by Kenneth Morton

Evita is not the scandalous wife of a ex-dictator from Argentina, but a dynamic band from the UK that you’ll be hearing a lot more from in the future. Their new CD Minutes & Miles has been released via Basick Records – a dynamic collection of tunes that are catchy, inventive, and heavy! Here is a recent interview we conducted with guitarist Daniel Cranney to find out more about this up and coming band. Spend a minute of your time and check this out…

Where is the band from and what is your local music scene like there? Any local bands you could recommend?
We're from Bristol, in the South West of England. The Bristol music scene has improved massively in the past 2 to 3 years; there's a real sense of community between all of the bands that regularly play the circuit; we all hang out and support each other. Bands such as Shadow Law, Burning Skies, Bury the Archive, Through the Abyss and True Valiance are guaranteed to get huge crowds around Bristol and put on a great show.

What made you chose the name Evita? Were you fans of the Madonna movie or admirers of Eva Peron?
Well I've never actually seen the film! Aaron (lead vocals) gave the band the name because it was unusual for a metal band, easy to remember and made people question why we chose it! I guess it's worked in that respect!

Is there any story or concept behind the CD title Minutes & Miles?
Yes, definitely. We think we've been through a lot in a short amount of time as a band and the record was all about the importance of getting through the bad times (whatever they may be) and living life to the full, going places you want to go and never wasting a second. It's a positive record and we hope that this comes across in the lyrics to the songs.

Where did you get the ideas for some of the lyrics? Please cite two song examples and what they are about.
Our bassist Paul writes most of the lyrics, and we try to convey strong positive messages in our songs. Paul and I wrote Beneath My Feet together; it's a song about admitting your mistakes and changing for the better. It's about proving yourself to be a good person. Vona was one of the first songs we wrote for the album and the title is an Icelandic word, which translates into English as 'Hope'. The song is about when you may feel like you don't have many options, or you feel cheated, and it's basically saying to look at the glass as half full and be optimistic.

With your music being so dynamic and ambitious, who are some of your major influences in and out of the metalcore arena?
Our music tastes are so varied, our biggest influences are probably Underoath, Thrice and Alexisonfire, and I'm a massive fan of Circa Survive but we play all sorts in the van. We listen to anything from Dr Dre to Michael Bublé, Misery Signals, Incubus, Underminded, Protest The Hero or Coheed and Cambria. We're all big pop punk fans and this definitely comes across in our songs, as we like to think our songs have pop hooks whilst retaining a metal edge.

Who did the artwork for the CD and how much input did you have on it?
Joseph Carpenter and Iain Macarthur worked together on the artwork and we couldn't be happier with the finished design. Johno (drums) has known both of them for years and when we saw some of their previous work we knew straight away we wanted them to do our album art. We wanted something that would stand out on a shelf amongst other metal acts as we like to think our CD is not a standard metal album. We also wanted it to be quite surreal and interesting to look at and we think Joe and Iain have done an incredible job.

How did your tour with Destroy The Runner go and what were some of the highlights? Were they cool guys to hang out with?
Destroy the Runner really are some of the nicest guys we've ever met. Every show was fun and we hope we made them feel welcome over here. We clicked with them straight away, they're all so easy to talk to and incredible live as well. One of the highlights was definitely the Canterbury show, the venue was very small and we really didn’t know what to expect, but the crowd were amazing and made the show a memorable one.

Has Evita ever played in the States or do you plan to do so in the future?
We have yet to play the States, we'd love to tour over there one day, if the album is well received then we hope to be going over fairly soon. We've heard such good things about America from our friends that have played over there, but we'll have to try and get used to the really long drives we'll have to do from show to show.

What could one expect from a live Evita show?
We all feel that the most enjoyable bands are the bands that look like they are genuinely enjoying themselves on stage, are tight, energetic and sound like the CD. We pride ourselves on our unpredictable live performance, and the positive atmosphere we try to create at every show. We geneuinely love playing our songs and we want every person in the room to feel a part of the party.

Are any Evita members involved with outside band projects?
Yes we are, in very different genres. Michael (guitar) plays in a hardcore band called True Valiance (with Dan Mossman and Mike Jefferies, the Shadow Law drummer and bassist). Also, I play guitar in a pop-punk band called The Cafe Kids, and Johno (drums) has played session drums for a number of acts around the country.

The Queen Of England invites Evita to play at a Royal Command Performance. You could play two songs for the Queen and her audience. What two songs would you want to play for the Queen and why?
Tough question!! Probably Willing to Wake because I think she'd like the harmonies and she could sing along to the last section of the song. I'm not sure if she'd be so keen on the screamed vocals though, it's probably not her sort of thing. But I'm sure we could win her over with Elusive Victories, Passive Trickeries, as it has a lot of singing and she could have a dance to it!

Any final words of wisdom?
Enjoy life and buy our album!

EVITA links

EVITA on Myspace: The Official Myspace Page for EVITA!
The Highwire Daze Home Page: Return to the Main Page!

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