Finding The Groove Again 38 Years Later, with a Little Help from Lutefish Stream

Reuniting a band after nearly four decades might sound like a long shot, but it’s a story that’s becoming more familiar than you’d think. When careers settle, kids grow up, and life finally leaves a little space, old passions have a funny way of resurfacing. 

When Scott Walker and Wes Weathersbee first started playing together in high school, they couldn’t have known that almost 40 years later they’d revive their old college band, only this time with Scott’s son Evan on drums, and do it through a technology no one had dreamed of back then.

The band’s story began in the mid-1980s at Clemson University, where Scott, Wes, Tim LeMaster, and Kyle Gambrell crossed paths through campus life and late-night jam sessions. They gigged, woodshedded, and built a repertoire that could carry a night. Then life took over. Marriages, kids, careers, different ZIP codes. Some continued to play professionally, while others put their music on the shelf. 

Decades later, an unlikely spark lit the fuse. During the pandemic, Tim initiated a running group text filled with inside jokes, song links, and “remember when” banter. It kept the friendship warm, but didn’t scratch the itch of actually making music. When Scott’s long-planned retirement loomed, he proposed a send-off that wasn’t about speeches or sheet cake. They’d reform the college band nearly 40 years after their last run and play at his party.

The only problem was geography. Today, the players are scattered between Florida and the Carolinas. Occasional fly-in weekends weren’t going to grind off decades of rust, not to mention the added cost of travel and rehearsal space. So Scott began searching for a way to make rehearsing remotely actually work. That’s when he discovered Lutefish Stream, a new low-latency technology that allows musicians to jam together live online.

“Without Lutefish, we couldn’t have pulled this off,” Scott explains. “We only had time for a few in-person practices, but we could rehearse weekly online. We’d jump on between the end of the workday and supper with short, focused sessions. Those weekly jam sessions were the difference between being ready and not.”

The first few rehearsals were a mix of setup, laughter, and surprise at how natural it felt to play together again. “We’ve all lived on video the past few years, so that part felt familiar,” Scott says. “But being able to actually play music together in real time was the game-changer. The Lutefish network makes latency tolerable, and the experience forces you to simulate a real performance, standing, playing, singing, and managing sounds. It’s the next best thing to being in the same room.”

This time, though, the band had a new heartbeat. Scott’s son Evan Walker, a professional musician and recording artist, joined on drums. For Evan, it was a full-circle moment: the first song he ever played with another person was Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” with his dad. Now, decades later, he was keeping time for the same group of musicians his father once performed with at Clemson. The reunion became more than just a nostalgic one-night event. It was a bridge between generations, and a living reminder that music never really leaves you, even when life gets in the way.

Kyle says Lutefish didn’t just help them rehearse; it made the entire show possible. “For me, Lutefish IS what made the show possible. It’s the biggest and sharpest tool in our toolbox to keep doing this until we take over the entire musical ultraverse,” he laughs.

“Lutefish allowed us to connect and reconnect on so many levels, for that I am (and I think we all are) extremely grateful!" Shares Tim.

The reunion gig at the retirement party was a success, may have been the catalyst, but it won’t be the finale. With Lutefish Stream bridging the miles between Florida and the Carolinas, the band has found a way to keep creating.

The reunion gig at the retirement party was a success, may have been the catalyst, but it won’t be the finale. With Lutefish Stream bridging the miles between Florida and the Carolinas, the band has found a way to keep creating.

Their story is becoming a familiar one: musicians rediscovering their spark, reconnecting with old bandmates, and realizing that distance doesn’t have to keep you from making music with friends, old or new. With the right tools, they can keep writing, rehearsing, and hanging out together, without waiting for the stars (or flight schedules) to align.

And for Scott, Wes, Tim, Kyle, and Evan, this isn’t a reunion. It’s a restart.