| Interviews
| Eve
Selis
| by
John
Lanham
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lWhen
Ray Carver asked me to do an interview with Eve
Selis, he said she had over a million plays on
mp3.com,
http://www.mp3.com/eveselis.
I thought,WOW, she must be good! I went to her site,
gave a listen and had no doubt and you won't either!
May I introduce you to Eve Selis.
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(SBM)
How would you describe your style of music and
yourself?
(Eve) I describe my music as Roadhouse Rock, which
is a blend of high-energy,
bluesy rock 'n' roll with roots, country flavor and
hook-filled pop melodies. We try to be true to ourselves and tend to disregard
labels and genres as being too misleading. I can rock hard and I can sing
a torch country ballad. I can belt out a bluesy wail and sing a tender folk
song. I love all that music and I can't tell you one label that really
describes it all accurately so we made one up ourselves. Also, my band is
awesome and can really tear the roof off a place so we like to think of every venue
we play as a roadhouse.
(SBM) Tell us something more about your new
album. Like how does "Do You Know Me" compare to your previous efforts?
(Eve) We hooked up with Nashville
producer/songwriter Kim Patton-Johnston for this record. Many of the songs were co-written with Kim
and other established Nashville songwriters and some of it was recorded in
Nashville with great Nashville players. We finished here in San Diego,
with my band. So there's certainly more of a mainstream flavor to this record
than in the others but I think Kim is brilliant and has musical sensibilities
that reach far beyond the typical Nashville sound. Also my style is a bit
outside the Nashville box and my voice and my songs are anything but
"typical country" so it makes for an interesting sound. We were conscious of crafting
a record that had
integrity but still had a radio-friendly quality and
more mainstream appeal. I think Kim was able to help find that delicate
balance.
(SBM) What's your favorite track on the album
and why?
(Eve) That's a tough one. I have so many really. I
think Kim's song "Do You Know Me" is the standout track on the CD. It's a
perfect song in my mind and it touches so many people when I sing it live. That's a
wonderful feeling to be able to sing a song that really matters to people
and one that changes the way you think about life. So that one is the title
track for that reason, but I love the swampy vibe of "Tear This Old House
Down," and I love the haunting melody of "In My
Dreams" and, of course,
Julie Miller's "Broken Things" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. In
terms of personal joy, the song "Russellville" has a special place in
my heart because it's a true story and those people have become dear friends to me and
my band. That's more than
one but I honestly didn't record a song for the
album that I didn't love. That was very important. I didn't think "Boy I
really hate this song but it's a radio hit so I better do it." I really feel
passionately about all the songs. (Can you tell?)
(SBM) What are your plans / expectations for
the near future?
(Eve) Right now I'm focusing on grassroots
marketing, touring, Internet exposure, national and international magazine coverage,
sponsorships, distribution, film & TV placement and radio
airplay. PHEW!!
Basically all the things a major label would be focusing on to create maximum
exposure. The only difference being I have a small circle of friends
and family helping out with
hardly any budget as opposed to a major label with
millions of dollars and perks to throw around. Oh well, that's the indie
way. Thanks to folks like you and hundreds of others around the world, we are
slowly but surely getting the word out and my fan base is growing every day.
That's what it's all about for me. I don't need to be rich and famous, I just
want to get my music heard by as many people as I can. So far the response has
been overwhelming. The new CD is getting great reviews from magazines and
listeners alike and I'll be touring the States this spring and summer and
hope to get to Europe later in the year. I hope to see all of you then!!! Thanks
for your support!
You can visit Eve at...http://www.eveselis.com or
http://www.mp3.com/eveselis
On
behalf of Southbound Beat, I would like to thank Eve
for taking the time to do this interview and wish
her the greatest success. John Lanham for
SBM.
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