Evolution Eden: Rocking It Out By The Radio Light

Evolution Eden: Rocking It Out By The Radio Light

Evolution Eden is a San Francisco-based rock and roll collective who has been making quite a name for themselves above and beyond the Bay Area.  Los Angeles is definitely their home away from home, as the band is always playing shows at The Whisky and The Canyon Club opening up for big name bands such as Stryper, Winger, Lynch Mob, and even Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles.  One this particularly chill night at The Rose in Pasadena, Evolution Eden found themselves opening for the like of the legendary Geoff Tate formerly of Queensryche, performing an absolutely exhilarating acoustic set.  Fan favorites such as Falling In Love By The Radio Light and Rules Were Made For Breaking were among the selections Evolution Eden played in their short yet very memorable set.  Just right before Geoff Tate would hit the stage, we caught up with three of the Evolution Eden members to discuss their just released album Modern Nostalgia, their timeless songs, and other rockin’ topics.  Read on…

Introduce yourself and tell me what you do in Evolution Eden.
Pap: This is Pap and I play guitar and sing in Evolution Eden.

Andy: This is Andy and I play bass.

Brandon: This is Brandon and I sing and play guitar.

Where are you based and what’s your music scene like there?
Brandon: We’re from San Francisco and there really is no music scene there, which is why we come down to LA and we play Sacramento a lot because that’s where the real rock fans are. If you’re not folk or rap, San Francisco is pretty much dead. Unless you’re a huge arena band, so a band like us, we gotta go out of town to find our fans.

Is there any story or concept behind that title of your new album Modern Nostalgia?
Brandon: The idea behind it is that a lot of people say – oh you guys sound like a 70s or an 80s rock band. So there’s that nostalgia, there’s something familiar for them. But we also try and put a little bit of a modern twist, getting those modern production values and the modern harmonies that a lot of the band are doing now. So it’s kind of taking something that’s familiar, that 70s / 80s sound but trying to make it up to date. Something new and fresh, Modern Nostalgia.

Andy: The whole make you feel good, you heard it in your past. You were happy about it, we’re trying to bring that back in. Music should be cathartic. It should make you feel good. So we try to bring that to our songs.

Select any Evolution Eden song and tell me what inspired the lyrics.
Pap: I would say California Song’s inspiration was to try and create a song that gave sort of an anthem for the state and what it offers. Most of us are natives to the state so we thought that would be a way to do sort of a mellower song. Something not as rocked up as we normally do and deliver the message. So I would say that one for me.

Brandon: My Summer Soundtrack: it’s just a story of how we were introduced to music and grew up. The very first lyric is “my education started with The Beatles” – That was the first music that a lot of us were hooked on and then we moved into KISS, Aerosmith, Van Halen and all those 70s rock bands. Then in the 80s we were into the Night Rangers and the Def Leppard’s, AC/DC. It’s a history of our life’s cycle through music and how whether good or bad, no matter what you’re going through in life, music is always there for you.  It’s one of my favorites .

Andy: So Maddest Hatter, the back story is that it tells you a story about the music business. Going down the rabbit hole and just how we don’t matter. Just how crazy things are today and how you fight tooth and nail for every break you get, every step forward you take there’s a step or two back. It’s surreal. The whole idea of Alice in the Looking Glass, the Maddest Hatter is how surreal the music business is today.

One song you didn’t mention that I think is one of your best is Falling in Love By The Radio Light. What’s the story behind that song?
Brandon: Really that song was just about going back to your younger years when you lived with your parents and your car was your make out area. Just driving with you girl and you got your tunes on and maybe you’re necking or something like that. You always put on your favorite, well cassette tape back then, on. Just falling in love for the first time and how the stereo, the radio was kind of the soundtrack to that. Today it’s your iPhone or downloading and stuff like that. You picked a certain song to get that girl to kiss you. To fall in love with you or you would give your girl mix tapes. It’s about that. We think it’s one of our better songs too, that’s why we play it every night. It goes over really well with the fans. It’s just a song about how when we were young, we would try to get chicks. [laughs]

Pap: Part of the Modern Nostalgia is that we are writing songs that we relate to and looking back in our lives, that’s a powerful thing. People connect to that. All of us had a moment in the car at some point with the radio light on with somebody. The storytelling, we like to tell stories. We try to do that no matter if the song is mid tempo, ballady or a rocker. All of our songs will have a story to it. They have a beginning, middle and end. We love that because we’re fans of artists that do that. Tell a story and people will hopefully relate to it. That’s the idea. That particular song, yeah, absolutely. Falling in love by the radio light, did everyone do that in their lives? Not maybe exactly, but did you have a first love? Were you somewhere you shouldn’t be with somebody? Most people can say yeah, at some point in my life that happened.

Brandon: We have a kid ask us, like a sixteen year old, oh yeah, what’s a radio light? He didn’t even know…

If Evolution Eden could open for any band you know from the past, who would it be and why?
Pap: Okay I’m going I just go way out on a limb. If I could open for any band, if we’re like there’s no budget on this, we can do whatever we want. I think it would be Van Halen. And it wouldn’t matter which way or who was singing, personally

Andy: For me it would be Led Zeppelin. I mean I’ve always loved, John Paul Jones I love his grooves. How competent he is across all those different instruments. You know that pounding by Bonham and the vocals by Page.  I love those old blues rockers that kind of just gets you, you know right in the soul. I would love that, I don’t know if we’d a very good match with them but they’ll be a great show..

Brandon: If I had to pick one I probably would pick KISS with Brian Adams being a close second.

If people want to get hold of you how would how would they do so?
Brandon: Evolution Eden dot com, We also have Facebook. Our tunes are available on ITunes, Amazon. You can go to our website, which I think is the cheapest place to download the music. And come out to our show and enjoy it!

Upcoming Evolution Eden shows:
April 21st – The Canyon Club with Richie Kotzen
May 20th – The Canyon Club with Warrant

Evolution Eden is:
Mike Pappas – vocals & guitars
Brandon Owen – vocals & guitars
Andy Hewett – bass
Jim Bove – drums

(Interview by Ken Morton – Photos by Jack Lue)

Evolution Eden on Facebook