Panic rocks out with 'Pretty. Odd.'

Bassist Jon Walker joined Panic at the Disco in 2007, replacing original bassist Brent Wilson. Previously, the band had released the CD "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out."

Panic at the Disco's new CD, "Pretty. Odd.," marks Walker's recording debut with the band, which includes vocalist Brandon Urie, lead guitarist Ryan Ross and drummer Spencer Smith.

"It was a great experience for me," Walker said during a phone call from his home in Illinois.

The band hired producer Rob Mathes to help it through various hoops and challenges.

"It was the first time I worked with an outside producer," said Walker. "And we have all heard those stories where the producer becomes the dictator or doesn't do jack. But Rob brought everything to us. He has a knack for working out the arrangements of songs.

"If we got stuck rehearsing a song or composing a song, he would listen to us to find out where we were having problems and then make his suggestions," said Walker. "I mean we couldn't have made the new album without him."

"Pretty. Odd." is a stylistic departure for Panic at the Disco, said Walker. "When you compare this CD to "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," you will notice that 'Pretty. Odd.' is more rock than the last album."

Walker, who cited the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix as his classic-rock influences, said the band took seven songs into the studio but ended up writing the rest of the album in a matter of days.

"One of those songs was 'Mad as Rabbits,' which is one of our favorite songs from the album," said Walker. "It was fun working on this CD. I got to see how the other guys work."

Still, making a CD and playing live, are, of course, two different monsters, said Walker. "I sometimes get on stage and it hits me that this is my career. It's my job."

However, the fact that his hobby has become his job has its downside, he said. "Although I can't really complain and think it's great that I can play guitar for at least two hours a day because I have to, there is another side of the coin. I realize that I don't want to get sick of my job. And we all keep trying to find new ways to keep it fresh and exciting.

"That's one of the goals we have now for our future," he said. "We have to continue progressing and get better at what we do. Or we'll get stuck."

If you go ...

What: Rock Band Live 2008, Panic at the Disco, Dashboard Confessional, Plain White T's, the Cab
Where: E Center, 3200 Decker Lake Drive
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
How much: $29.59-$39.95
Phone: 325-7328
Web: www.ticketmaster.com

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E-mail: scott@desnews.com

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