Is EVELINE the next Vampire Weekend? Decide for yourself on April 2nd!

With just three weeks until Bacchanal, members of the opening band, EVELINE, took time yesterday out of their busy schedule to sit down with our Arts Editor. The all-freshmen band comprised of Zibo Gao (vocals), Sias Marking (guitar), Bruce Young (guitar), Nick Greene (bass/cello), and Marco Starger (drums) talked about how they got their start as a band, how they define EVELINE’s sound, and their plans and expectations for Bacchanal. While the headlining act is still undisclosed, here’s everything you need to know about the newest musical celebrities on campus.

GM: First off, how do you pronounce EVELINE? 

Sias: Well, to be fair, we don’t really know ourselves. Although we do think it’s cool that people can decide how to pronounce it, but we should probably figure it out.

Marco: But for an answer: it’s pronounced not “eve-line.”

GM: So, how did you guys get your start as a band? You’re all freshmen, so was it difficult to find a group of people to get together for a band?

Zibo: It was kind of a complicated process. Marco and I jammed with another girl (not in the band), but we really only clicked with each other. After that, I reached out to Paul Chang (the band’s current producer) in my MusicHum class, who put us in touch with Sias.

Marco: Yeah, and then we had a couple of rehearsals with just the three of us. We played “Yellow,” a lot of Coldplay. . .

Nick: After that, I messaged the group and started jamming with them because they posted in the class Facebook about needing a bass player. And then Bruce reached out to everyone because he was looking for people to play with. We were pretty hesitant about letting more people in, but we heard some of his music, and it worked out.

Sias: That first night, we ended up writing almost an entire song, and it was just really cool, a really good vibe with the band.

GM: So, you guys have released two singles to date, “Sail On” and “Those Shoes.” Do you guys have any upcoming projects, aside from just Bacchanal?

Zibo: Well, we’re working on an EP right now, and we’re recording four to five songs for that, which is probably going to come out in April.

Sias: Well, we’re hoping. That may be optimistic. (laughs)

Nick: Nah, it’s gotta be April, we can definitely do April!

Zibo: We can do April, say mid-April.

GM: I listened to your two singles that you released, but I’m interested in hearing from you guys about them. How do you define your sound as a band?

Bruce: We don’t. (everyone laughs)

Sias: Well, seriously, I would say that it’s quite melodically driven by the instruments: guitar-heavy, ambient, with some emphasis on creating an accessible soundscape.

Bruce: Yeah, we use a lot of effects.

Sias: Yeah, but still, we sort of focus on incorporating the soundscapes into a fairly digestible experience. So, “not-inaccessible” would be the best way to put it.

GM: Looking toward Bacchanal, how do you see yourself as performers for the event? How does your music fit the energy of Bacchanal?

Zibo: Well, we’re really set with playing gigs and concerts and such, but our sound isn’t the typical ‘rap/hip-hop’ that you expect with Bacchanal. And that’s fine, we’re confident in our own ability as performers to be able to rock Bacchanal.

Marco: Yeah, our music is geared more toward intimate performances: smaller indoor venues with lowlight, not outside concerts in broad daylight.

Sias: But that’s totally okay! We performed five songs at Battle of the Bands, and we managed to make that an immersive, enjoyable experience for the crowd. But looking toward the performance, we’re currently working on a few songs that we’re going to debut at Bacchanal, and we’re writing those songs with the intention of performing them outside, in the daylight, at Bacchanal. So, I’d say that people can expect our sound to be more upbeat and dancey. But we’re not going to just write a four-chord song.

Zibo: Yeah, we’re not going to sacrifice our identity or sound as a band for Bacchanal. We’re not going to become Justin Bieber or rappers; we’re going to keep who we are as EVELINE.

GM: This morning, Spec published a piece about safety concerns and Public Safety’s plan to section off the crowd during Bacchanal. As performers, you’re literally on the other side of the fence on this issue, so what are your thoughts on Public Safety’s plans?

Sias: Wait, what was the song we were going to write about it?

Zibo: We’re going to write a song called “The War on Fun,” maybe. . .

Bruce: But seriously, if people are restricted when they’re listening to our music, they’re obviously not going to be able to enjoy it as much, which makes it hard for us to play and get into it. So the plan is really affecting performers too, not just the crowd.

Zibo: I think the configuration is totally ridiculous, to be honest.

Marco: We want to reach a wide audience too, and if this is going to hinder or prevent people from coming out to the show, that’s obviously a bad thing. Because I’ve heard a lot of people say that they’re not even going to show up because of the hassle that Public Safety is making with Bacchanal.

Sias: Especially since they’ve capped the audience at 4,000. It really is just terrible, because it’s limiting the enjoyment of the event for no good reason.

GM: What does it mean for you to open for Bacchanal, since you’re all freshmen? You’ve never had the experience of witnessing Bacchanal as part of the audience, so what impact do you think that will have on your performance?

Nick: Well, it’s mildly stressful! (laughs)

Bruce: It is kind of nice, in a way, because we don’t have expectations of what we have to do or anything. Like, we want to make good Bacchanal songs, but we’re really just excited and confident about performing what we know and what we’re good at.

Nick: Yeah, exactly. We’re also not catering to our past experiences, so we’re just really ready for it to be a good time.

Bruce: We’re probably going to go five times too hard on stage, though, because we have no idea what the limit to performing is!

GM: So, just one more question for you guys: any guesses about the headliner for Bacchanal?

Bruce: We’re really just hoping for Radiohead! (laughs)

Sias: Yeah, they can take time out of their world tour to come play Bacchanal! But 21 Pilots would be interesting and fun, fingers crossed for them.

Zibo: Honestly, Fetty [Wap] would be awesome, I’d love to see that and open for Fetty.

Sias: Who’s Fetty? (everyone laughs)

EVELINE will be playing a show tonight for WBAR Unplugged at 7pm in Sulzberger Parlor.

Picture via Facebook