Bob Evans (15/03/2013)
In St. Ali, a quirky little alley café tucked away in the heart of South Melbourne, sits a multi-talented, and, if you please, multi-personality musician with a big mop of blonde hair and a boyish grin. That musician is Kevin Mitchell; Jebediah front-man, Basement Birds member, and alter ego Bob Evans. Three years ago marked the beginning of the new Bob Evans record entering creation, but now today, Familiar Stranger is finally being released.
Kev’s pseudonym Bob Evans was born out of a desire to explore new musical agendas without the expectations of musical projects past. If you’re strictly a Jebediah fan though, read on, because this record may just suit you too. “Sometimes there’s a little bit of cross over, more so now than 10 years ago. Jebediah and Bob Evans are drawing a little bit closer together and there’s not as much difference stylistically as there used to be. Jebediah is starting to get closer to Bob Evans and this Bob Evans record is probably closer to Jebediah than any of the last ones.”
Kev has described Familiar Stranger as “a conceptual journey between death and life.” Kevin elaborated on this description for us. “Well pretty much the way the record opens is it sort of starts with, I guess, grief. I experienced the loss of an extended family member and that’s pretty much how the record begins and it ends with the experience of becoming a father. Those kind of two experiences bookmarked the last three years so they bookmarked the record as well.” He says he’s “never made a record like this before. It is very much a kind of… I’ve really gotta find another word to use for journey. I really hate that fucking word (laughs). It was a reflection of what’s taken place in those three years and I tried to kind of make it, for the listener, something they can make for themselves.”
Although this record is “emotionally charged” Kev tried to balance the lyrical and musical aspects lightheartedly. “Musically I tried to make the record fun so even though those lyrical concepts are kind of heavy in a way, I tried to make sure the way the music came across was kind of a bit playful.” But Familiar Stranger’s musical influences have deviated slightly. Unlike the last two records which were recorded in Nashville, this one was recorded right here in Melbourne. “I was making records that were informed by old country and that kind of stuff and had Nashville musicians playing on the record. We were definitely going for a particular kind of sound with both of those records and this time I wanted to break away from that so by staying in Melbourne and also by not using some of those key kind of instruments. There’s not really any kind of country influenced songs on this record at all, I mean, maybe there’s some folk influences but they don’t dominate like they did on the last record.”
The first single released was I Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore. It’s easy to presume what this must be about, because he’s had a lot of changes in his life over the past few years. Moving to Melbourne, losing an extended family member, and only about 4 or 5 months ago, welcoming his baby girl into the world. But all these experiences aside, he actually “came up with those lyrics fairly unconsciously.” In actual fact, the chorus came to him while he was driving over the Westgate Freeway of all places! So, it’s not something he takes “ultra-seriously.” In reality he “[doesn’t] mind growing up that much. [Rather], it’s fleeting moments where circumstances may play a part in making [him] look back nostalgically.”
For Bob Evans fans, the three year wait seems like a lifetime, but to Kev, “that times gone really fast, because [he’s] been putting out other records in between.” One of those records included Jebediah’s 2011 album Kosciuszko, as well as other works with Basement Birds. For Jebediah fans out there, the future is uncertain “I don’t know, I like to think there will be [more to come]. I’d love to make another Jebediah record but at this stage we havent’ even got together or started writing or anything yet so it’s too far away to really be able to tell.”
In April, Bob Evans is hitting the road for an extensive national tour. “I haven’t done a proper national tour as Bob Evans for years. Not since 2009 I guess. So yeah I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve had my time off from Bob now and I’m really looking forward to getting back into it!” With many stops all over Australia, you have no excuse to miss him!
So for all of you dedicated Bob Evans fans out there, who have been patiently waiting to hear him hit the airwaves again, the wait is finally over! Don’t miss his new record Familiar Stranger in stores now!
Rebecca Costanzo
Kev’s pseudonym Bob Evans was born out of a desire to explore new musical agendas without the expectations of musical projects past. If you’re strictly a Jebediah fan though, read on, because this record may just suit you too. “Sometimes there’s a little bit of cross over, more so now than 10 years ago. Jebediah and Bob Evans are drawing a little bit closer together and there’s not as much difference stylistically as there used to be. Jebediah is starting to get closer to Bob Evans and this Bob Evans record is probably closer to Jebediah than any of the last ones.”
Kev has described Familiar Stranger as “a conceptual journey between death and life.” Kevin elaborated on this description for us. “Well pretty much the way the record opens is it sort of starts with, I guess, grief. I experienced the loss of an extended family member and that’s pretty much how the record begins and it ends with the experience of becoming a father. Those kind of two experiences bookmarked the last three years so they bookmarked the record as well.” He says he’s “never made a record like this before. It is very much a kind of… I’ve really gotta find another word to use for journey. I really hate that fucking word (laughs). It was a reflection of what’s taken place in those three years and I tried to kind of make it, for the listener, something they can make for themselves.”
Although this record is “emotionally charged” Kev tried to balance the lyrical and musical aspects lightheartedly. “Musically I tried to make the record fun so even though those lyrical concepts are kind of heavy in a way, I tried to make sure the way the music came across was kind of a bit playful.” But Familiar Stranger’s musical influences have deviated slightly. Unlike the last two records which were recorded in Nashville, this one was recorded right here in Melbourne. “I was making records that were informed by old country and that kind of stuff and had Nashville musicians playing on the record. We were definitely going for a particular kind of sound with both of those records and this time I wanted to break away from that so by staying in Melbourne and also by not using some of those key kind of instruments. There’s not really any kind of country influenced songs on this record at all, I mean, maybe there’s some folk influences but they don’t dominate like they did on the last record.”
The first single released was I Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore. It’s easy to presume what this must be about, because he’s had a lot of changes in his life over the past few years. Moving to Melbourne, losing an extended family member, and only about 4 or 5 months ago, welcoming his baby girl into the world. But all these experiences aside, he actually “came up with those lyrics fairly unconsciously.” In actual fact, the chorus came to him while he was driving over the Westgate Freeway of all places! So, it’s not something he takes “ultra-seriously.” In reality he “[doesn’t] mind growing up that much. [Rather], it’s fleeting moments where circumstances may play a part in making [him] look back nostalgically.”
For Bob Evans fans, the three year wait seems like a lifetime, but to Kev, “that times gone really fast, because [he’s] been putting out other records in between.” One of those records included Jebediah’s 2011 album Kosciuszko, as well as other works with Basement Birds. For Jebediah fans out there, the future is uncertain “I don’t know, I like to think there will be [more to come]. I’d love to make another Jebediah record but at this stage we havent’ even got together or started writing or anything yet so it’s too far away to really be able to tell.”
In April, Bob Evans is hitting the road for an extensive national tour. “I haven’t done a proper national tour as Bob Evans for years. Not since 2009 I guess. So yeah I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve had my time off from Bob now and I’m really looking forward to getting back into it!” With many stops all over Australia, you have no excuse to miss him!
So for all of you dedicated Bob Evans fans out there, who have been patiently waiting to hear him hit the airwaves again, the wait is finally over! Don’t miss his new record Familiar Stranger in stores now!
Rebecca Costanzo