Lou Evans
San Diego, California, United States
Music
Press
Alternative rocker and occasional cover vocalist, Lou Evans performed last Thursday at the Stage Bar and Grill. Lou Evans and his acoustic guitar stood solo on stage playing to a pre-inebriated, small crowd. Dressed in a baseball cap, white T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, Evans’ sound is as stripped down as his attire.
Evans’ storytelling approach and skill in conveying emotion was heard and seen in the covers and original songs he co-composed with bandmate, Jake Chaplin. Evans’ version of the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” was gritty and the vocals were brisk. His musicianship was evident causing the audience to forget that only one man was playing the music. Yet somehow, a definite drum beat was heard as well as the interweaving of complicated chords and simplified, honest vocals.
Evans demonstrated versatility on his rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” The instrumentation was alternative in style keeping true to Evans’ roots, however, the vocal gymnastics that reached falsetto registers in the song were impressive and could rival pop superstars like Justin Timberlake. Lou Evans’ impromptu experiment with the audience could have been a great success or a big failure in the dive hangout.
-Carmen Fitzgerald- - San Diego Examiner
San Diego’s musical melting pot was further stirred with the addition of Northern California transplant, Lou Evans. At San Diego’s Stage Bar and Grill, Evans dared the audience to harmonize with him on Marvin Gayes’ “Sexual Healing.” A bold move considering, Evans was alone on stage and the ten members who were in the audience at the time, were well aware that his or her singing would be clearly heard.
After some mild bantering from Evans, a couple adventurous souls attempted to harmonize. The singing may not have matched Evans’ vocal ability, but the interaction from the audience made for a very entertaining acoustic show. “I want to connect with people, know where they are coming from…my songs are open to their interpretation,” commented Evans on his performance style.
The former baseball player, turned musical artist, artfully crafted his own soulful alternative style into Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” and Pearl Jam’s “Black.” The formula worked and star potential can definitely be seen in Evans' talent, however, his down-to-earth demeanor is perhaps a result of the dichotomy that exists in his singing philosophy that is “soaring, soulful, alternative rock [with] beautiful elements of darkness to light.”
-Carmen Fitzgerald- - San Diego Examiner
D.a.t.e editor Jim Dyar, Record Searchlight
Wednesday, July 5, 2006
Across town at Billy Bombay's, another talented songwriter, Lou Evans, was slugging it out for the masses Friday night. It's easy to get too loud in Billys and Evans, between sets, knew it.
Levels adjusted, it sounded like he was off to a good finish when I left. Evans plans to do a short tour soon, and I'm looking forward to catching up with him in a future piece in d.a.t.e.
D.a.t.e editor Jim Dyar may be reached at 225-8227 or jdyar@redding.com. - Jim Dyar
Discography
Currently, "Just Ain't Worth It" is getting radio airplay on two radio stations in California. 103.3, Santa Clara University and Rock radio station 106X (106.1) in Redding, CA. Our EP that will consist of four songs, "Lovejoy","Just Ain't Worth It", "Ultimatum" and "Shinchitulatudatu", will be released in late September of 2008.
Photos
Bio
I was born in Scottsdale, Arizona October 5th, 1979. When I was six months old I moved to Milpitas, CA where I grew up. I played professional baseball in the Florida Marlins Minor League system from 2001-2005. In 2005, I decided to pursue my music career in Redding, CA. I developed a following pretty quickly playing at all the local bars, coffee shops, house parties, fairs...etc. In 2006, I put a band together called Within Crawling Distance. We played all over Shasta County and developed a solid reputation as a fun, rockin band with a lot of energy. We went strong for a year then in April of 2007, I parted ways and moved back to Milpitas for a few months. I booked a few shows in downtown San Jose getting a lot of positive responses from my performances. In January of 2008, I met a very talented musician/producer named Jake Chaplin. We hit it off right away and started collaborating on our own music. In March of 2008, I decided to move to San Diego. About six weeks later Jake followed and we are currently working on our first album together. We've been building a fan base there for the past few months playing acoustically at open mics and booking gigs at local venues. We are currently seeking a bassist and drummer/percussionist.
Links
