We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Evan Crider a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Evan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’m a musician and songwriter, but that wasn’t something that necessarily came easily. At an early age, music (especially playing guitar) was something only my imagination could grasp. Growing up, popular 60s and 70s bands and songwriters were the basis of what I knew. Bands like The Beatles, AC/DC, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Harry and Tom Chapin became cherished favorites of mine played through every road trip and trip to school. With these acts, music became a fixture of my existence. From there, I branched out to a plethora of other genres and styles that would define what I’d like to get out of music.
For as long as I can remember, I’d memorize every words and every note, singing things as they should be. But I realized that the guitar was a prime piece of the puzzle. With that, I had this overt yearning to be able to dance my fingers across a fret board. The reality set in when I acquired my first guitar at the age of 13. I assumed I could teach myself the science and mechanics, only to discover the intricate difficulties of the journey. At one point, for about a year, I dropped the desire to learn out of frustration, but eventually realized that I had to suck to get better. I started hitting open mics at 17, just to throw myself out there and do the thing. It was a rough road as I realized how cut throat performing live can be. But through perseverance, meeting and talking to a menagerie of musicians, acquiring guidance, insight, and trial and error, I’ve kind of figured out what I needed to do.

Some people Rushing a good thing is never a great idea. You miss so much along the journey of learning and becoming better. One of the most profound and significant things I’d ever been taught about learning music and playing an instrument was given to me by my guitar instructor Kevin Shannon. “Learning an instrument and the science behind music is like the launch of a rocket ship. You don’t see it blasting off through the atmosphere. It takes time for it to build power and speed. The same can be said about the journey of learning.” Those words still stick with me to this day. I wouldn’t do anything differently.

As far as skills, I don’t believe you necessarily need them. You can find plenty of proof on YouTube to support that notion. However, if you want to learn music, understand it and do it, you need to be patient, persevere, and be consistent in what you’re doing. Not to mention, you need to know what you want to do.

Evan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Why did I get into music? Because it’s one of the basic fabrics of my existence as a human being. There isn’t a second that goes by that I’m not listening to it, or hearing melodies in my head. Sometimes I feel crazy (maybe I am). Music is connective. Maybe not to everyone, but it affects every individual uniquely. It’s a subjective thing that can be made and interpreted by each person it touches.

For me, when I perform a cover or write a song, and not to sound selfish or self serving, I do it for me. It’s seldom I will perform a cover if it doesn’t resonate through my bones. When it comes to writing and composing a song, I’m not doing it for anyone else. It’s a medium of which I use to excise what weighs me down or simply express what’s inside my head. An important thing that was imparted upon me was, “Do it for yourself first.” If it touches and bridges the gap between you and some one else, that’s a beautiful perk. But if you aren’t believing and feeling what you’re doing, it’s not always going to be the best performance or product you can create. Merely an opinion, but that holds true for me perpetually.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Get out and support local art – museums, art coops, pop-up events. Support local music by going to venues, events, and digging deep into the underground world of different genres. You’d be surprised with what you can discover. It also ensures that watered down, white washed music and the industry that supports it doesn’t bury the intriguing and unique acts, genres, etc.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

For the most part, yes. One thing I avoid is settling into complacency. In my personal opinion, complacency can hinder you. specifically things like ambition, effort, zeal, and especially, your creativity. The other thing to never stop doing, is sharpening your edges. Never ever, EVER assume you know everything. Always be open to learning new things whether it be self discovering or transmitted to you by some one else. The absolutely most imperative thing I try to maintain constantly is – be true to yourself and do it for yourself. I know I’ve said that before, but it’s just something that rings true for me. It’s more of an ongoing, never ending goal and mission. If you do something for some one else, especially music, the end result won’t be the most beneficial for you, let alone something that fuels your fire. There’s nothing more detrimental than playing or writing a song for some one else. If some one doesn’t like that you write a sad song (or songs), you have to let that roll like water off your back. If you do what people want and it doesn’t necessarily resonate with you, the energy won’t always be there (especially as it pertains to energy and performance). This is in no way a shot at people who enjoy performing what people want to hear. It’s subjective for everyone and that’s important to understand. Authenticity and creating with intention both represent my mission and drive my creative journey.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evan_crider/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvanCriderMusic

Image Credits

Epic Images Photography