Concert Review: Sam Evian Sam Evian Is “You, Forever” At Rough Trade

Taking the magical train out of Brooklyn, where NORTHSIDE FEST DOMINATED, I felt like a little bird that had flown from the nestled mood of Sam Evian’s show. With pastel canyons pictured behind him, Evian sang to those that feel on the edge of both their own greatness and madness, which are often intertwined. At Rough Trade, the crowd swooned as if an album could romance a people.

From “You, Forever” to “Sleep Easy”, Evian whipped out the sax and guitar like they were medicines from his music cabinet. While on the train, talking to a buddy I met at the concert, we kept on thinking of the multiple “classic rockstars” he summoned in his set. Yes, Evian is one of “those concerts”; where you walk away with a new friend that has deemed your musical tastes a sign of higher intellectualism. Yet, don’t knock Evian’s elaborate lyricism and reference as “uppity”. On the contrary, he is a humble guy, even bringing his dad to play, that winds his melodies to be brisk, like a road trip across the Midwest. Yet, the vastness of his verse is meant for those that see their life like an unwritten Kerouac novel.

From George Harrison to Eric Clapton, Evian felt like he belonged in their era. Maybe it was the mid 70’s to 80’s but something happened in rock n’ roll when it transitioned from gut-busting to mind-altering. When it was not about putting you in a fantasy as much as a mindful state, and the differences lied in your level of exhilaration. You were not head-banging as much as staying still and letting music waltz into your ears to heighten how much you used of your brain. Thus, Evian’s vocals felt like water tapping upon your eardrums to cleanse them. He felt smooth and untethered in vocal tone; like the sandstone that, probably, shaped the picturesque canyon behind him.

Sam Evian is the concert you go to when you want to relax your body and soul, but feel like your mind can still go. As a singer and multi-instrumentalist, Evian treats his instruments like they are foreign delicacies; traveling far away lands to be treasured and tasted for their full, exotic worth. The result is a show that is PERFECT for when you want to be thoughtfully entertained. For More Information On Sam Evian Click Here.