The Evens

Interview with Ian MacKaye

What kind of a name for a band is 'The Evens'? It hardly trips off the tongue, and its opaqueness is such that you don't know what to expect at first. However, on consideration, the connotations around the name are many and various. Firstly there's the suggestion of equality in number and fairness, of pairing up and of balance. Then there's the sense of levelling a debt, becoming quits, getting even. Finally there is the hint of conviction, of boundless possibility to do something even if the consequences are to your detriment. It is with these shades of meaning in mind that the name begins to make sense.

The Evens are a duo from Washington DC who play stripped down, almost folk-like, variations on the rock song. Their sound relies on intimacy as much as intensity, their lyrics as politically charged as they are emotionally wrought. Yet at the heart of the band's dynamic is a certain quietitude and sensitivity that ties all this together into a strong pop sensibility. With this in mind it may come as a surprise to many to learn that punk luminaries Ian MacKaye (Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Fugazi) and Amy Farina (The Warmers) are the faces behind the project, but then again on closer consideration it shouldn't. The same vitriol and passion burns as brightly in this band as in any of its predecessors, the only difference being the subtlety with which the message is delivered. Live, the band performs seated, choosing to route their vocals through guitar amps rather than through the usual PA. In-between song repartee and jokey asides promote participation of all kinds (we're talking collective singing, whistling and finger-clicking here folks). These things contribute to the band's ability to powerfully connect with their audience on an honest, straightforward level. Having the confidence to speak out and openly means a lot to this band, and what better way can they achieve this than by actively encouraging an understanding familiarity between themselves and their fans.

"Currently in Evens I sing and play baritone guitar whilst Amy sings and drums, we usually prefer to sing together" explains Ian when I met up with the band at their London show last November, on the first date of their debut European tour. "We work on the music and lyrics together" he continues "though generally it is given that the main lyricist of a song will become the lead vocalist on that track". Musically The Evens' sound is reminiscent of Ian's tracks from Fugazi's Instrument, the guitar working off drones and hooky riffs in an inventive and imaginative manner. However it's Amy's gentle vocals and distinctive scattering, restless drums that take the songs down engaging new paths.

Amy and Ian started playing music together in the late summer of 2001, practicing regularly without a 'formal band' idea set in mind. It was this freedom which helped them hit upon their own minimalist sound, a sound that perfectly complemented their series of keen spirited, spartan songs. "In late 2003 we decided to record some of the songs we had written and went into Inner Ear studios" Ian elucidates. "The resulting nine-song demo propelled us to play some gigs (if only because we finally put the finishing touches on the songs and figured we might as well play them in front of people), so we spent the first six months of 2004 gigging around the States". This tour led the band to further develop their songs and tune them to an audience other than their friends and with this new insight the pair returned to Inner Ear last summer to record again. This time they came away with the twelve tracks that make up their self-titled debut album, due for release in March 2005 on Dischord, as DIS150 no less.

I was keen to discover what motivated the band to adopt such a comparatively paired down and direct approach to song writing, which when pressed, revealed a fascinating comparison to their past projects. "I think our inspiration for the album is nothing short of life in general, it's all around us, no one can escape it" Ian clarifies, adding "my truest motivation in the Evens is precisely the same as all of the other bands that I have been a member of, to make and perform music, but there are some differences. The differences are both logistical (the Evens is a two-piece, which can be very liberating, just baritone guitar and drums, and the members are not the same as the other bands) and evolutionary (we try to make and perform music in the landscape in which we exist, while also responding to our experiences in other bands and in life)". It is this matter-of-fact candour that really sets the Evens apart from other bands which spout a message in their songs that is at once lost in obscurity.

Listening to the album they recently completed, it becomes clear to me that the songs are striking due to the direct way they address the listener. The final track on the album, 'You Won't Feel a Thing', is a good example; "you" are addressed throughout; "Sit back, relax, let go, you won't feel a thing, until the day you wake up". The clarity of this message, and the shortening of the distance between artist and listener makes this a particularly affecting song. MacKaye clearly sees the potential these songs have to connect with the listener; "music is sacred" he says, "a gathering point and a form of communication that predates language". This simple aim takes considerable means to succeed and MacKaye stresses the importance of the need to get the basics right in order to reach the listener, stressing that "song craft is very important to what we do, that's why we work so hard on our music". With this enviable work ethic and attention to detail it's obvious to all that the Evens are something far more realised than a side project employed while Fugazi continue their hiatus, they are a commitment that is thoroughly realised live and on record.

The simplicity of the Evens debut album belies the complex issues it addresses, and the strong political undercurrent within. You expect a record by MacKaye to be political and indeed the political references on the record are explicit. Illustrated most clearly with tracks like 'All These Governors' and 'Crude Bomb'. 'All These Governors' is one of the most straightforward political attacks on the album, it's target the bureaucratic leaders of State who are so busy self-serving that their existence is undermined as ineffectual, an interference driven by decree. 'Crude Bomb' similarly focuses on the climate of fear and the use of fear as a weapon that turns against the people it is supposedly protecting. The song calls to mind a remark Ian made at their London show about the alarming overuse of the term "dirty bomb" in the British media over the last year, an anxiety not fitting of the fact that a bomb made of radioactive matter would take hundreds of years of exposure to before it could cause any identifiable harm.

However don't leave with the idea that the album is a one-sided affair, nothing could be further from the truth. The album is as much about current US legislation, Neo Con strangleholds and the re-election as it is about the disquieting bond and axis that forms between two people in a relationship. Fundamentally the album is about what happens when these two worlds meet, as they invariabley do these days. The record chooses to tackle the problems of the outside world as a dialogue, comparing issues in our public life with those in our private relationships. Perhaps the most important of these relationships is that between Ian and Amy, who as a couple approach these songs from both viewpoints more spontaneously than most. For example, 'Sara Lee' is a beautifully subtle song, with its descending chords and muffled floor tom patterns. Amy and Ian, often sing together, theorising on the alternative life choices we all make, suggesting that where you are at the moment is "not necessarily the only way to navigate this empty field". Similarly 'Blessed Not Lucky'is nothing short of a love song, its hot-footed guitat hop providing a soundtrack to Ian's metaphysical musings on the nature of fate, letting go of purpose and understanding what your partner is thinking. 'If It's Water' describes the intensity of a relationship between two people, as well as our desire to reaffirm our control on our lives.

This personal dynamic is framed by a wider concern for the aforementioned political subjects, and these spheres are inextricably linked in 'Around the Corner' where the scattershot drumming and guitar reverb echoes provide the background for a story about self destruction that is contrasted to the disappearance of community. This collison between the political and the personal encapsulates the discourse and energy of the Evens project, some songs resolve this collison and look towards a solution. 'On the Face of it' proposes that although on the surface of things it appears like "we should count our days numbered" seeing that "there's nothing to confront unjust hypocrisy and inconsistency, while we pretend we are alone", the implication that this is not the actual case is heavily felt. When bridges are burned, atrocities are concealed and profits hoarded, it becomes evident that the only way we can stand in protest is together, our only opposition being "the tragedy of the strategy of looking out for number one". In my opinion 'Minding One's Business' is the most effectual song on the album, picking up on that progress means very different things to different people. The current situation in the US certainly regressive, this song seeming highly prescient of the Bush administrations view of progress as a return to the dark ages. Ian starts the song mantra-like with a counting rhyme. It developes into a hypnotic and especially sombre song, with Amy countering Ian's round by calling out "Sometimes you'll find your going forward backwards".

"The Evens" is a serious album, in thematic intent and approach. Yet in my opinion it does fail to capture the humour and camaraderie of their live performances. MacKaye as an entertaining raconteur, encourages the audience to participate wherever possible. Live 'Mount Pleasant Isn't' is certainly the most anthemic song in their repertoire. MacKaye urging the audience to join in with the lines: "The Police will not be excused, the Police will not behave". The mood is upbeat (the sound cacophonous), the crowd entertained by their own inclusive outburst, it's likely that the fun of participating detracts from the serious message of the song, yet nevertheless they have still learnt the words to a song about civil rights abuses in a deprived district of DC. The Evens demonstrated with their appearance on children's show Pancake Mountain the rare ability to impart an important message (in this case the placement of vowels > see 'Vowel Movement' at ) through charismatic performance. This is something you can identify in 'Mount Pleasant Isn't' also, another clear example of implicating the listener in fully absorbing the point being put over. MacKaye confirms such a direct approach claiming that the "music itself is always the liberation... it's the other nonsense that goes along with it that trips people up".

Meaning can be found on every level with the Evens, in fact even in the artwork of their forthcoming debut. The album cover depicts the silhouette of a caged elephant, again just like the many correlatives that their name evokes, the image is similarly duplicitous. It could be a simple message on the cruelty of keeping living things captive, an abuse of power. I think it's certainly important to see in the image an organism that could turn on its captors. It would also be an oversight to forget that Elephants never do, for such conviction would hold us in good stead against this tide of indifference, apathy and whitewashing. And then of course there's the suggestion that the album's main theme is one of confronting the 'elephant in the living room', the seemingly insurmountable problem that is easier to leave ignored, however much it disrupts your environment. The connations are endless, but the album unfortunately isn't. When I asked Ian what his ambitions were for the Evens, he was decisive, "what we would like to achieve with the Evens we have already achieved. Each song, each show, each record is a success" he concludes modestly. "We hope to simply continue making music together". They may be at ease with themselves, but the Evens are not at ease with the world around them, and above all this record provides an intelligent dialogue for a worrying time. "The Evens" may be a short name for a small band with a minimalist sound, but they are certainly not short of big ideas.

The Evens - s/t will be released in March 2005 on Cd/LP through Dischord.

by Chris Tipton