sometimes crooner-like vocal cadence. While some songs like the first single "Favor" conjure a playful approach, throughout Shelf Life, Tanner rides a fine line of pity and hostility.

The sly convention of Shelf Life is also swaddled in self-loath and humility, while still deliberately draped in sexual allusion. From the acoustically sparing and yet powerful "Both Guns", to the hauntingly desperate solo performance of "Olive" — where Tanner shamelessly channels long-time hero Jeff Buckley — these stories within stories are emotionally precise and gut-wrenchingly candid. "You lost one earring/One left on my desk/I'll leave it there for show."

In scope, Shelf Life is an exercise in tragic vulnerability, and Tanner demonstrates just how remarkably mature he's become as both a singer and a songwriter.

Photo by Rebecca Ward