Evans Blue
Evans Blue |
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- For the dye, see Evans blue
Evans Blue is a rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada founded in 2005.
Origins
Evans Blue came together in early 2005. Five musicians, then in three separate bands, met through a local musician's message board. The band then caught the attention of producer Trevor Kustiak and his partner Mari Dew, of the Pocket Studios. Evans Blue began working together in March of 2005.
They recorded three demo songs, entitled Black Hole, Saturnalia and Starlight, which are all available on their personal MySpace. Lead singer, Matisyn, periodically posts his own prose through the blogs on the bands MySpace page. Updates on the bands progress are also given through the blogs.
The Melody
Evans Blue completed work on their debut album, The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume, in early November of 2005. The first single, Cold (But I'm Still Here) hit airwaves in December and was accompanied by a music video. The album was released February 21st, 2006 through Hollywood Records. It spent several weeks in the top 10 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and spawned a second single, Over.
In late March of 2006, Evans Blue embarked upon their first U.S. tour alongside Taproot. They have since played with bands such as Staind, Alice in Chains, Three Days Grace, Flyleaf and labelmates Breaking Benjamin. They have also played on 102.1's Edge Fest with other Canadian groups such as Mobile, Hot Hot Heat and Our Lady Peace.
On April Fools Day, 2006, drummer Darryl Brown left without explanation. To cover for his absence the rest of the band worked out acoustic sets to play while they searched for a replacement. Danny D was brought in temporarily from Boston to close out the rest of the tour, which lasted until late October.
The Pursuit
After an eight month stint touring around the United States, Evans Blue returned home. After a one month break, they began work upon their second album, The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends. Danny D left the band and was replaced by Davis Howard. In March of 2007, Evans Blue was nominated for "Best New Band" at the annual Juno Awards.
The single from the sophomore project, The Pursuit, arrived on airwaves May 21, 2007. A music video also accompanied the single a few months later in August. THE PURSUIT BEGINS WHEN THIS portrayal OF LIFE ENDS was released July 24st, 2007 in the U.S. and Canada. The bands website was given an overhaul to portray the sounds, images and themes of the new album.
With the purchase of their sophomore album, Evans Blue included a DVD containing an acoustic set of The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume. The DVD, entitled Unplugged Melody came with the Best Buy edition of the album. It contains commentary by the lead singer, Matisyn, before each song, as well as a making-of documentary of THE PURSUIT BEGINS WHEN THIS portrayal OF LIFE ENDS.
Evans Blue kicked off their first head-lining tour on July 10th, 2007 in Toronto. The rest of the tour stops across the United States, with occasional performances in Vancouver and British Columbia. They are accompanied by Framing Hanley, Fair to Midland and Submersed throughout the summer 2007 tour, which spans through September.
Covers
- "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan
- "Caught A Lite Sneeze" by Tori Amos
Both covers are track 7 on each Evans Blue album.
Miscellaneous
- The name "Evans Blue" refers to the dye that is injected into the bloodstream to measure blood volume.
- The name was suggested by Matisyn when the band had still not decided upon a name, with a live show approaching.
- Evans Blue uses Ibanez Guitars and Tama Drums.
- Vlad Tanaskovic is instantly recognizable by the unique eye paraphernalia he dons.
- According to Matisyn, the tattoos on his arms form an Acrostic.
- Although he has not disclosed their meaning, it is Greek writing that reads:
Ιησούς Χριστός Θεού Υιός Σωτήρ (it uses old style accent and breath marks which have been simplified in current Greek writing and don't exist in the regular Greek keyboard layout, therefore the slightly different spelling)
It means: Jesus Christ God's Son Savior[citation needed]
The initials spell out ΙΧΘΥΣ, which means fish, thus the Christian symbol.[citation needed]
Members
Current
- Kevin Matisyn -- 'The Voice'
- Parker Lauzon -- 'The Distortion'
- Vlad Tanaskovic -- 'The Aura'
- Joe Pitter -- 'The Low'
- Davis Howard -- 'The Drive'
Former
- Darryl Brown -- Drums 2005-2006
- Danny D. -- Drums 2006
Discography
| Album Cover | Release | Album Title | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 21, 2006 | The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume | Hollywood Records | |
| July 24, 2007 | The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends | Hollywood Records |
Singles
| Year | Song Title | Chart Position(s) | Album Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Mainstream Rock | |||
| 2006 | "Cold (But I'm Still Here)" | #28 | #8 | The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume |
| 2006 | "Over" | - | #28 | The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume |
| 2006 | "Beg" | - | - | The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume |
| 2007 | "The Pursuit" | #33 | #17 | The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends |
DVDs
- The Unplugged Melody (2007)