Features
Bass By Brewer
If you don’t know who Evan Brewer is, you should. While he is best known for his works in Reflux (Washington DC) featuring Tosin Abasi of Animals of Leaders and Ash Avildsen-founder of Sumerian Records and Animosity (San Francisco) featuring Navene Koperweis of Animals of Leaders, Evan is much more than a bassist with a track record of playing metal. He recently released his first solo album “Alone” with the hope of changing the game of bass playing as we know it.
Blessed enough to grow up in the Nashville scene, he had to opportunity to work with Regi Wooten as his mentor and now close friend. They continue to have a relationship much like the old days of music education where there were no “music schools” just a teacher and their student. In return Evan also teaches private lessons, “I always make an effort to teach as many private lessons as possible because I feel a strong obligation to help players remain inspired and learn.” Aside from the apparent extensive harmonic knowledge demonstrated on “Alone” it is also clear how committed he is to each note. At some points he is even playing two basses! Something that is obviously only achieved through hours of shedding.
“I can see the professors rolling their eyes,” he went on to explain, “I don’t do well with a strict academic approach [to practicing]. I wouldn’t play music if I didn’t have fun doing it.” With that said most of his time practicing is spent focusing on techniques and speed in addition to studying theory. Currently he is playing for The Faceless, a progressive death metal band based out of Los Angeles. When he isn’t shedding or on the road with them he is in his studios writing music, “Alone” was the first of many more Evan Brewer albums to come. Expressing a feeling that many musicians can relate to he went to say, “Creating the music is easy, the business end seems to be the most difficult part, unfortunately.”
Many young musicians when deciding where to start their careers consider both Los Angeles and Nashville. The climate of LA and Nashville are similar in that they both have vast musical communities with thousands of dedicated musicians, with lots of opportunity. Though the east coast perception of LA is about as laid back as it gets, Evan sees Los Angeles as a place of business and Nashville of a place to come home to shed and record at, “Both serve an equal purpose to me.”
Considered by most of his contemporaries to be one of the bass virtuosos of our day, Evan Brewer has the star like qualities and dedication of musicians of the past. Catch him on the road after the new year with The Faceless!
iTunes Download of “Alone”
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/alone/id441813179
Evan Brewer Facebook:
www.facebook.com/officialevanbrewer
Evan Brewer Lessons:
The Faceless
Reflux
Animosity:
http://www.myspace.com/animosity
