22. February 2014
Meet: Evan Egerer and the Tribe
By Walter Price
Evan Egerer and the Tribe are an interesting and good-time group of dudes making bluesy Rock N’ Roll in a style reminiscent of the best bar bands of the early 90’s with a bit more soberness (I surmise) and polish and that is just fine with me.
In their short existence they have released an EP that finds band leader Egerer voice honoring influences of Plant, Vaughan and Staley to varying degrees of success.
What is very clear from listening to this effort is that Egerer has what it takes to deliver tracks with heart and his band (Taylor Storac & Brennen Reed) have the skills to pull off deep rooted arrangements but, as in most first efforts, there seems to be a few missing ingredients.
What these sounds could benefit from is more agony, regret and the pains of living on the road. Things that can’t be taught or properly forced.
With that said, Evan Egerer and the Tribe have huge commercial and venue potential and with US indie radio already taking notice and some favorable critical weight building in their short history, I am definitely eager to see where the boys from Pasco, Washington take this thing. Dig It!
As I do, I reached out to the group’s mastermind Evan Egerer in an effort to get to know a bit more about the goings on behind the music.
The Tribe has a relatively short history. Where did you get your start in the rhythm and blues style of rock n’ roll and who are Evan Egerer and the Tribe?
I actually just got into the rhythm and blues style, which I guess is why the Tribe and I have such a short history. I started hearing more blues-based rock around 2011 from bands like the Black Keys, Rival Sons, and the Delta Saints, and I knew right then as I started hearing those bands that the soul of the blues was what really made rock have that deep pull on me. Plus I’ve always been a classic rock kind of guy, so that’s helped me along, too.
The band is actually a super random mishmash of guys. I recorded our EP on my own with the help of my producer. Taylor, our bassist, joined the band mostly because I think he’s a genuinely good person as well as the fact that he can both sing and play bass. Our current drummer joined on as a recommendation from Jason Vorpagel, who produced the EP. We’re guys who love rock music, and we’re definitely trying to put some serious soul into whatever we play.
I’ve witnessed that you wear your wide ranging musical influences with pride on your EP. What were you listening to when you decided that going into the murky world of music was for you?
Oh, man. I decided that the world of music was for me back in like 9th grade when I picked up a guitar, but I don’t know if that counts. I was pretty much listening to Guns n’ Roses and Metallica at the time. But if you’re talking about when I really started taking this music thing seriously, it wasn’t until I wrote “Live My Life” back in 2012 that that happened. I remember I was really into the Delta Saints’ latest album, “Death Letter Jubilee.” The swampy, bluesy sound they’ve got changed me forever. I also remember hearing Myles Kennedy sing with Slash, and I thought, “That’s it! That’s the soul mixed with rock that I want to hear forever.”
Speaking of going into the music biz, what else fills your time when you’re not creating refreshing rock n’ roll sounds and what is your long term music game plan?
I’m actually a full-time 4th grade teacher. Nobody ever sees that one coming when they meet me at a show, but I love it, since working with kids has always been a passion of mine. Other than the insane amount of time teaching takes, I’m a family man. I’ve got a wife, a two-year-old girl, and a baby on the way. My long term music game plan is to do this thing as a job. I want to be a musician, and I spend a huge amount of time networking and booking to try and make that happen. Luckily, my wife is probably even more sure of this music thing than I am, and she always pushes me and encourages me to keep going.
The blues are a tough road to go down. Mentally, what inspires you to write bluesy leaning tracks?
When I need to get myself in the mood, I watch “The Walking Dead.” It’s dark, and the soundtrack they’ve got going is insane. Also, I try to picture the old blues men in Chicago back in the day playing a rough bar, or Robert Plant singing in a smoky room. It always takes me in the right direction.
You’ve been lucky enough to get some radio play and some pretty killer reviews; do you think this will influence you on writing new material?
Well, yes and no. I love getting a good review, but I definitely don’t want to end up writing the same stuff again because it got a good rating. I don’t want to be a guy trying to rehash greatest hits ten years down the road, you know? But I also know that if a song’s going to get good reviews, it’s because I let it come from who I am. Art is art because it’s an expression of the person who made it, and that’s where people are going to connect. I think if I’m gonna get a solid review or radio play, it’s because people hear my music and say, “Whoa, this is the real stuff.”
I read that you want to release new material this year. How’s that going?
Not bad! I’m planning on heading into the studio very, very soon to record our next single, which is heavier than most of our songs, but it’s also still got strong bluesy ties and might be our best song yet. We’ve got a full album’s worth of new original material, so it’s just a matter of time and money. New stuff will definitely be released in 2014.
What is it that world need to know about Evan Egerer?
Now that’s a big question. People have got to know that this music isn’t out there to be exactly like another band. We’re taking the soul of the blues and giving it the heaviness and evolved feel of today’s rock. Is blues grunge a thing? That’s what we’re going for. Like Led Zeppelin meets Alice in Chains, baby.
Evan Egerer and the Tribe: Facebook. / ReverbNation.
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