Native North Carolinian Seth Walker plays a soulful strain of blues, and he can quote chapter and verse on T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and the other expected influences. Ask him about less-obvious influences, however, and he pulls a highly unexpected name out of the hat: the late comedian Richard Pryor.

"Now my show is not comedy, obviously," Walker said in a recent interview. "But I love the way he'd take you to different places in his act. There were times he'd get serious on ya, times he'd do these hilarious characters. It's not the same, but I try to do that, too. Take you somewhere, then drop you off and send you on your way. I like some fun stuff, and some serious stuff as well."

For more, including details on Walker's Friday night show in Durham, see this here interview.