Let’s Talk About It: Brian Walker from A Day Without Love

I had the brilliant experience of having A Day Without Love play at my house earlier this year. Brian Walker is a brilliant and thoughtful artist and person. I talked to him about his travels, the politics of punk, and the benefits of being single.

Q: You have been playing for 12 years. Can you take me through the early days of this project? How did you end up here?

A: The project has always been about my struggles with adjusting to life and trying to find a place of comfort in a world that is filled with ongoing struggle. I started this project when I was homeless and in grad school. I didn’t start recording until my friend told me he was graduating from recording school. We set some time and recorded my first EP, Island, which was a record about loneliness, my first producer became my lead guitarist for about four years and I had a rotating cast of bass and drum players for about four years. As I was writing Solace I started with another band mate and had some friends play session instruments. Most of the time I write music playing a skeleton of the songs ( today it’s mostly all of the songs minus percussion). The first four to five years of A Day Without Love was mostly playing in the Philadelphia, Jersey and Maryland area. It wasn’t until after I dropped Solace my first tours started, solo and acoustic. Between Solace and today I believe a lot of my touring, releases, and accomplishments has been the result of a lot of grassroots community building and connection. 

Q: Punk has historically had some challenges accepting Black artists. What has been your experience as you play across the country and across the world?

A: Overall , I find that racism is just as alive as it always has been. I don't feel the desire to conform, mask or even wear the punk outfits to be more accepted. I dropped Diary to talk about this, I made an hour plus documentary on the topic, every one of my albums discusses different forms of bigotry and micro agressions, I wrote an article that has been read over 75,000 times. As a musician and a black, native and Irish creator I think the only thing I can do is speak from my experiences and help the world become a better place. Even if it means I am going to get harassed by police, internet trolls or other members of "punk communities."

Q: You have played in all 50 states, which is AMAZING! What were your best and worst experiences?

Worst Experience: Getting stuck in Hawaii because of a rock that pushed the car on the side of the road and getting pulled over and harassed in Alabama. 

Best Experiences: Seeing the nature scapes of the West Coast from Moose in Alaska, Candy Mountains of Iowa and more. Also I would say starting my day with breakfast tacos never got old. 

Q: You came up in Philly and then moved north. There’s definitely a consistency across the East Coast scene. What surprised you about other places you visited? How does the scene change across the country, and between countries? 

A: To be honest I kinda feel like for the exception of Alaska and Hawaii and the racial demographics every venue in America is the same. There is a minute pay differential, but in the end of the day you’re most likely playing a show with two local acts who are best friends, there’s some 40 year old guy who’s really jaded and the sound person, the venue takes a 10-30% cut, and the food is often relative to the local community ( ie Philly for Cheesesteaks, New York to Pizza, etc etc). I think the biggest adjustment is dealing with altitude and singing thousands of feet above sealevel. Otherwise the vibes are pretty much the same. There is an anarchy book store everywhere,there is a queer art space everywhere, there is a bar that specializes in IPAs everywhere, and the list goes on. I think what made Alaska and Hawaii different is the fact that not too many main landers come here so there was a greater appreciation for the arts to start with. I believe the racial demographics are reflective of the locations I occupy , for the most part. 

Q: Punk has always been political. Given the current state of the world, what do you think is the most important thing for punk musicians to write about/talk about? 

A: To be honest, I wanna see more street festivals that are related to sociopolitical and global politic issues. Like why aren’t there anti ICE block parties? Why aren’t there fight for the people events? Hip Hop and Rock did this a lot in the 80s and 90s, we need to bring it back. I think there is not one singular thing to talk about, but there are too many things to sing about, but none of those topics should involve surface level topics that we have been saturated with since 2005 ( growing up, hating your ex etc). 

Q: Do you feel like, as a Black folk-punk musician, you are “expected” to be an activist? Is there pressure (internal or external) to put out music that addresses current events?

A: I wouldnt say so, I grew up in the church and learned a lot about activism in the church. As a child I had dinner with Jesse Jackson and other political leaders. I think its just a part of who I am. 

Q: I love your song “DIY or Die”. How was that written? Where did it come from?

A: I wrote this after finding out my friend who took a selfie with Taylor Swift on a tour with the 1975 got kicked off the mainstream touring circuit and went back to his day job.  Seeing my friend go from playing basement shows, to stadium shows, to doing a selfie with Tay Tay to going back ot the same 9-5 bs made me realize that maybe the idea of "winning" in music is kinda a lie and it's all temporary. So I wrote DIY or Die to draw the line between people who are living for the clout and the glam vs people who are writing because it helps them feel more alive. I don't shame anyone for their dreams, but I think even when we achieve our goals, we have to put things like surival, sustainability and consideration into perspective. There is something to be said about being consistent and independent, instead of burning out on the expectations of an industry that really is not invested in you as a person, but only the outcomes you create. 

Q: What’s your songwriting process? Are you always keeping ideas in your head or do you have very intentional “writing time”?

A: I do my best to have intentional writing time on a weekly basis, but when you’re touring that does not always happen. I currently have about 550 voice notes and about 50 pages of lyrics to comb through. I write as I go whether it be a melody, a chord progression, lyrics and rhythm. Then every other week I listen to myself and build and rewrite these ideas. Like when I wrote Caffeine, I wrote the hook while I was in a WAWA line getting breakfast snacks in between work, I didn’t start writing it with my guitar till a few days later. Every one of my songs have different stories, but in the end of the day I make sure that I keep writing and creating. 

Q: One of the pillars of PRSL is mental health support. How do you look after your own mental health, both at home and on the road? 

A: A lot of prayer, meditation, yoga and talking to friends. I have been in and out of therapy for 20 years for different reasons. When I am on the road the gym is my mental health safe space, and I make sure to pray between drives and being on the road. When I am at home its the gym, community spaces and spending time with friends. 

Q: You are a multi-faceted artist. You have albums, a book, podcast, and even a film! How do you balance all that without burning out?

A: To be completely honest, I don't have many personal friends who are single, and I am single, so the lack of having a relationship or consistent personal life has allowed me to do a lot of this and even when I am dating someone that person typically allows me to continue to create and accomplish my goals. I guess you could say there is a silver lining in having a family that is not needing, a lack of a consistent social network to allow me to be creative and consistent. 

Q: What’s your favorite thing you have done or made?

A: That changes consistently, but for 2025 my favorite thing is knowing my album is sold out and I have played in multiple countries since dropping this album. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting out as a touring musician?

A: Be consistent in real life , deprioritize the internet, and focus on being consistent in writing good songs. 

Q: This is the part where you plug your projects! What are you up to next, how can people find you?

A: You can expect a new split record with MJ Bones in December, hopefully two EPs in 2026 and you can find me on any one of these social platforms 

Tik Tok: @ adaywithoutloveband 

Instagram: @ adaywithoutlove

Bandcamp: adaywithoutlove.bandcamp.com/ 

Website: www.adaywithoutlove.com

A Day Without Love is  the brainchild of multi-genre and multi-disciplinary creator, Brian Walker. A Day Without Love is on a mission to spread good vibes and help others rise above their own struggles. A Day Without Love has received critical acclaim throughout their career, receiving features and reviews in Afropunk, New Noise, The Alternative, and Jump Philly.