Seth Walker is a versatile blues, soul, and funk singer-songwriter and guitarist who will be performing music at Tsunami Books Wednesday, April 16. Walker is touring to promote his Why the Worry album, which he says came about when he went into the studio with almost no plan. “I just went into the studio to just try some things, record some music and dig in a little bit,” he says. “We somehow almost fell backwards into this sonic space. ‘Why the Worry’ became this mantra for the project. We tried not to be in a hurry with any of it, and not force the work or chase it as much as maybe I have in the past.” What results is a soulful, Southern, funky album that calls for both introspection and dancing shoes. This project almost didn’t happen, the North Carolina-based singer says. From Sept. 24 through Sept. 28, 2024, Hurricane Helene, with its nearly 140 mile-per-hour winds, swept through his home state and many others in the South, becoming the deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. since 2017. “It was pretty hard to bear witness to, and I didn’t know where my spirit was after that.” Eventually, he realized he needed to take his own advice. “Why worry when that won’t help anything?” he says. So he finished the album and performed it at many benefits to help hurricane survivors. “There was service in the music, and that was how I could, in my own way, help.”

Seth Walker performs his “Why the Worry” Tour 7:30 pm April 16, at Tsunami Books, 2585 Willamette Street. Doors open at 7 pm. Tickets are $24 at the door or at TsunamiBooks.org.