My Musical Influences: From Straight-Up Rock to Minimalism

by Evan Schafer

My Musical Influences: From Straight-Up Rock to Minimalism by Evan Schafer
If there is one thing as a musician and composer that I hate, it’s being asked the question, “So what kinds of music do you like/listen to?” Not only is it an unfair and biased leading question. But when folks like myself answer, “Oh, I like everything,” usually that is met with a smile and nod combo or total silence. Nobody seems to know how to react to the fact that … dear lord … he probably likes classical and jazz too. And yes, this is a very true fact. I’ll even throw in new age for the hell of it! Here, I’m going to talk about another aspect of these different listening habits, though. More in the vein of how many genres and artists have and continue to influence me up to this very stage in my composing career.

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The Collaboration Effect

by Evan Schafer

The Collaboration Effect
For a one-man band like myself, it could easily be perceived that collaboration is not of interest to me. When you produce and record your own material, the singularity of that can become very comfortable and sometimes it’s easy to forget that working with collaborators can give you new perspectives and angles on your own music. While I’ve only worked with a handful over the years, each has made their fitsindelible mark on my music, and for this I am forever grateful. Here I will give a short overview of each of my four primary collaborators and their contributions.

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How I Started Writing Music

by Evan Schafer

How I Started Writing Music
When somebody says, “I’m a songwriter” or “I compose music,” what most ordinary people think is that they are Mozart-incarnate and all of a sudden want to be their best friend. Either that or they become insanely jealous of them, and they never hear from those folks again. In my case, neither of these occurrences have actually happened but has nevertheless been a stressful journey. Here I will tell you, from my humblest beginnings, how I grew to be the songwriter I am today and the process I have undergone to get there.

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