As president of Walrus Audio, Colt Westbrook’s taking the sounds of Oklahoma to international stages.
Welcome to Flyover Feasts, a new series from Move to Oklahoma where host Luke Leifeste interviews some of Oklahoma’s most interesting Oklahomans while eating some of Oklahoma’s best cuisine.
In this episode, Luke grabs lunch at Butcher BBQ Stand, an award-winning pitstop (literally) in Wellston, Oklahoma giving Texas and Kansas City barbecue a run for their money. Dining with Luke is Colt Westbrook, president of Walrus Audio. From the helm of the boutique guitar pedal staple, Colt has helped take the Oklahoma-born company to international stages. Over plenty of brisket and beans, the two chat about opportunity in Oklahoma, the state’s music scene, and what it’s like living that suburban life in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Luke
Colt, you’re an Oklahoma boy.
Colt
I am an Oklahoma boy. I grew up in Stillwater, went to Stillwater High School. Go Pioneers! From there, just through passion, music and the community that I was in, I found myself working with the Walrus Audio team and growing it from there for the last I think about 11 years. And we’ve been really fortunate to get our gear in the hands of people like Kirk Douglas from The Roots. Kacey Musgraves’ team. The team from Maroon 5, specifically James Valentine.
Luke
So talk about building the business over the past decade or so. How has Oklahoma, as a breeding ground for opportunity, been a part of that?
Colt
So for a pedal company, you need a couple of electrical engineers, sales, marketing, production, quality control. The bare bones of that, I was able to really source here in Oklahoma, and then I was able to recruit and have people come live in Oklahoma. We’ve recruited people from Miami University. Santa Clarita, California. Recruited another guy from the Boston area.
Luke
Is it hard to convince people to move here?
Colt
People love Oklahoma. Creativity and talent and ideas aren’t prone to geographic limitations.
People come in from all over the world, and even through the doorways of University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University, to put down roots here. It’s a global tapestry of goodness.
Luke
I like that. New state slogan, maybe. I’m curious, how would you describe the Oklahoma cultural identity to someone who has never been here?
Colt
I mean, which cultural identity? There’s so many.
Luke
Well, you’re in the music industry. Talk a little bit about that.
Colt
I mean, we’ve got the Paycom Center, and then we’ve got a lot of mid-sized venues. So a lot of these great acts get to come through. They love playing the Tower Theater. They love playing the Jones Assembly.
Luke
We also have the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, which is pretty cool. And people say, why is the Bob Dylan archive in Tulsa? It’s because it’s next door to the Woody Guthrie Center, one of Bob Dylan’s biggest influences. It’s pretty special.
Colt
It really does run deep here.
Luke
Outside of music, what else do you think really defines Oklahoma’s identity? Because I think we have a little bit of everything here.
Colt
The community here, whether you’re in Tulsa, in Oklahoma City, or anywhere in between, there’s always a way to get something done with your connections. And if you don’t know somebody, you know somebody who knows somebody who can do that thing. And I think that speaks to the larger idea of opportunity in Oklahoma — it’s actually possible to bring something to life here.
I mean, we’re sitting in Butcher BBQ right now, an iconic spot. Levi [Bouska, owner of Butcher BBQ Stand] started this place in a 40-foot shipping container, right off an exit off the turnpike over here. Line out the door every weekend.
Luke
So I hear you’re a family man. Three kids. Live on 1.5 acres in Edmond. But you used to be very anti-suburb apparently. Is that true?
Colt
I was, dude. You know, I was a musician. We had our first kid. Second kid. And then we had our third child, and we’re like, “Oh, we need some more space.” So we started looking around.
Our realtor found a spot on, like, 1.5 acres in Edmond. He’s like, “Hey, man, I know you hate the
‘burbs, but you should come check Edmond out.” I drove up, and it was hundreds of trees on the property. It’s quiet. There’s biking trails really close to my house. I’m like, “Edmond, huh? Okay, it’s not so bad.”
Luke
What do you think sets Oklahoma apart in terms of making it an attractive place to raise a family?
Colt
You know, cost of living is one of them. If you’re paid a market rate or above market rate and you have a low cost of living, that leaves a really healthy margin for other activities, whether you’re trying to save money for retirement, save equity to start a business, or even just spend it all on vacation.
Luke
And you’re centrally located. So it’s kind of a perfect setup.
Colt
Totally.
Luke
Now it’s the time of the night where we have a rapid fire. Best Oklahoma band no one has heard of.
Colt
I would say The Other Lives is one of the best Oklahoma bands. Color Music is really great. A band called Sports. Josh Sallee. Jabee. Oklahoma is a great music state.
Luke
Best place to catch a show in Oklahoma.
Colt
I grew up going to tons of shows at the Opolis. I also love Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa. I think the best mix I’ve ever heard live is at the Tulsa Theater.
Luke
Most underrated place in Oklahoma?
Colt
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. You can hike for a day or two, backpack some, and you can come out, go to Medicine Park, and you can get tacos and beer. That’s one of my favorite trips.
Luke
Jaylin, Jalen, or Kenrich?
Colt
Jalen Williams. Specifically J-Dub.
Luke
Silliest question you’ve ever been asked about Oklahoma.
Colt
If we still rode horse and carriages.
Luke
Classic. People love that one.
Colt
Yeah, that and, “Is there an oil derrick by your house?”
Luke
Well…that could be true. Is Oklahoma just a flyover state?
Colt
No. Oklahoma is a great place to start, grow, and cultivate a business. I ain’t going anywhere.
Luke
Cheers to that.
Colt
This was fun. Tomorrow? Do it again?
Luke
Sounds great.
