Interview with Songwriter Dave Evans

Dave is a friend of more than 10 years and, with this interview, we have come full circle. You see, we met when Dave called me in for a job interview in 2006 for a programming job he was looking to fill. It was a strange interview because it was more like a couple friends having coffee than a job interview and it turned out we became good friends. We held many of the same beliefs, professionally, which led to my being hired but it was music that we most talked about.

We are both fans of the music of the 1960’s – The Beatles, in particular – and we had many discussions during the day and at lunch. While we both lived through Beatlemania and have our memories, Dave is older than I so he has more vivid memories and from a different perspective. It is always interesting to talk to someone who remembers what it was like and when Dave talks about those days you can see the excitement is almost as fresh as it was more than 50 years ago.

Despite all of the talk of music, it was months before I discovered that Dave wrote music. If memory serves me my introduction to Dave’s music was “Mary’s Song”. I instantly connected with the song and it remains my favorite Dave Evans original. I have heard the song come from rough, fast song to a love ballad that really captivates you. I have been fortunate to experience the songwriting process through the last 10 years – sometimes I get an excited text message about song that is nothing but a new chord progression and a few minutes later I am listening to a rough recording. There are other times when the lyrics come and I get a recording of his working through the melody. I am always impressed by the end result – he has a talent that many of us would love to have – but I think what is really interesting, for me, is his enthusiasm throughout the process. His songs are his children (though he has more than a few) and he nurtures them as such, always worried if he is doing them justice or if he could have done something better. If you ask me, he has served his children well – both human and music – and they represent him well.

Personal questions

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Wow, that's a tough one because there were a few... I'd have to say the first time I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I was with my dad and we lived on the fifth floor. As soon as the show was over I ran to the window and saw three of my friends down on the corner yelling up to me to come down and join them... I was not allowed to go out on Sundays nights at that time so I just turned around and gave my dad that sad look you give when you really want something... He seemed to realize that this was a special time and told me to go down and see my friend BUT to only stay right on the corner so he could see me from the window... It was awesome cause as soon as I got to the corner the four of us formed our Band and spent the rest of the night (1 hour) thinking of names for the band. Every car that passed from Mustang to Montego was considered... The funny thing is I don't remember what name we decided on but I'll never forget the experience... And yes, we did play a few gigs...

What are the five foods you can’t live without?

I love so many foods it's scary BUT I have to admit I'm addicted to Potato Chips... I can give up cookies, Chocolate and Ice Cream but I just can't seem to give up the Chips... I LOVE Prime Rib when I go out to eat and Veal Parmesan when in an Italian restaurant but I can do without them...
(Joe: I think potato chips are the downfall for most of us – I don’t think there is ever a bag that is “big enough”)

What’s the best advice anyone has given you and who gave it to you?

My Dad always gave me good advice. He would tell me to judge people by what they do and not by what they say and boy has that proven to be true... He would also tell me that money wasn't everything but to remember I had to pay the bills and Shoprite didn't accept Titles or job descriptions, only money.
(Joe: that’s great advice, all of it.)

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren't making music?

Another good question... I love reading, playing on the computer, learning new things and meeting new people... In the summer I LOVE being on the beach. I keep my umbrella and beach chair in the car all summer so I'm ready to go at a moment’s notice... I like getting there early in the morning and staying till at least 1 or 2 in the afternoon, then I walk the boardwalk at night. It is fascinating to me all the different people and couples you see when you walk the boardwalk.

If you could spend an hour with any famous person, past or present, who would it be and why?

Only ONE!!! Musically I guess it would be John Lennon because I always liked his music and songwriting... I would LOVE to have both John AND Paul in the same room and talk about each of their songs and what they were thinking when they wrote them... I would also love to compare my songwriting process with theirs and see if we do it the same way... History wise I would love to sit down with Abraham Lincoln and talk about what he was feeling during the Civil War and how he arrived at some of the decisions he made during those times. I would also like to ask the "Founding Fathers" how they feel about where our country is going and if it's where they thought it would be when they first formed it... I know, I cheated...
(Joe: interesting choices – not sure we are ready to hear from our “Founding Fathers”, though)

Professional questions

Why music?

I love music and can't picture my life without it. The funny thing is I always wrote words, I guess you would call them poems, with a musical idea in my head BUT I never actually put real music to them. When my late wife Mary passed away I started playing the guitar again (after stopping when I was 13), probably to take my mind off of her passing. One of the first songs I wrote was Mary's Song which I still have trouble performing live without getting emotional. Over time my music changed from sad to less sad to sometimes happy... It's been 13 years now and hopefully my music has evolved enough where it has many moods and generates many different feelings.
(Joe: I can tell you; YES, your music (and recording) has evolved many-fold over the intervening years and continues to evolve. Dave & I collaborated on a video for "Mary's Song" that you can view on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLCSDKycY10)

Can you explain your music in 10 words or less?

I can do it in one, FEELINGS... I write songs to either generate feelings or express my feelings. It is my way of saying things I have trouble saying without music. Every song I write is saying something, either explicitly or buried somewhere within it. They are not all heavy messages or statements BUT if they are not saying something I won't write them.

What is your greatest musical achievement?

Every song I write... I always considered myself a songwriter and not a performer so to me it's the song that's important, not my performance of it. I just hope I do them justice when I record them. Every song I write has something to say, I just hope I say it in a way that other people hear the message.

If you could open up for any artist, past or present, who would it be?

Obviously The Beatles but we all know that can't happen so maybe Elton John or Bob Seger. How about Tom Petty or Train...? The Eagles would be cool too. Can I throw in Elvis and Buddy Holly???

Where do you draw inspiration from when you write/play/sing songs and what’s your favorite part about the process?

I usually start off by writing about a situation I'm experiencing or feeling. Sometimes I stay with that throughout the entire song or I stray into other things to expand the experience. Other times I picture myself in a different situation and write about how I would feel being there. An example of the latter is "Life Wasted" where I was writing about a man who only cared about money and not his family. I was trying to write about how he would feel when he was older and had no family around him. I was putting myself in that situation because I have a very close relationship with my family and had to guess how I would feel. Yes, it's all about feelings for me.

Bonus question:

What are your Top 5 "Deserted Island" albums?

WOW only 5!!! OK, Bod Seger's Live Bullet, Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman, Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin II, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and The Beatle's White Album... The reason I picked the White Album instead of Abbey Road, Revolver or Rubber Soul is because there are more songs on it... hahaha

Dave has an Artist page on BandCamp where you can listen to more of his music, as well as purchase songs. His page is https://daveevanssolo.bandcamp.com/ and I encourage you to check it out as soon as you finish reading this post.

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