By Kristen Hulsley

Daily Titan Design Editor

Walk the Rio is (from left to right): Shawn Walker, Justin Vidal, Dustin Russell, Eric Rios, Christina Mansour and Marty Cole. Photo by Eric Silva/For the Daily Titan

When Shawn Walker began writing music for his grandfather’s hypnotherapy-for-children project a year and a half ago, he couldn’t have foreseen that it would be the key that would open the door to his future, or that it would bring six gifted people together to fuse their unique musical talents into one unifying sound.

Sensing that his hypnotherapy music had some serious potential, Walker set out on an ambitious quest to gather his army. He began with Eric Rios on the guitar. When trying to dub their new band with a name, Walker and Rios jokingly suggested combining both of their last names. When they found it more intriguing than humorous, they knew that they had found their name. Next, Walker added Justin Vidal, Cal Sate Fullerton kinesiology major and old ballet buddy (yes, ballet – tights and all), on the drums. He was originally rejected by keyboardist and CSUF illustration major Christina Mansour, but changed her mind with the influence of his song, “One More Song.” He added Marty Cole, bass guitarist and Dustin Russell, lead guitarist, around the same time. According to Vidal, Cole and Russell were the last pieces of the puzzle. And with that, Walk the Rio was born.

After playing world-famous venues like Whisky A-Go-Go, Knitting Factory, Chain Reaction and the Viper Room, not to mention playing at the 2009 Warped Tour after winning the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands, it seemed like they are well on their way to success.

It’s a common assumption that, when you put six artists together, the results typically won’t be a happy union of coinciding ideas. Walk the Rio seems to break that barrier. Combining multiple genres of sound, including rock and dance, Walk the Rio creates a marriage of heavy guitars, ultramodern beats and killer vocals. The result? An insane, rocker love-child, catchy enough to implant itself permanently into anyone’s brain, regardless of what type of music you think you love.

When speaking with Walk the Rio, it was immediately apparent that there is certainly no shortage of passion in this group. This was especially clear when hearing Mansour recollect her favorite performance. According to Mansour, she will never forget playing at Eastmont Intermediate School. Located in a less-than-thriving neighborhood, the students of Eastmont don’t always get the chance to experience live performances. Even after getting a ticket on the way to the show, and showing up two songs into the set, the energy and appreciation of the students made it one of her best memories to this day. She recalls, “They don’t get to go to concerts, but they got to experience this. I think I smiled for three days afterwards.”

Besides the expected challenges facing an up-and-coming band, Vidal has been facing his own challenge since May 2009. May 16 at around 8 o’clock in the morning, Vidal was hit by a car in front of CSUF while riding his bike home from a friend’s house. After receiving multiple spinal and collarbone surgeries, he is still not finished healing. Needless to say, the accident had tremendous effects on Vidal’s ability to dedicate himself to the band. He has not, however, let his injury hinder him. Instead, he played shows in his wheelchair and fought through the pain. According to Vidal, “No matter what the obstacle is, do it. There’s always going to be another test. Christina said it best – I have a really hard obstacle to get to a really big goal.”

Walk the Rio has released two EP’s so far, and is currently working on a new one to be released by the end of this year. As for the future, we can expect to see a lot of evolution in the sound. The newer music is “untouchable,” according to Mansour, and implements a heavier guitar sound as well as a more computerized and modern beat. They will also be back on tour and performing once Vidal is completely healed. Russell, lead guitarist, also emphasized a desire to connect people to each other through music. He summed it up by saying, “The future is a bright one. We are making music that allows us to play … with passion and total disregard for how cool we look. We hope to inspire people, because we inspire each other.”

Walk the Rio’s music can be found on iTunes or by visiting www.walktherio.com. For more information on the band, upcoming events, or individual members, visit the Web site. Also, look for Vidal or Mansour around campus for a free CD.