Benjamin Butler

Four musicians from Nashville are taking on a task that will make your feet ache just hearing about it. The Walking Guys—four indepedent musicians who are coming together for a 1,600-mile, 50-show East Coast tour—is made up of Benjamin Butler, Christopher Kessenich, Will Stevens, and Riley Moore. Plot twist No. 1: they're walking the entire 1,600-mile tour. Plot twist No. 2: the musicians didn't know each other before making their travel plans.

Here's how it all started: Butler began messing around with the idea of a walking tour back in 2013, but the endeavor didn't come to fruition until he posted a message on a random Nashville musician Facebook group in 2015 asking if anyone was interested on going on an "adventurous tour" with him. Kessenich saw the message first and after a quick phone call to the stranger—in which he was first alerted that the trip would be done on foot—he went all in. Stevens was next, quitting his job to join the group. Moore—a friend of Butler's—joined the group last.

Starting in Portland, Maine on July 8th, the quartet will backpack their way from gig to gig and depending on the hospitality of strangers along the way for a bit of rest and relaxation. Three of the musicians are releasing EPs, some solo and others with their respective bands. For those living outside of The Walking Guys' footpath, they'll be releasing a web series highlighting the experience, eventually coming together as a documentary of the entire East Coast tour. The group Kickstarted their way to funding said documentary, as well as an album. - Travel and Leisure

The Walking Guys (Benjamin Butler, Christopher Kessenich, Will Stevens, and Riley Moore) are set to begin their one-of-a-kind music/adventure tour in Portland, ME tonight, with performances that combine original music and stories of their 1600-mile walk.

Yes, walk.

The four performers plan to walk from gig to gig, sharing their music in venues ranging from highly esteemed theaters to dive bars and around campfires.

Representing the best of Southern Folk Americana, the Walking Guys will create a musical experience that will allow fans to join in their adventure of covering miles every day on foot, becoming immersed in the culture of each area they enter, and sharing their story with those who will become the next characters in it.

During their journey, the Walking Guys will rely on the hospitality of strangers, acquaintances, and their camping gear to provide lodging. They will walk 15-20 miles a day, stopping every three to four days for rest and/or performances.

Though they currently have three solo EPs to promote, they envision themselves growing together as one cohesive unit. Shows at the beginning of the tour will certainly vary from those at the end as the group tightens into a single act.

The Guys are especially excited to document their transformation in a web series they will release along the way. The series will allow fans to connect to the tour in (near) real-time. Upon completion of the tour, the series will be released as a full-length documentary along with a complete live album of performances from the tour.

The tour will span a four-month period, with dates in many major cities on the East Coast planned. A short break in the walking tour will see the group traveling by car to Appleton, WI for a performance at the Mile of Music Festival in August, with the walking tour picking back up where it left off in New York City several days later. Confirmed early dates on the tour and an expected routing are included below.

The Walking Guys are modern day beatniks, living by their mantra, “Live Simple, Spread Music.” Their thirst for life and adventure would make Kerouac proud.

Tour dates and planned routing are below. Venues that are noted are confirmed, and other shows will be plugged in along the route. - Guitar World

Chattanooga, TN (WDEF) - Four guys have now walked 1,600 miles across the East Coast, all for the love of Music.

They call themselves The Walking Guys, which is appropriate because they're a group of four singer/song writers who literally walked from Portland, ME to Nashville, TN, sharing their music along the way.

"About four months of walking," said one of the musicians, Art Kassenich, "We've been everywhere along the East Coast so far, and just a lot of meeting people and playing music."

The group members include, Kassenich, Riley Moore, Will Stevens, and Benjamin Butler. Butler was the one who originally posted an ad on Facebook, looking for musicians to go on an adventurous tour.

"We love music, we love the country and we love people," said Moore, "and we thought, 'Hey! Let's go out and see the country, meet a lot of people, and play a lot of music.'"

After Chattanooga, The Walking Guys' next and final stop will lead them back to Nashville, but they said that's not the end for them. The group is looking to schedule another walking tour sometime in the near future. - WDEF 12 Chattanooga