The Evens - "Music Is for Everybody"

               

      The Evens are a band that truly stand for what music is all about.  This Washington D.C. based two piece is made up of Amy Farina (formerly of The Warmers) on drums and Ian MacKaye on baritone guitar.  MacKaye has been a seminal figure in the underground music scene in Washington D.C. since 1978 as a founding member of the Teen Idles and Minor Threat, considered to be one of the very first hardcore punk bands.  MacKaye is also one of the founding members of Dischord Records, and would later found Fugazi, who would go on to become one of the biggest bands the underground has ever seen selling albums in the millions, numbers unheard of by most other independent label bands.  As the creator of the “straight edge” movement, MacKaye has always taken a firm stance against the abuse of drugs and alcohol and has continuously pushed for low ticket prices and all ages policies at his shows.  MacKaye’s desire for all ages shows stems from his belief that music is for everyone.  The same is true for The Evens.  Their latest CD “The Odds” continues in the same vein as their previous releases; Farina’s drumming and singing are perfectly timed and her beats are ferocious on tracks like King of Kings and Warble Factor.  MacKaye’s guitar playing is haunting and slow at times and then erupts into the same ferocity seen in his former bands.  While most of the tracks are sung by Farina with MacKaye doing backing vocals, some songs like Wanted Criminals see MacKaye singing lead and truly harken back to the days of Fugazi.  Every track on the album is fantastic and that doesn’t happen often.  The Evens continue to only charge $5.00 at the door for their shows and play at nontraditional venues such as libraries, book stores, bike shops, cafes, really anywhere.  With the current trends in the music industry it’s nice to see a band that not only sticks to its values but fights for them.  Music is an art form; it’s not about selling a product, or making as much money as possible, it’s about expressing yourself and The Evens exemplify this.