Rider Essentials: Walker County

Sister duo, Walker County recently made their national television debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and now we’ve nabbed them for a Rider Essentials piece … is this real life?!

Comprised of Ivy Dene (lead vocalist) and Sophie Dawn (harmony and drums), Walker County are best described as traditional country intertwined with soulfulness and southern rock. Originally from Sulphur Springs, Indiana, the Walker sisters fostered their love of music with frequent trips to Nashville, busking on lower Broadway.

They relocated to Nashville full-time four years ago to fully pursue their musical destiny. Since then, the duo has shared the stage with artists like Dwight Yoakam, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Martina McBride, Old Dominion and Eli Young Band, and accumulated over 2 million streams on Spotify.

They kicked off 2021 with the bright pop-country track, Bits & Pieces. Their follow up and latest single, Liar was born from a conversation about boys between two sisters that know each other too well and can spot a lie from a mile away. It’s our Song of the Day!

We caught up with Ivy Dene to find out the things the sisters always takes on the road with them for this week’s Rider Essentials.

1. Glitter

Whether it’s on our clothes or in our hair, we always have to have glitter on. We feel like it adds a little extra bit of glamour to our outfits and even our shows. We like to shine and sparkle when we are on stage, so glitter is a necessity. It’s kind of like our favourite accessory whenever we are performing! 

2. Red Bull

We know it’s not the best for us, but it’s kind of become a pre-show ritual before every show that the whole band drinks a Red Bull. We don’t ever have a Red Bull unless we’re getting ready to perform, so it helps put us in the mindset that it’s almost show time. Plus, it gives us the right amount of energy to go rock out! 

3. Bondi Sands Self-Tanner

This is one of our favourite beauty secrets that we can’t get enough of! Sophie and I try to stay out of the sun to protect our skin, but we like to have a bronzy glow. The Bondi Sands self-tanner gives us the perfect colour and helps us to look like we spent a week on the beach. 

 4. Candy 

No matter where we are or how long our set is, candy seems to be a consistent craving we have after we get off stage. For Sophie, she loves to have the new Nerds Rope bites, and for me, it’s Mike N Ike’s. It’s always nice to have a sweet treat to look forward to after we finish performing! 

5. Family

As many of you know, Sophie and I are sisters! However, it really is a family affair because our dad also plays guitar in our band, and our mum sells the merch! We can’t imagine being out on the road and doing music without them. Being able to have such a great support system is something very essential for us. 

Keep up to date with Walker County on their Facebook page here.

For more of our Rider Essentials series, go here.

Image: Supplied