The latest installment of “Blue 2unes” takes us just next door, down I-74 and to the Buckeye State’s city on the river, Cincinnati, Ohio. Think Cincinnati and the brain conjures up images of Skyline Chilli, Charlie Hustle, WKRP, Kings Island, the former Mr. Jessica Simpson,  Montgomery Inn, the Ickey Shuffle, and maybe even Chris Sabo’s Rec Specs. Well, prepare to add Walk the Moon to that list and considering that the first man to actually “walk the moon” came from just 115 miles to the north, their inclusion seems appropriate.

Originating so close to the Butler campus, it comes as no surprise that the band has performed at 46th and Sunset a few times and that the band has Bulldog ties. However, the back-story behind those Butler ties may surprise you.

Walk the Moon’s Butler 12/2 show details available, on Facebook & watch the promo video!

Meet Katie Carlson, Columbus, OH native, college student, public relations major and member of the Butler University class of 2013. Katie started out as one of Walk the Moon’s biggest fans. Since being first introduced to Walk the Moon’s music, Katie has continued to be a champion of the group, but that’s not all.  Along the way and for all intents and purposes, Katie has served as the band’s manager and everything in between. Incredible considering that Katie is only currently through her junior year at Butler.

I know I was surprised to learn about Katie and her Walk the Moon connection. Pops and I have been spinning the group’s single, “Anna Sun” since this past summer after being introduced to it by one of Pops’ friends, an Ohio native. One day while listening to it on Spotify in the office, our intern Jordan Gill strolls in and drops the 411 on the band, Katie and the band’s Dec. 2nd concert in Butler’s Reilly Room.

Armed with a little knowledge and much intrigue, I got in touch with Katie right away to learn her story and to get the scoop on the band’s Dec. 2nd Butler concert. The following is my “Q & A” with Katie and the official video to Walk the Moon’s, “Anna Sun.” Enjoy!

BB2: How did you get involved with Walk the Moon?

KATIE: It’s kind of a long story but here goes. I was in high school and an older friend of mine who went to Ohio Wesleyan passed their music along to me because they played their Welcome Week. I immediately fell love. I found out they were from Cincinnati and would stalk their Myspace to see if they had any dates in the Columbus area until finally one day they did! They performed at the Gap in one of our malls. Strange, right? They played an acoustic set in the middle of the store while sporting the new Gap jeans…and little did I know as I laughed at their jokes and sang along to all of their songs that these guys were about to change my life. After their set, Nicholas, the lead singer, approached me and my fan-girl friends. He said, “Do I know you? I feel like I should because you knew all of our words.” I explained to him how I got exposed to their music and he thought it was so great so he called the rest of the band over and they talked to us for quite some time. Nicholas asked me at one point, ” So what do you want to do with your life?” I had just graduated and my Butler move in date was closing in. I said, “Something with music business not quite sure yet…” and then he said very politely, almost as if to humor me, ” Well maybe we could use you some day!” Those words never left my mind. I moved into Butler and was sitting at my desk in Schwitzer Hall one night, listening to their music and I turned to my roommate (who I had converted to being a huge fan) and said, “I’m going to book them a show in Indy.” Mind you, I knew NOTHING about the music industry. So I hit up SGA’s Coffeehouse (which I am now in charge of) and Concerts Committee and no one cared. So I took matters into my own hand and I turned to the community. I went to a show at the Earth House and thought it would be perfect being all ages and a new venue to the scene. So I got in contact with their booking guy, totally BS’d him into thinking I represented the band, and got them a gig! I got in touch with Nicholas on Facebook and said, “Surprise! I got you a show!” He was shocked but very thankful and they played their first gig in Indy and it was a major success. Afterwards, they took me out for something to eat and asked me if I wanted to be a part of their team and do promotions work for them. Of course I accepted and thus began a journey of a lifetime.

BB2: What was your role with the band?

KATIE: Nicholas is the only remaining original member from the band that started at Kenyon College. For a while,  due to unforeseen circumstances, Walk the Moon consisted of, on a daily basis, him and me. Over the course of the year, Nicholas found the current lineup. My role was so many things….I was a friend, a motivator, a creative partner, a manager. Anything the band or Nicholas needed, I tended to it because I believed in it. Then they made it big time and I could no longer suit their needs.

BB2: Do you still keep in contact with the band?

KATIE: Walk the Moon are some of my best friends, Nicholas in particular. When everything started getting crazy for them, they felt terrible that I couldn’t experience all of it with them since I’m sill in school. So they hooked me up with an internship this summer in NYC with their management company, Mick Management who manages John Mayer, Ray LaMontagne, The Walkmen, and Brett Dennen among others. I see them only when I can because they are on the road a lot now…and Nicholas still calls me to have our long chats. But I feel like a proud mom watching my kids win the soccer tournament, I couldn’t be more happy or excited for them.

BB2: How many times has the band performed at Butler?

KATIE: They have played at Butler three times. The first time was through Coffeehouse in Spring 2009 (they finally listened to my emails). Then I took over Coffeehouse officially in Fall 2010 and they were our first show of the year. Their third show was playing Dance Marathon last year. This was crazy because Michael McDonald, the owner of Mick Management and founder of ATO Records, along with a guy named Ben who is now Young the Giant’s manager, flew out to scope Walk the Moon before they extended them an offer. I’ll never forget Michael McDonald, an industry god, standing outside of the HRC and helping us unload the van. Everyone was buzzing “OMG, John Mayer’s mananger is here blah blah blah.” But to me I was thinking, “John Mayer’s manager is here for MY BOYS!” Nicholas always says that Indianapolis is one of their first major fan bases outside of Cincinnati and they love coming back here.

BB2: What details should I know about the Walk the Moon Butler show on Dec. 2nd?

KATIE: I wanted to book this show all along for Coffeehouse 2011 but Nicholas approached me about it before I even sent an offer to their booking agent. He said something like, “We want to play Butler no matter what.” We know this will be a big show so we moved it to the Reilly Room. It will be a Late Night show starting around 10:30 pm and ugly Christmas sweaters are encouraged. They have been touring with Fitz and the Tantrums all across the country so they’re excited for a homecoming. Supporting them that night is hotfox, an INCREDIBLE local band who are sophomores at IU. You should seriously check them out, your mind won’t be able to wrap around how young they are.

BB2: Why should people listen to Walk the Moon? Why this band? Why now?

KATIE: Right now, a hot button issue in the industry is the quality of music. Independent artists complain that what is Top 40 is low grade song writing and talent. But most independent artists write music that the masses cannot enjoy. So there is this huge divide and it’s caused hipsters to be pretentious and main stream culture to be judgmental. Walk the Moon is universal. They have mastered the pop song. I have friends who mainly listen to Nicki Manaj and Taylor Swift but they adore Walk the Moon. Then there are my friends who think shoe-gaze is cool and have been listening to Foster the People for about a year before everyone else and they think Walk the Moon is the coolest thing since sliced bread. My parents adore them too…and not just because I’m involved. I also compare Walk the Moon to the Beatles. It’s extreme, but hear me out. The Beatles started their career by writing really catchy but well developed pop songs. (Twist and Shout anyone?) But they moved onto more experimental and groundbreaking ideas and changed music. I think Walk the Moon has that ball in their court. They all studied music and theory in college and really just understand music. I see them releasing this more indie-pop based record on RCA/Sony and then moving on to more groundbreaking work.

BB2: What’s something interesting about Walk the Moon?

KATIE: I think what’s most interesting about them is that they are all mid-western kids. Nicholas and Eli grew up in Cincinnati while Kevin and Sean grew up in Columbus. They are the nicest, most caring individuals you will ever meet. They never moved to Brooklyn to try and make it big and become one with the hipster culture. They did it the hard way. Mid-western kids rarely receive opportunities like this unless they migrate to the coasts. But Walk the Moon stuck to their values and worked their way into the spotlight. As people from this area of the country, whether you like their music or not, we can all agree upon the greatness of their story.

BB2: What can you tell us about their track, “Anna Sun?” It was written about/for a teacher, no?

KATIE:  They simply named it after their professor Anna Sun from Kenyon but the song is about college in general. Here’s a direct quote: “It’s about college, about maintaining that little bit of being a kid. Don’t be afraid to play.” Hence the “lost boy” theme of the music video and their face paint tradition at all of their shows.

Well, there you have it. A little insight on Walk the Moon and even more reason to check them out on Dec. 2nd. Oh, and for the record, Walk the Moon walked the Butler campus before they ever walked the moon. That’s pretty cool.