Jon Walker

Born in 1985 and hailing from Hanover Park, Illinois, Jon Walker first gained attention on the Chicago scene in the early 2000s, notably as the bassist for 504 Plan before touring with The Academy Is... as a guitar tech and videographer. He joined Panic! at the Disco as bassist in 2006 and contributed to the 2008 album Pretty. Odd., on which the band's writing shifted toward more melodic pop rock, colored by psychedelic tones and sixties references. After leaving in 2009 with Ryan Ross, Walker co-founded The Young Veins, initially a duo that became a live band; they released Take a Vacation! in 2010, a sunny, retro and direct pop-rock record. From 2011 Walker pursued a more independent solo path encompassing songwriting, production and self-release, with albums New Songs (2011), Connections (2014) and Different (2021), and several EPs including Home Recordings (2011), Crazy Dream (2012), Real Life (2015) and Impending Bloom (2019). His solo work retains a pop-rock core, often softened by introspective songwriting and acoustic arrangements, and his activity also extends to composing, notably for the short film Intermission (2018).