Christian Lewis – Evaline Interview

Meet Evaline, the latest band to catch our attention.

Not just an arrangement of pretty faces (although they are pretty, right?), these guys have the musical talent to back it up.

Hailing from Turlock, California, the band actually braved our crappy weather to record their album, Woven Material, right here in the UK.

Meet Richard Perry, Dominic Di Ciano, Steven Pedersen, Greg Petersen, Daniel Petersen and Christian Lewis – who we chatted with to find out more.

First impressions, you’re an especially attractive bunch of guys – you must get that a lot?
[Laughs] Well thank you. We do get that a lot, but mostly from our mothers. We don’t take ourselves to seriously, so none of us really take it to heart when people say that. A compliment is always appreciated though.

You’re pretty snappy dressers, are you the kinda guys who just throw on whatever, and it works, or do you take the time to plan what you wear?
Well some are more particular than others with what they wear. I think we all try to look nice, but there isn’t a huge amount of time put into it. Again, some of us care more than others, and I’m sure you can guess who if you see photos of us all. We do a lot of our own filming, and make little videos out of the footage, so trying to look presentable is always on our minds. I wore a pair of khaki shorts one day in Bangkok because it was so hot, and the other guys didn’t let me hear the end of it. When I see photos of myself that day, I understand why. I will probably never wear a pair of shorts in public again.

We had a listen to your music and we love your sound. Which other bands/musicians inspire you?
Radiohead, Ours, and At The Drive In have been big inspirations. I think more recently bands like Elbow, and The National have been at the top of our list. We all pull from various other inspirations, but those are bands I know we all collectively would agree on.

Tell us the meaning behind the band name.
There isn’t much of a meaning behind it. We had decided to change our name as kids, and wanted to pick something fairly neutral. I think we realized our tastes were constantly changing as we got older, and wanted something we weren’t going to hate, or be embarrassed of as we got older. I can’t honestly say we still feel like we’ve completely succeeded.

You recorded your album, Woven Material, over here in the UK. Why did you decide to do that?
Our management is based in London, and we decided to go with Dan Austin (also from England) to produce the record. It ended up being easier to get us all to the UK, than deal with getting a US work permit for him. There were also quite a few other reasons that sealed England as the place to go.

What do you love/hate about the UK?
I think the only thing I dislike about the UK is how often it rains. We all love being there in general, and are always sad to leave.

You’ve supported some pretty big names, which band is the most fun to gig with?
We have been lucky to play with some really great bands, and always enjoy ourselves. I think Placebo is our favorite to gig with. We love them, and love their music. Opening up for them, and then being able to watch their set, is always a favorite for us.

Name and shame! Any horrible bands?
We always end up really liking the bands we tour with, even if it’s a style we didn’t think we would normally be into.

What’s your top tip for surviving on tour?
Always keep something to eat with you, because good restaurants aren’t always an option. We aren’t fun to be around if were hungry.

Are you big party animals?
We can be, but I’d say most of the time we are pretty tame guys. If free drinks are flowing, it usually leads to a pretty wild night.

Tell us a few random facts about your band mates.
Dom is a hypochondriac. Greg farms his families walnut orchard, when he’s home.

What’s next for Evaline?
We are doing a short headlining tour on the west coast of the US. Then we are going to do a few dates in Japan in September. We hope to be touring as much as possible.

Where do you see the band in ten years time?
Still making music, and loving it. Hopefully having found some kind of success, and being able to play shows to fans around the world.

And finally, cheesiest question ever, describe the band in three words.
Is there Wi-Fi?