Since through emails it's not easy to understand the mood, please feel free to express yourselves so as to make me understand not only what you think, but also what you feel.
Hi Lucy! How are you? Where are you at the moment and what are you doing?
Hey There! We are doing great and just got back into Los Angeles. EVOLOVE has been on the road the last 2 months on The Breaking Heartstrings Tour with Stitched Up Heart and then the Reinforcement Tour which included Gemini Syndrome. All of our bands are Los Angeles based and we already knew each other, so it was quite an amazing adventure and we made many lifelong friends along the way!
Are you ready for this interview? Well, let's get started! What's behind the name "Evolove"? What does it mean?
I love Palindromes. When searching for a new band name the first word that popped into my head was LOVE. The word, “Evolove”, in our definition would be defined as “the evolution of love”. Music comes from love so the name suits us well. We love making music together.
You are a very young band; where did you meet each other and when did you come to the decision to become a band?
Billy and I were in a couple other bands together before this. We had some regional success with both bands. The last project we were in started evolving from a super pop band to an edgier sounds and after losing a couple members we felt it was time for a drastic change. We began a search to find new band mates through a website called Craigslist.com. It took a little time to find the right people but we were very fortunate to meet Dave and Colby. Both of them are great songwriters who right away understood where Billy and I were coming from. It is very rare to find a band in which all members contribute to songwriting.
Where are you from? Does your birthplace influence your music? Which are the artists you grew up with?
We are all from different places Billy is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio but was raised in Los Angeles, CA. Dave is originally from Norton, Massachusetts and came to Los Angeles many years ago to pursue music. Colby is from Santa Cruz, California and also moved to Los Angeles just a year before joining our band to follow his musical path. I’m the only member that was not born in this country. I was born in Antwerp, Belgium but my family moved to Los Angeles when I was a baby. I was raised in Palm Springs, CA but moved to Los Angeles to go to college and along the way found my calling to music.
It is probably safe to say that everyone was influenced by where they grew up, but it would be hard for me to pinpoint exactly how. I grew up listening to bands/artists like U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, and Alanis Morissette to name just a handful. Today I love bands like Rise Against, Paramore, My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars….too many to write down to be honest. The guy’s tastes range a lot as well. Billy and I listen to a lot of the same music, I guess it’s our similar tastes in music that have kept us writing together the last 8 years. Dave and Colby listen to a lot of heavier/ hardcore like Pierce the Veil, We came as Romans, Underoath, and The Devil wears Prada.
When you were children, what did you answer when you were asked questions like "what do you want to do when you grow up?" Have you ever thought, back then, that you would start a career in music?
I can only really answer for myself but I am pretty sure all of us always knew our calling to music even if we didn’t know EXACTLY what we wanted to do. I’ve been writing songs since I can remember….. I just didn’t know that what I was doing could actually be a job.
Since when you started singing? Have you ever play any instrument?
I was born to sing! Both my parents were musically inclined and I was taught music appreciation early. The first instrument I played was Clarinet in 5th grade. I haven't picked it up in years. I can play basic guitar and piano.
This is kind of a hard time for music business. Was it difficult for you to make a name in the US music industry?
Building a music career today is a daily challenge. It is VERY difficult to build a name for yourself without the money of a Major Label behind you. We work hard at keeping an active online presence and playing out a lot to meet new people and expose our music. We rely on our fans and word of mouth to get our name out there. Word of mouth is always the best way.
Some people, for instance, got to know you thanks to the TV series "Pretty Little Liars"; did the producers ask your permission to use your songs "Let Me In" and "2012" or was it a way to draw some more attention to your music?
We submitted our music and the show’s Music Supervisor who loved it and asked us if they could license “Let me In”, “2012”, and “Lie to me”. We are hoping to get selected for the upcoming season. Being on that show has given us a great amount of exposure.
How much are you known in your home country?
I would say over this past year more and more people are hearing about us. Besides having our music in the show Pretty Little Liars, last summer we were a part of a huge ad campaign for FreeCreditScore.com. We got A LOT of exposure across the Nation and were interviewed on MTV News!
Do you have a specific target of people, who listen to your works?
I think our music is appreciated by a very wide audience. We have fans of all ages, races, and religions.
What music critics think about your lyrics and your music? Perhaps do they list you in some music genre and do they compare you to some other bands?
We have had comparisons to a few different bands. People like to put you in a box. I think my favorite comparison is My Chemical Romance meets AFI meets Gwen Stefani.
In the music industry it's not easy to find rock bands like you with a female vocalist; could you please express your opinion about the following (recent and less recent) artists?
Evanescence: I was really impressed by their first release. I really like Amy’s haunting vocal style.
Paramore: The songwriting in this band blows me away. I love the way they put their songs together. Hayley is great live.
No Doubt: Gwen is the epitome of “Girl Power”, one of the most influential Rock women of our time.
Janis Joplin and The Big Brother and the Holding Company: Janis has so much soul you can feel it in every word that she sings.
Garbage: I’ve seen Garbage perform a couple times. Shirley has amazing presence and power in her performance.
What about you: who writes the lyrics to your songs? Is there something autobiographical in them?
The guys write the music, it’s very much a group effort. I write the lyrics. Some of the songs are very personal like one of our newer songs “Nothing but me” that is on our brand new EP, Breaking Heartstrings. Most of my inspiration comes from the World around me. I spend a lot of time observing the people who surround me. I find their stories intriguing and insightful. We all have a lot we can learn from each other.
Your EP (2012:Countdown to the End) features 5 tracks which deal with different topics, like for example the double face of love, where you can find lies and betrayals on one side but also promises and expectations on the other side. Lucy, in "Let Me In" you seem to be screaming at someone who you're in love with, but who doesn't want to open their heart to you. Is this song addressed to someone in particular?
Yes, the song was written about someone in particular, a good friend of mine, but it was not written as a love song. I know on the surface it appears to be a love song, I knew it would be perceived as one. That’s was so great about songs. They can be personal to each listener and have a different meaning.
What about "Toyshop Girl": who's the girl in question? Why did you write a song about her?
Toyshop Girl is a pretty serious song about someone I once knew. Sometimes someone or something moves me so much that I have to write their story. She was one of those people.
The song which makes me most curious is "2012". In this song, you talk about the expectations for this year. What are you referring to? To the pessimistic view of the whole question?
There is a theory that the year 2012 will be the end of everything. I don’t personally believe this idea but I was inspired by how passionate some people are about the subject. I just thought it was a crazy topic and the boys wrote the perfect music to be the backdrop to the story.
Tell us about your new Ep “Breaking Heartstrings”. Why do you chose this name for your new Ep?
This EP dives further into relationships and emotions than the first one did. We wanted to not only tug on heartstrings with this collection of songs, we wanted to break them.
“Wake up a call” video is something really creative, which settles down into Western Era. Who has this great idea?
Our AMAZING producer/director Iggi Ogard was the brainchild of this video. She came to us with the entire concept and we just followed her vision. We are very proud of this video.
What do you usually play during your live performances apart from the songs from your EP? Do you play covers?
We don’t really do covers although we are discussing recording one at some point….. But it has not yet been decided. People who come to a live show will hear most of the songs from our last two EPs as well as some new ones we are preparing for the studio.
Are you working (or planning to work) on new material for an upcoming album? When we could listen to your debut? Do we have to wait for a little bit more?
Right before we left for tour in August we released our sophomore release “Breaking Heartstrings” which was produced by Michael Eisenstein. Michael is originally from the band Letters To Cleo. It was great working with him because he is really good at communicating his ideas as well as understanding what the band wants and where we are coming from. Besides that we are always writing for the next album. The band has plans to make an acoustic record just for the fans. We have been working on the new record for months. We plan to focus in on it when we return from the AWAKE THE STATE TOUR that is Jan 24-Feb 13. We hope to start recording this Spring.
Talking about your leisure time, have you ever been in Italy? Maybe for holiday? What do you like most about Italy?
I have never been to Italy but it is high on my list of places to go. I would really like to see the canals of Venice.
Is there the chance that you might come here to play live in order to promote your music? Maybe during one of the many Summer festivals where there's usually a varied audience?
I would love to come and play! Do you know any promoters? ;) We plan to be touring internationally in the near future.
Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me!
xoxo Lucy
EVOLOVE on the WEB:
evolovetheband.com
www.facebook.com/evolovetheband
twitter.com/#!/evolovetheband
www.myspace.com/evolovetheband
itunes.apple.com/us/album/breaking-heartstrings-ep/id458671143
