We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Evan Alderton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Evan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
My main pathway of learning in the music business that I always fall back on is trial and error. I am constantly trying to learn from what works and what doesn’t work. Knowing what I can progress with and what I need to leave behind. One thing I notice is just how rapidly the music business moves. It’s constantly changing and evolving. However, one thing always remains the same and that is; at the end of the day, if you make good art and stay true to yourself and really appreciate any success you do generate, you will be in forward progression.
Another huge challenge I overcame and learned from is that I stopped comparing myself and my music to others. I think it’s important to still draw inspiration from other creatives in the business and add proverbial fuel to the fire regarding your own creative endeavors. However, every single artist has their own path, timeline, strengths, and weaknesses. Nobody is the same and we can only learn from our own journey.
Evan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Evan Alderton and I am the main songwriter behind the band Melodic Canvas. Our sound has been described as shoegaze, grunge, folk, and alt rock. Our main inspiration draws from the early 90’s but we try and put our own unique spin on everything we do.
I try to not let my songs become stagnant and pigeon holed into certain genres and tropes. I like to think of the songs as these sentient beings that take on lives of their own after a certain period of time. I know that may sound pretentious but it’s just how I feel about it.
I got into music almost by accident. I was never a child prodigy or even played music when I was young. Though, I always knew I had a musical ear. I didn’t gain any interest until my older brother gave me his electric guitar for my 14th birthday. I didn’t have any lessons and knew practically nothing about the guitar. The thing that made me stick with it and actually learn was an underlying passion I didn’t even realize I had for creating music. I remember writing songs almost right away since I didn’t even know what chords were or how to play them.
I also remember watching videos of Nirvana and Green Day and thinking I wanted to do what they’re doing even though I didn’t have any clue on how to get there.
Years later, I’m still trying to go after that and still don’t have a clue as to what I’m doing for the most part. Though, I have learned a lot and try to stick to my passion and let everything else just kind of flow by the wayside. I am trying to constantly evolve and get better, but I never hold on to things too tightly as this business is so unpredictable.
I am so grateful for the work and progress I have made in recent years and I can’t thank our listeners and fans enough for taking their time to hear out my little project.
There’s huge things coming that are on the horizon for Melodic Canvas and I can’t wait for you all to hear them.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I think my main mission in all of it is that I really just want people to feel something from my music. I want them to feel these emotions and colors I’m trying to paint through my work and deeply connect with them.
All my songs can be interpreted in a different way and as long as it connects to you deeply, that’s all I want.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I think the most rewarding part is just having people tell me that my music has helped them in some sort of way. Whether it’s pulling them out of a dark place or giving them comfort while they’re in that darkness.
I’ve been in many deep, dark places throughout my life and I know how it feels to be there. So if someone can connect with my art and share their story with me, that’s always the reward for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://melodiccanvas.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/melodiccanvas?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melodiccanvas?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Twitter: Twitter.com/melodic_canvas
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@melodiccanvas
Image Credits
Spencer Isberg (Live Photos)