Eva and the Vagabond Tales
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Eva and the Vagabond Tales

Riverside, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2011 | SELF

Riverside, California, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2011
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"Eva and the Vagabond Tales"

Would you say that nostalgic is good or bad? Are you the type of person that likes sad, old-fashioned songs or does that sort of music put you to sleep? Is it possible to make a living playing sounds from the 40’s? Is there even a market for that music anymore? There is a group that is constantly seeking the answer to
these questions.

Eva and The Vagabond Tales have been playing what they call “Antique European Folk/Western Saloon” music for more than a few years now. Lead by Singer/Songwriter Eva Mikhailovna, the group has been bringing their sound with them to all of the Riverside, Orange County, and the San Diego areas. They have just recently played Saturation Fest in Riverside, The Pour Vous, in Hollywood, and have been featured on The KVCR program “American Parlor Songbook.” All of which is pretty impressive considering a good majority of the shows are played for free, which can begin to become discouraging to a band of musicians out to make a living doing what they love. But that doesn’t stop them.

Currently the band consists of core members Carol Heller, Jasmine Capitulo, Al Arteaga, Thomas Miskell, Aaron Fleener, and Andres Valenzuela, but it did not start out that way. At 24 Mikhailovna got her start in Krasnogorsk, Moskovskaya Oblast’, Russia where she remembers watching her aunt play the piano and singing traditional Russian folk songs. She quickly took it upon herself to learn these songs just by what she had observed and after a few years she began to transfer her skills from the piano to the guitar and write her own songs. Songs that would derive influence from her traditional Russian upbringing as well as artists such as Johny Cash and The Beatles. “My biggest influences are the little things in the sounds of old music” Mikhailovna tells me, “For example,that galloping sound in Western movies, those spooky, dreamy high vocals from background female choruses in the 50s, that crackling sound in all the old recordings, and
that sad sad piano and accordion in foreign songs.”

That sound really began to come to life when she met accordion player Ivan McCormick. The two began performing her songs as a duo on the streets and in different venues in and around their city, all while working on their first full length album “Letters From the Moon”, released in the fall of 2013. The album portrayed the bands unique style of old world melodies and delicate stories of childhood, obtuse love, travels, and the secrets of sleep.

Since the release of “Letters From the Moon” the group has continued to tour and entertain audiences all over Southern California. I can recall seeing them perform at Flour Fusion in Lake Elsinore. Not only was the music nostalgic but the performance was as well. Incorporating Mikhailovna’s love for tap dancing and other visual arts the band likes to put on a show that hasn’t been seen since the roaring 20’s. If you go to see them perform be prepared to see umbrellas being twirled, syncopated dance routines, and even old fashioned mega phones being used. They even dress up the stage wherever they go to give it that vintage look Mikhailovna likes so much. Combine all these elements and you get an experience straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. But is it enough to keep this band a float?

I recently had the chance to ask Mikhailovna about her music and the place it holds in todays society. The following is a brief interview I had
with her:

Johny: Would you call your group a concept group?

Eva: As a group we’re not really a concept group, but the music we play is all concepts and metaphors. The last album that was released was a concept album about traveling, sleep, dreams, hopes
and ideas.

Johny: What do you think about mainstream music?

Eva: I couldn’t stand mainstream music for a while, but now I’ve learned to enjoy it too. As hard as it is to say it, it’s the music of our time. Subconsciously we should learn to enjoy it because when we’re 80 years old, this is the stuff that’s gonna give us flashbacks no matter how hard we try to avoid it. Plus, there are some really good, well written songs out there in the main stream world. All it takes is a cool little arrangement, and any songs would fit into a genre of anyone’s liking.

Johny: Would you say that your sound
is nostalgic?

Eva: I would say so. I try to make it as nostalgic as possible. Nostalgic stuff is so bittersweet and sad, and it’s my favorite emotion, so I hope that people can take it home with them when they come hear us.

Johny: What is your goal for the group and your music? Where do you see yourselves in the next 5 years?

Eva: My goal for the music is to hopefully one day have it in some indie film. For the group, I hope we get to play in music festivals, tour, and just make enough money to be able to buy sushi at least once a week. Individually, we all really work hard to be better musicians and be open minded. Some of us are in other projects as well and some of us learn other instruments constantly so as not to get our brains too rusty.

Johny: Have you found a large market for your sound?

Eva: It’s hard to say. In a way, we’re still trying. People say our sound is “universal.” A huge variety of different people enjoy our music and like coming to our shows. Different cultures, ages, and in different places. Some people have a hard time adapting to our sound or understanding it, because it’s so unfamiliar to them. The ones who like it really do like it, and we’re happy to run into these people everywhere we play.

Johny: Is there another album in the works?

Eva: In the past two years, I’ve been writing and writing and writing, so now I have enough for a new album. Right now, the band is getting together once a week with our newest members, and we’re arranging the songs and perfecting them for live performances. Meanwhile, we’re gonna start recording some of the songs in hopes of releasing something this year!

Johny: What are your favorite types of songs to write?

Eva: Sad sad sad. They are the only ones that feel real and not forced. They seem to come out naturally, and usually the sadder the song, the faster I write it.

Johny: Have you found what you consider your “Wow factor” yet? Something that makes people turn their heads and listen? A certain Undeniability if you will.

Eva: I’ve never actually thought about it, but people usually stop to listen because of our instrumentation. Then once people buy the album and listen at home, I get a lot of comments on the “layering”. They say they’ve never heard melodies on top of melodies, and they usually like that instruments like bass and piano don’t play the role they usually play in bands.

So there you have it. The music in its entirety is nostalgic but does it hold a place in todays society? Ive seen other bands with an Indie/throwback feel such as Mumford & Sons, Dark Dark Dark, and Dr. Dog gather cult followings but does Mikhailovna’s group have what it takes to do the same? Unfortunately today’s mainstream music scene is dominated by Electric Dance Music, Hip-Hop, and heavy alternative anthems which goes to say that the average listener relies on a steady driving beat simple melody lines and catchy hooks. Is there room for “Sad, Sad, Sad” songs, slow waltzes, and sleepy choruses in todays turbulent times? Does Eva and The Vagabond Tales have what it takes to take their music career to the next level? Only time will tell. - Johny Ray Price


"Eva and the Vagabond Tales Play Fest"

One of the most interesting acts coming out of the Inland region is Eva and the Vagabond Tales, a quartet that brings Eastern Europe to Riverside.
They'€™re one of the bands that will be performing at the Saturation Fest in Riverside this weekend, a gathering of musicians, artists and creative types across nine downtown venues for concerts, workshops and more.
"€œIt's a very beautiful festival," said singer/pianist/guitarist Eva Mikhailovna. "€œIt promotes a healthy way of expression."
The band is playing its second Saturation Fest Sunday, May 26, with a show at Back to the Grind in Riverside.
Music has been part of Mikhailovna’s life for as long as she can remember â€" her first musical memory is hearing a piece of classical music and walking to the piano where her aunt was playing it.
She learned how to play the piano before she could read or write.
Her mother taught her and cousin Renata Mangutova, who sings, plays guitar and kazoo for Eva and the Vagabond Tales, how to read music.
Growing up in Russia, the whole family would play folk music and sing when they would come together for meals.
By the time Mikhailovna was 10, she had started writing songs on a little piece of paper and by the age of 15 she was writing the music and lyrics. She started emailing them to friends and the music kept coming.
Eva and the Vagabond Tales started with Mikhailovna and friend Ivan McCormick, who plays accordion for the group as well as piano, balalaika and melodica for the group.
Coming from Russia, Mikhailovna always heard accordion in music and she always wanted the instrument in her music but never dreamed she would have it until she met McCormick.
"€œIt's like a portable piano," she said.
The band's first performance was at Riverside City College for an Earth Day event in 2011.
Now joined by Al Arteaga on bass, the group is working on a full-length album for release this summer.
"I really like sad music. I feel like it touches me more than happy music,"€ Mikhailovna said. - Vanessa Franko


"Eva and the Vagabond Tales"

HitSquad: What first got you into music?

Eva: I grew up around music. My mom was a piano teacher, my grandma was in choir, and everyone in my family has had a musical background.

HitSquad: Who were your inspirations growing up? Does anyone inspire you now?

Eva: The very first inspiration I can remember was Beethoven and it was because I got a little coloring book about his life when I was sick with the flu. After that it was probably the Beach Boys and then the Beatles. Now, I'm still really inspired by 60's music, but I also really love foreign music and soundtrack stuff. Lately a band called Man Man and a little guy named Jake Bugg have been my top 2 on every playlist I own.

HS: How do you feel about the landscape of music as a whole right now?

E: I think music on the radio was better in the past. Nowadays, the most popular music isn't always sending a good message to people. It's encouraging people to live as fast as possible and doesn't support the deeper things in life. If you scratch just a little off the surface of popular music, you don't have to dig too hard to find some really incredible stuff. Not everything on the radio is bad though. Some songs are really nice if you analyze them and break them down. You can see that happen when people cover popular songs and do a completely different take on them to make them their own.

S: What was your favorite venue you have played so far? What was great about it?

E: I have two. I really enjoy Back to the Grind in Riverside, CA because it's like our little home. Everyone is so welcoming and sweet to us there. In Santa Ana, CA there was a place called "the Santora" and it was my favorite place to play. People would always dance to our songs and it was actually the first crowd ever to request only our saddest songs!

HS: What are your goals as a musician?

E: I just hope that I will always be able to play music and not get stuck in one genre. I want to become better at arranging music and producing it. I would also like to get better at guitar and piano. I've secretly always wanted to learn how to solo obnoxiously fast on guitar so I can be in a really fast and loud band. Hopefully that happens at some point in my life.

HitSquad: What's next for you and your band in 2015?

Eva: In 2015, we're planning on releasing two singles in May, and then hopefully by the end of the year, we will have our second album ready. Until that happens, we hope to play lots of fun shows and be as adventurous as possible! - HitSquad


"Frontloader Sessions: Eva and the Vagabond Tales (Part 1)"

I know that many of you have $2.9 million laying around, so this will be of interest to you.

The house featured in The Godfather is up for sale. $2.9 million will get you one hell of a conversation piece. I have a conversation piece, and it costs way more than a paltry $2.9 million.

Yes, I own the friggin’ (Lego) Death Star.

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It’s ok to be jealous. It really is. Just let it happen and you’ll feel better, I promise.

Now, what does the Death Star The Godfather house have to do with Eva & The Vagabond Tales? Not much, except that when I first heard their music, I thought of The Godfather. Last week I featured Eva & The Vagabond Tales (EVT for short) here and stated that they describe their music as, “Antique old-time melodies from the town on the side of the river.” If you took a listen to the included track in that post, the beautifully haunting, “Keep Me,” I’m sure you would agree and add that it reminds you of something European. Something French. Or Italian.

I loved their album, Letters From the Moon, and hit them up to see if they’d come in for a Frontloader Session. All the planets were aligned for me and they said, “Yes.”IMG_0341

So on a Monday night, EVT showed up to the studio and began dressing up the place to suit their vibe. I dug the look and told them they could do whatever they wanted to the place. Once everything was in place, we set about recording some songs.

I had never recorded an accordion before, so I was surprised on how loud the instrument actually is. I have an old accordion as well, but seeing as I suck at it, the volume I can produce from mine is nowhere as strong or as steady as the sound Ivan got from his. I thought it’d be cool to close mic the instrument and throw up a couple of room mics to see if I can get a bigger, more encompassing feel. If you’d like to really hear the results, I recommend using a pair of good headphones to listen to these performances. I’m rather pleased with how the audio came out.

For Eva’s vocals, I used a different microphone than from the past sessions. A Shure Beta 87a effectively isolated her voice without much bleed from the accordion. I know that many of you do not care what equipment I used, but I thought I’d throw that tidbit in just for myself. Eva’s voice soared beautifully above the instruments… truly a pleasure to record and mix.

One last thing – I didn’t realize how different a hollow body bass sounds. Al’s bass definitely sounded like a mix between a solid body and a big, upright bass. Loved it. I just might pick one up myself sometime.

First up was “Ladder to the Stars.” The opening accordion makes me want to break out my accordion and give it a go… but then I remember that I have no idea what I’m doing, and I absolutely do NOT want to embarrass myself in front of nobody.




It just occurred to me how messy the studio is looking. If you’ve been following these Frontloader Sessions from the beginning, you will recall that the shots used to be very clean with little to no movement. Now that I’m wandering around the band, you can see just how much I need to organize the studio. In the end, though, I don’t really mind because of this next video performance…

“Keep Me” was actually the last song recorded that evening, but I love the song so much that I wanted to post it immediately. Eva often says that she writes “sad love songs,” and if there ever was an example of that, “Keep Me” is it. When Eva hits the falsetto middle section, even Sherman can’t help but shed a single tear.

This video has multiple camera angles… something I’m really getting into while I’m making these videos. Messy studio or not, this performance hits me in the gut. I hope you watch this one because it’s one of my favorites so far!

“Keep Me”



Last up for now is “Goodnight My Darling,” the last track off their Letters From the Moon album. By the way, if you haven’t picked it up yet, click here. The percussion that Ivan does on the accordion is cool… he told me it’s “a crowd pleaser.” This uptempo sad love song is a great closer to the album and this first part of the EVT Frontloader Session. The ending leaves you yearning…

“Goodnight My Darling”



Thanks again to Eva, Ivan, and Al for taking the time to do the session. Their music is romantic, sad, hopeful, alluring, and altogether wonderful to listen to. I hope you enjoyed watching/listening to these videos as much as I had making them. EVT have some shows coming up and it looks like the last show will introduce some new members. Very cool. I’d love to do another session with this new line up!

**** Be sure to look for part 2 of this session ****

November 22nd- The Barkley, Pasadena, CA
November 25th- The Hip Kitty, Claremont, CA
November 29th- Back to the Grind, Riverside, CA (new line-up and special giveaways!!) - Swapmeet Louie


"Frontloader Sessions: Eva and the Vagabond Tales (Part 2)"

A few weeks back, we posted part 1 of the Frontloader session with Eva & The Vagabond Tales (EVT). Well, as you might have guessed, there’s a part 2 to this session… and here it is!

Pretty shocking, huh? I mean, who would’ve guessed? A part TWO that follows part ONE? 

I remember when I saw the Mel Brooks’ film, History of the World, Part 1. I thought it was the funniest movie ever… when I asked my dad if we could watch part 2, he told me that it was never made. I was sad and from that day, I swore that if I made a part 1, I’d make a part 2.

Now, you probably didn’t care about any of that, to which I would say, ”Good show, old bean!” because frankly, I don’t really care, either. What I DO care about, though is that you get to see the rest of the songs EVT performed in the studio.

”Train Travelers” is a track off their album, Letters From the Moon.”. This performance features Eva on the harmonica. I must admit that I am impressed that she is able to pick out single notes on the harmonica, especially since she’s not holding it in her hands. Whenever I use the neck holder thingy for the harmonica, I play Bob Dylan style, meaning that I pretty much screech the darn thing. Not much finesse.

This is one of my favorite tracks off the album, so it was a joy to hear it performed live.

”Train Travelers”



Next up is their cover of ”I’ve Just Seen a Face” by The Beatles. Interesting thing about this song: it first appeared on the UK version of Help!, but in the US, it was put on the Rubber Soul record. Don’t you love it when there are two different versions of albums? You have to spend twice the amount of money for pretty much the same content. Wiley Liverpool lads.

”I’ve Just Seen a Face”



Last up is ”Thoughts,” a track that (moments before the performance) didn’t have a name. I remember someone asking, ”What’s this song called?” with the reply, ”I don’t know. Let’s call it ‘Thoughts’,” to which everyone else agreed. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how song names are created. It’s as simple as that.

So yes, to answer your question, this song does not appear on the Letters From the Moon album. And to answer your next question… yes, I am eating a sandwich right now.

”Thoughts”



I’ll say it again – the sound and vibe that EVT create is so inviting. Their sad, melancholy music reminds me of a time that only exists in my imagination. That’s the beauty I’ve found in their style: it makes me paint not only a picture in my head, but a TIME in my head. I can’t think of many other artists that do that for me.

If you haven’t picked up Letters From the Moon yet, I highly encourage you to do that today. Click here now!

Eva & The Vagabond Tales have a few shows this month:

12/12 @ 8pm – The Lounge 22 in Redlands, CA
12/14 @ 8pm – Maint St. & University Stage in Riverside, CA
12/20 @ the Mission Tobacco Lounge in Riverside, CA

Go catch a show, but some swag, share it with friends…. keep the music going. - Swapmeet Louie


Discography

Letters From the Moon (2013)




Photos

Bio

Eva and the Vagabond Tales is an old-time folk group that puts Western, Gypsy Folk, and Ragtime into a musical melting pot, creating an alluring sound that "transcends time and continents". The band builds its sound from the foundations of old time music and melancholy story-telling, bending the laws of traditional songwriting and sound. "The main intriguing factor about The Vagabond Tales is the inexplicit chameleon effect of ageless mood," writes Independent Feedback Blog. "The natural evolution of their sound will be one to look out for, because they are one sleeper hit group that can go somewhere." (Independent Feedback Blog)

Band Members