Marina Evans
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Marina Evans

Rockport, Massachusetts, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | SELF

Rockport, Massachusetts, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2008
Duo Folk Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"CD Review: Unbound"

MARINA EVANS

Unbound

10 tracks

Recipe for a superior CD: start with a charming songstress, blend hints of Amy Winehouse and Sara McLachlan-esque vocal stylings, add just a smidge of KT Tunstall, mix in a pile of well-crafted songs, and season with outstanding production.

With Unbound, Marina Evans has a highly-listenable compilation, moving easily from the sultry urgency of “Not Blind” to the sweetly assured “Stand on Two Feet,” to the rocking “Lady America” with absolute ease. “California” owns the sweet wistfulness characteristic of John Hiatt at his best, and her cover of Fastball’s “The Way” gives the tune a lovingly lighter treatment. “Unbound,” the album closer and title track simply soars.

As good as the vocal performances and the songs themselves are, this collection benefits further from great overall sonic strength (with Marina Evans credited as producer) provided by a host of talented musicians and buoyed by first-rate recording and mixing. With a camera-friendly look and a reputed winning stage presence, Marina Evans seems destined for a sure shot at the big time. (Tim O’Brien) - The Noise Magazine


"Local Musicians up for New England Music Awards"

by Gail McCarthy

Cape Ann musicians are among the singer-songwriters and bands nominated for New England Music Awards, which celebrates and recognizes top performers in the region for their musical achievements. The awards event takes place Saturday night in Lowell.

Rockport’s Marina Evans is nominated for Female Performer of the Year, and Kingsley Flood, whose lead guitarist is from Gloucester, is up for Band of the Year and Album of the Year for “Battles,” released in February 2013.

The nominating committee consists of journalists from music publications, radio personalities, talent buyers, and record label execs representing all six New England states.

[...]

Kingsley Flood band members and Evans are excited about being nominees.

Evans is a rising singer-songwriter, who last year traveled to Tuscany in pursuit of her musical inspiration. She recorded an album in Florence, and has traveled back and forth between Cape Ann and Italy since she studied abroad there in 2008, when she began collaborating with Florentine musicians. Her debut album “Unbound” was released last fall.

“This nomination was a great surprise and an incredible honor. To be included in a group of such talented musicians from all across New England is both encouraging and so inspiring,” said Evans. “I am so grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make these awards happen. It’s a true testament to the vibrant and unique music scene we have here in New England — and I’m honored to be a part of it.”

Prior to her debut album, she released an EP with music she wrote inspired by Dogtown, the wild center of the Cape Ann island, the history of which dates to Colonial times.

Evans received her undergraduate degree in music theory and composition from Columbia University in 2009, but her music career started years before when she started singing in a jazz duo with her older brother. She performs with Allen Estes at the Dog Bar here on Feb. 28.

Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-675-2706, or at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com.

If you go, what: The 2014 New England Music Awards, hosted by Comedian Steve Sweeney and featuring live performances by Sarah Borrello, The Mallett Brothers Band, Will Dailey, Nemes, Dressed for the Occasion, and Hayley Sabella. When: Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. Where: Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 E. Merrimack St., Lowell. How much: $10 general admission; at lowellauditorium.com or the box office. - Gloucester Daily Times


"Live Review: Marina Evans at the Cape Ann Museum"

I drive directly from recording in Haverhill (Project Sound) to the Cape Ann Museum courtyard to see the very attractive Marina Evans leading her two skilled sidemen (Joe Cordoza on bass, and Dave Brown on Dobro with a slide). (Yeah, I’m a little late, needed to stop for farm-fresh veggies…) Marina is introducing “One of Two” and the sunny end-of-summer day couldn’t be more beautiful. This heathy and happy young woman reflects the beauty of the day—tall, tan, and blonde, wearing a long maroon, black and gold bohemian dress, and large dangling circle gold earrings—and she’s sweet on the ears—everything’s perfectly in tune. Her folk/jazz/rock tunes all fit together well—and her musicians know exactly how to enrich her songs. Dave’s Dobro echoes increasingly when ever he solos, and at one point he starts playing the echo against itself. Marina says of her self-penned “Dogtown”: “Debouturous things go on there, or are fabled to have gone on there.” The guy next to me says, “I need to hear more wrong notes,” and I know where he’s coming from, but the 60 or so people that line the outer rim of the cobblestone courtyard are loving Marina’s lively performance. She even comments on how nice it is to have an audience that is quiet and listening (hello pub gigs!). She ends with “Walk With Me,” saying it’s just right for a Friday night at cocktail hour. She smiles pretty, she does a natural little barefoot dance while she sings—why, she’s just like a playful cat, sometimes physically over-expressing herself, but always impressing her audience. (T Max) - The Noise Boston


"Songstress Releasing Debut CD at Party"

Cape Ann singer-songwriter Marina Evans will release her debut album “Unbound” at a special event on Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Cape Ann Community Cinema. The live performance will feature musicians from the North Shore as well as Bernardo Baglioni from Florence, Italy, where the album was recorded.

The 26-year-old began performing on Cape Ann almost a decade ago, and has developed her skills in her hometown and across the country. While studying abroad in Florence in 2008, she began collaborating with Florentine musicians.

“Just a few months ago, I wasn’t sure I would be able to pull this off. Funding a record is no joke,” she said in a statement. “But I was overwhelmed by support and encouragement from family, friends and fans — most of whom are right here on Cape Ann, and together, we all made it happen. So thank you. This record is for you —all of you.”

She launched a Kickstarter campaign in April to raise money to record the album. With more than 200 donors, she met her funding goal and began recording in May.

Doors open for the Oct. 13 event at 7:30 p.m. with the show at 8 p.m. The Cape Ann Community Cinema is at 21 Main St. in Gloucester. - Gloucester Daily Times


"Dogtown to Tuscany: Rockport artist launches campaign to record album in Italy"

An aspiring singer-songwriter from Rockport has gone from Dogtown to Tuscany in pursuit of her musical inspiration.

Marina Evans, 25, is preparing to record an album abroad in Florence, Italy. She has been traveling back and forth between Cape Ann and Florence since she studied abroad there in 2008 when she was a junior in college.

Evans received her undergraduate degree in music theory and composition from Columbia University in 2009, but her music career started here when, at age 17, she started singing in a jazz duo with her older brother, Brendan Evans.

The duo performed at the Seaward Inn in Rockport and the defunct White Rainbow in Gloucester. She still plays at the latter venue — it is now the Dog Bar on Main Street — and she has performed at the Old Sloop Coffeehouse, The Rhumb Line, The Cape Ann Brewery, the Harbor Loop concert series, as well as other local venues.

Evans has combined a jazz background with her love of classic rock and traditional folk in her songwriting.

Her introduction to the Tuscan music scene came in 2008 when she performed some of her very first songs at an open mic event outside Florence, Italy. A Florentine bass player and producer heard her perform, and the pair started gigging and recording together. Evans applied for and received a grant from Columbia to return to Florence for the summer to continue working on the project.

“The musicians I met and worked with in 2008 became good friends and inspiring collaborators,” Evans says. “After that initial project, I did everything I could to return to Florence to gig, write, and record.”

In the ensuing years, Evans has been producing plenty of music. In 2012, she released two original EPs: “Dogtown,” written and recorded here in Gloucester, and “The Tuscan Sessions,” written and recorded while touring abroad in Italy last spring.

“The EPs are really two sides of the same coin,” Evans said. “They reflect this bi-continental life I’ve been living. The song ‘Dogtown’ is about home (the place and the people) and how both you and it grow and change as you leave and return. I grew up on Cape Ann, but I have been coming and going since I was 14 years old. The Dogtown woods have became a sort of metaphor for me: the history there is tangible; the landscape is unmistakable; but at the same time it is a dynamic, organic place that grows anew each spring, despite the permanence of its boulders.”

Bradley Royds, a local producer and musician, said the “Dogtown” EP showed off several aspects of Evans’ songwriting skills, and was woven with emotions.

Now, Evans is in Florence until July. She has the material, the band, the producer, the studio, and the experience to produce a full-length original album.

“All the pieces are in place, down to booking the studio time — now all I need is the support of friends and fans from my home port to make it happen,” she said.

To that end, Evans has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $8,000 to record a full-length original album. Kickstarter is a crowd-funding website through which artists set a financial goal and ask for donations or pledges from fans in order to finance a creative project.

“I am very fortunate to be able to maintain this bi-continental musical lifestyle, and it means a lot to get community support from both sides of the pond,” Evans said.

The link to Evans’ Kickstarter campaign is http://kck.st/11aEYis. Here you can learn more about the project, as well as pledge money to support it.

The campaign runs until 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 7. By then, Evans needs to raise all $8,000 or she will not get any of the donations (donors will not be charged until the goal is met, or after May 7).

Royds said Evans has made great strides in a short time.

“She’s articulate, smart and funny, and she’s developing her talent at an incredibly quick rate,” he said. “She has the guts and determination and puts herself on the line to go out there and do it. She is going to go somewhere in this business. She has a lot of possibilities going forward.” - Gloucester Daily Times


"Singer Songwriter Marina Evans Releases New Album"

Despite this rocky start, Evans' relationship with the Florentine music scene has endured: she has returned to Italy to write and perform every year since her 2009 graduation. This past spring, she wrote and began recording an original EP with a team of Italian musicians she has worked with over the years. Set to be released in October 2012, The Tuscan Sessions represents another side of Evans' songwriting style that she is excited to cultivate. "It's been difficult working on arrangements from across the Atlantic, but I welcome the challenge," she says. "I learn from everyone I play with, and from every project I undertake. I think together, The Tuscan Sessions and Dogtown will give a well-rounded perspective on where I am at as an artist today."

Stream or purchase Marina Evan's music here:
http://www.marinaevansmusic.com/music/ - Columbia University Dept. of Music


"Evans, Anima da Folk-Singer (Evans, Spirit of a Folk Singer)"

English translation:

Ready to release her first EP, Marina Evans will be at the Pop Cafe in Piazza Santo Spirito tomorrow for a live performance. While her artistic career got its start at Columbia University in New York, the American singer-songwriter is influenced by the folk singer tradition of the 1960s and ’70s. Born in Gloucester (Massachusetts) and in love with Florence, Marina has come to bathe in the waters of the Arno… and to play together with Bernardo Baglioni. - La Nazione, Florence, Italy


"CD Review: Dogtown, The Tuscan Sessions"

The Dogtown EP features Ms. Evans’ lively and evocative vocal stylings, well-suited to a variety of genres—ingratiating pop (the well-nigh irresistible “Walk With Me”), lackadaisical balladry (“Not Gonna Wait”) and flat-out rock ’n’ roll (“Dogtown,” the EP’s raucous, anthemic best-of show.) On the Tuscan Sessions EP, Americana comes to the forefront, and Ms. Evans proves similarly adept with folksy balladry (particularly on the swellingly lovely “Blue Yonder”) and bluesy torch songs (“A Little Man”). (Francis DiMenno) - The Noise Boston


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Bio

In 2005 Marina Evans moved to New York City, where she taught herself guitar and began writing songs that combined her background as a jazz vocalist with traditional folk and a rock edge. Within a year, she was performing as a solo acoustic act around New York and her home state of Massachusetts. Since that time Marina has recorded three original EPs and a full length album, and has taken her music from Rockport, MA all across the United States: from Portland to Nashville, New Orleans to Los Angeles, and everywhere in between. Marina has also made her way over to Europe, performing in London and touring across Italy every spring since 2011.

In 2012 Marina released two original EPs, Dogtown and The Tuscan Sessions. Dogtown, released first, was written and recorded with Marinas band in Gloucester, MA; The Tuscan Sessions was written and recorded while touring abroad in Italy. The EPs are really two sides of the same coin, Marina says. While complementary, they reflect this sort of bi-continental, rambling life Ive been leading with my music. Dogtown rocks described as raucous and anthemic in The Noise Magazine and swellingly beautiful Tuscan takes a distinctly European perspective on folk americana.

In the spring of 2013, Marina launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the recording of her debut full-length album, Unbound. Through overwhelming support from across the globe, she reached her funding goal and recorded the album abroad in Florence, Italy with producer Bernardo Baglioni. With clever lyricism and unusual melodies, Unbound deftly combines various styles, genres, and instrumentation from sweet ballads to folk anthems to straight up rock and roll and paints a picture of a versatile and passionate artist.


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