An accomplished producer, multi-instrumentalist, and former DJ,
Christopher Walla is perhaps best known as
Ben Gibbard's former right-hand man in
Death Cab for Cutie.
Walla was born in 1975 and grew up in the suburbs of Seattle, a town whose rich music scene inspired him to pursue work as a producer. While attending a local concert, he met future bandmate
Gibbard -- who, at the same time, was playing guitar with the power pop outfit Pinwheel -- and bonded with him over a shared love of
Teenage Fanclub. Seeking a break from his Pinwheel duties,
Gibbard soon enlisted
Walla's help on an eight-song cassette entitled
You Can Play These Songs with Chords. The project was surprisingly successful, and
Gibbard couldn't support the release without a live band. Accordingly,
Walla joined the lineup alongside bassist
Nick Harmer (
Gibbard's roommate) and temporary drummer Nathan Good, and
Death Cab for Cutie officially took root.
Walla issued a self-titled cassette (under the name Martin Youth Auxiliary) on the Washington-based Elsinor Records in 1999, following its release with a series of solo shows. However,
Death Cab for Cutie's profile was steadily rising, and
Walla's solo efforts took a back seat as he focused on the band. Handling production duties for
Death Cab's studio albums,
Walla played an important role in shaping the band's sound, even if
Gibbard penned the majority of the material. Released in 2003,
Transatlanticism proved to be the band's big break, moving 225,000 copies during its first year of release and attracting attention from Atlantic Records.
Death Cab for Cutie ultimately left their previous home of Barsuk Records, signed with Atlantic in 2004, and released the Grammy-nominated
Plans the following year.
With his instrumental contributions and production skills now enjoying Billboard-certified success,
Walla was faced with increasing demand for his musical expertise. He launched a website to accompany his personal studio (the Hall of Justice) and set to work producing and/or engineering releases by
Tegan and Sara,
Nada Surf (whose previous albums
Let Go and
The Weight Is a Gift were also produced by
Walla),
the Decemberists,
Camden, and a handful of soundtracks and assorted compilations.
Walla also returned to his solo efforts, working on an album entitled
Field Manual and rejoining the Barsuk roster for its release in January 2008. Following his work on recordings by
Telekinesis,
the Lonely Forest,
Ra Ra Riot, and several others,
Walla decided to leave
Death Cab for Cutie, performing his last show with the band in September of 2014. His first solo release since his departure from
Death Cab was
Tape Loops, an unexpected album of
Eno-like ambience released by Los Angeles-based Trans Records in 2015.
Walla also began scoring a film called North, which was slated for a 2016 release. ~ Andrew Leahey