Question: Facts: - website: -lsb- http://www.thewalkabouts.com/ www.thewalkabouts.com -rsb- - years active: 1984 & ndash ; present - past members: grant fred chalenor joe skyward brian young eckman curt eckman bruce wirth john baker saunders - caption: the walkabouts in 2012 - origin: seattle , washington , united states - label: sub fire & skill recordings , innerstate records pop , virgin , glitterhouse , popllama , - genre: indie country , roots rock , folk rock , chamber pop rock , alt . rock , alt . - name: the walkabouts - background: group_or_band - image: the walkabouts.jpg - current members: chris moeller paul austin eckman carla torgerson michael wells glenn slater terri - associated acts: chris six , willard grant conspiracy , the bambi molesters , & host , dirtmusic , akis boyatzis carla , midnight choir , the transmissionary Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of the walkabouts .
Answer:
the walkabouts is an american rock band formed in seattle in 1984 .the core members are vocalist carla torgerson and vocalist and songwriter chris eckman .although the rest of the line-up has changed occasionally , for most of the time the other members have been michael wells , glenn slater and terri moeller .the band draws inspiration from folk and country music , particularly townes van zandt , neil young and johnny cash , but also from other types of artists and musical styles such as scott walker , leonard cohen , french chanson and jacques brel .their sound is typically rich , with string arrangements and keyboards in addition to the standard rock instruments .in reviews the band 's music is often described as melancholic or mellow , while eckman 's lyrics , concerning such themes as human relations , loneliness and restlessness , are often emphasized as poetic .the walkabouts have achieved commercial success and a strong fanbase in europe , where they have done promotion and extensive touring since early 1990s .they have occasionally even made it high on the record charts in countries such as greece and norway .