Evil Creek

Evil Creek shares their single, “Away From The Sun” (Interview)

Evil Creek

Evil Creek is back with their single, “Away From The Sun”

Music has a profound way of making us feel less alone, and that was particularly true during the pandemic. And yet, at the same time, live music halted, also stunting some of those musical connections. Ottawa-based rockers Evil Creek capture this conundrum with their release of their new single and video, “Away From The Sun,” from their forthcoming EP of the same name, out December 2, 2022.

An Americana-tinged guitar anthem with introspective loud-quiet dynamics, “Away From The Sun” takes a deep dive into mental health issues and depression, exploring loneliness and isolation.

I know I walk alone
My shadow follows me
Takes away my sanity
Take a look in my eyes
See I’ve become so hollow
Will I make it through tomorrow

The corresponding music video tells parallel stories of a band and an individual who found themselves closed off from the world

“A lot of people face a very real and legitimate daily struggle with mental illness,” the band said. “Throughout history, touchpoints like music and social connections have provided coping and healing mechanisms in this struggle. But when Covid came along, we were all forced into isolation with no end in sight, no good news, and very little interaction to create a balance. This really amplified the impact of mental illness struggles across the world.”

In the video, the man eventually finds some peace as he makes his way toward a cozy living room and puts on some headphones, finding a cocoon – and connection – there. The camera then cuts to a scene where the same man stands in front of the band in that empty bar, and he fist bumps the singer as though he’s there.

“I want people to identify with the character in this video,” said band member Johnny McConnell. “I hope for them to realize the satisfaction of knowing that no matter what we go through in life, music is always there for us – to change us for the better, to wrap its arms around us, and to empower us.”

Watch the video for “Away From The Sun” below and learn more about Evil Creek via our mini-interview.

Care to introduce yourselves to our readers?

As individuals, we all grew up in smaller towns and rural areas – mostly across Ontario but as far as away as the isle of Ireland. Although we didn’t grow up together, and we all had very different musical backgrounds, we shared very common interests, and we were influenced by a lot of the same bands.

Each of us has always loved music, from when we were very young children, and we were lucky enough to have all picked up instruments at an early age. We all put in the time to become accomplished musicians, and we got to know each other as friends as we crossed paths in the fairly tight-knit Ottawa music scene.

As we grew a little older and became more experienced, the music scene in Ottawa evolved to have fewer opportunities available on the heavier side of rock music. We each found ourselves gravitating towards more musical tastes accessible to more people – never losing our personal tastes for a harder edge but exploring other avenues as well. It’s pretty fun working in heavy rock riffs together with a little bit of country, maybe some bluegrass, delicate dynamics, and just good old hard-driving rock music. We don’t take it too seriously.

We like to think of the style of music that Evil Creek creates as Acoustic Hard Rock. Our songs feature a heavy groove behind energetic acoustic guitar riffs and eerie melodic vocals. They tell an emotional story that each audience member can easily interpret and make their own. We often hear from audience members that they thought we were speaking right to them and they had not witnessed this kind of energy before.

Tell us about the process of writing “Away From The Sun.”

A lot of people face a very real and legitimate daily struggle with mental illnesses. Mark wanted to capture the fear that many people experience, particularly from anxiety, and how we tend to mask that fear with alcohol – sometimes even having terminal thoughts and actions – feelings that catalyzed when he lost a close friend to suicide.

Mark brought the delicate guitar riff and moving lyrics to the band, and we really gelled on it. It came together quickly with Cliff’s crunchy guitar really setting the hook in the powerful chorus and moving solo, Johnny’s meandering keys, and soaring backup vocals to add colour. Steve and Rus anchor the dynamic changes with a driving rhythm as the backbone.

The song was recorded during the pandemic lockdown when isolation and anxiety were very real for so many people. We tried to capture that angst and isolation in the music video for Away From The Sun with parallel stories of a band and an individual who found themselves closed off from the world.

What’s it like being a musician in Ottawa?

The Ottawa scene has changed a lot over the years. While there aren’t a lot of large, dedicated music venues left on the bar scene, our favourite venue, the legendary Brass Monkey, stands firm and continues to get better and stronger. The entire Ottawa music community is grateful for people like Skotti Ruffo (featured as the bartender in the video), who not only saved the Brass Monkey through the pandemic lockdown but supports bands like Evil Creek with opportunities to create and connect in this beautiful mainstay venue of the Ottawa music scene. There are also plenty of small and upcoming venues and some fantastic music festivals throughout the summer, so there is no shortage of opportunities for bands to come together to make music and create connections.

There are also plenty of amazingly talented and brilliant musicians, bands, producers, and sound engineers around the city. It was a great honour for Evil Creek to participate with so many great bands in the 2022 Ottawa Awards, and we are very proud to have been voted Music Group of the Year amongst our peers. It’s been exciting to watch our peers rise with us to put this great city on the map again. We definitely have future Juno award winners here in Ottawa.

Who was the first Canadian artist to blow you away?

Each band member would probably answer that differently. Suffice it to say we are all extremely proud of the Canadian heroes of our youths. Favourites like Rush, Triumph, Bryan Adams, and Tea Party really made their mark on the world and on our own hopes and dreams as musicians in this great country.

You’ve been making music for a while now. What’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?

Be your own critic – don’t worry about the others. If you’ve written something that made you feel like a weight was lifted off your shoulders, or you just get sheer joy from playing it, that’s enough fuel to keep the engine revving and speed on to the next stop. Human nature is to seek approval from the people around us and, most of the time, it’s not the answer we were hoping for. Just remember how you felt when you penned your masterpiece and know in your heart it was good enough for you – that’s all that matters. People will notice your authenticity and emotion and it will affect them in positive ways, whether they thank you for it or not.

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