Movin' on!

Howdy fellow twangers!

Well, one could say that the Canadian radio promotion produced a "less than desirable" result, whilst simultaneously it was a good perspective generator and learning experience. I love to learn! Basically fewer radio stations than hoped for added Still Crazy, leaving the investment not delivering the ROI in terms of exposure and artist awareness than was the intent. Oh well, we all take our hits (pardon the pun!).

Good news in the balance, well over 100 stations in Europe & Australia have been play-listing the music. A big, big favorite on this side of the Atlantic has been "Waitin' for My Train", which is a sure-fire traditional stomp-your-feet-kick-up-some-dust kind of guitar & pedal steel party of a song. I am thankful for these stations & their wide open and positive reception to the music!

The big question these days is "where & what next?" to get to the next level in creating exposure for what I feel is a rather strong record (but, hey that's only my opinion & the numerous journalists that have reviewed & confirmed that) and increasing sales.

For now - the focus will be on live performance. In this day and age of the music industry, us "low on the totem pole", self-driven, self-financed artists are best rewarded in record and merchandise sales at live shows. So, it's time to take advantage of the spring and summer longing for cold beer & good music. This means that Every ounce of available time will be focused on generating new bookings, and rehearsing & re-arranging up coming live shows.

Here is a run down of the schedule to this point:

Date	Title	Venue	City
31.03.2011	Internationell Författarscen	Stadsbiblioteket Malmö	Malmö, SE
02.04.2011	Mitt-West	Mitt West Country Club	Ikast, DK
05.04.2011	Aalborg Country Club	Huset i Aalborg	Aalborg, DK
06.05.2011	Summer Season Kick-off	Meyers Ranch	Vejle, DK
11.05.2011	ABF/Riffet	Kulturhuset, Trelleborg	Trelleborg, SE
17.06.2011	Headliner Festival Performance	High Chaparral Festival	Hillerstorp, SE
13.08.2011	Festival Performance	Killhults Country Festival	Laholm, SE
13.08.2011	Headliner Festival Performance	Killhults Country Festival	Laholm, SE
26.08.2011	Still Crazy in Dalarna	Dössbergets Värdshus	BJURSÅS, SE

As you can see, a couple of fun festival performances on the agenda. At High Chaparral June 17-19, I'm honored to play on the same stage as a number of super cool Swedish acts like Ulf "Masken" Andersson & the Wild Bunch, Buford Pope and others along with a fellow Canadian artist that folks in Sweden are not so familiar with, but who has generated 5 albums and a good run of success since the late 90's, Julian Austin. He'll put on a rough & tumble, authentic country performance using a band consisting of Nordic members.

And while we're on the topic of true twang...my many thanks for the very enthusiastic response from Jonas Ericson and Svenskyrkan, Bjursås ( www.svenskakyrkan.se/bjursas ) to have the band and I make the trip up north for a show. Jonas, you got the Twang!  As big a fan of Country, Roots & Americana as there is, and it feels great that we can come up and deliver some of that for the folks in Dalarna in late August. We have a little surprise in order for the folks of Dalarna that we'll keep that under our hats until showtime. Focus is now set on securing an additional show that weekend so that the 18-20 hours drive time is maximized well!

For now - that's where things are at. I am re-inspired and feel the twang in my finger tips surging! I had better get them punching the keys of the computer keyboard & telephone to book more shows!

Twang-a-lang!

//Evan

Twangin' Radio Gaga!

Howdy folks & followers!

Thank goodness for friends & family for sharing their comments about the single & the entire record, and thanks to all of the anonymous folks who have been requesting Still Crazy at radio stations across Canada but not getting to hear it. Thanks to the 15 stations that have picked up the song so far in Canada, and 96+ other stations around the world (that I know of) that are playing it, and hundreds of folks who send in their positive comments from all over the U.S., Canada, and other parts of the world via Jango Internet Radio. It all helps to keep the fire burning!

Now for a dose of reality. I told you last time I was to share some of the bad & the ugly of the Canadian radio promotion to date. It's coming at you, right after this brief commercial pause...

T-shirt & CD Bundle

The past six weeks have been humbling, enlightening, downright nerve-wracking, and somewhat frustrating with the Canadian radio promotion. But you know me (at least some of you do...) and I don't necessarily throw in the towel just because I am smashing into the harsh realities of the commercial music world. I knew what I was getting into when I started...and I believe in the idea a person/artist can never know what is or isn't possible unless they go for it, take some risks, believe in the music and find out for themselves. If we only believe in what everyone tells us is near impossible, then the picture becomes rather bleak, like a shallow empty grave with a hand reaching out and inviting you into it. If you see that, what do you do?  Do you oblige? Nnnnnnnahh...not just yet, Pilgrim.

"Not crazy about this. Gary Allan struggles to get radio airplay how is this Gary Allan wannabee going to?"    

This was a comment made about Still Crazy by a highly respected Program Director in Canada a few weeks ago and passed along to other programmers in his "notes". I posed the question in my last post..."is this good, bad, or ugly?", and the replied, "all three...". Here is what I mean:

The Good:

I love getting associations to other artists - I take it as a slight compliment...

The Bad:

It means they won't be adding it to the play-list because of this and possibly other reasons...

The Ugly:

These comments are posted by this Program Director (who will remain nameless because I respect his work) in notes to other Program Directors who also consider Still Crazy for airplay and it can & likely will influence how others perceive the music, sound, and intentions of my music.

But, that's just a harsh reality of the business. No tears shed...just more curiosity bred as to how the heck I am going to make this work!!??!! Just buckle-down and book more shows, I guess.

Despite the lack of positive result so far from my investment in Still Crazy to commercial radio across Canada, I am still happy that I took the chance to put it out there. There are still a two weeks left in the initial phase of this promotion (8 weeks). The encouraging tracker/promoter I hired, Bob Martineau says, "Keep your chin up, it's still early...". It kinda feels like the old days when my hockey coaches would say such things when we were down 3-0 after 2 periods. We would have to go out onto the ice, win every face-off, make more hits & rough the opposition up a bit in the corners, wear them down with the classic Canadian "dump & chase" strategy, and capitalize in the late stages of period three to come back and edge out the opposition 4-3 in regulation or overtime. With steady goaltending, and intensive offense & calculated risk by the defense, most teams (if they had the willpower) could pull this off, and have done so thousands of times throughout the history of the sport. It makes for exciting hockey!

Trouble is, this is radio & music we are talking about...not hockey. I like to consider myself at least somewhat intelligent, and I don’t see the score changing all that much in the next two weeks - although I'll follow Bob's advice and keep my chin up. I think I might have needed 15-20 station adds in the first week or two, inclusive some BDS stations taking the lead in order for the song to grow wings. Much is left in the hands of the Program Directors, whom I respect, have a duty to play the best music possible for their listeners. They hold a lot of power over whether an artist gets exposure or not. An amazing amount of power, actually. I never looked at it from that perspective when I was working as a Program Director/Music Director.

What I am not go into is explanations as to why the song is not being played by more stations, or why it should be played...that’s up to the programmers to decide. If the song isn't good enough, it isn't good enough. There are a lot of great songs out there. What I share with you, if you are interested enough to keep reading, is the way it’s set-up and how things influence each other. Stations in Canada are broken down into 4 main categories 1) BDS (Broadcast Data Systems) reporting stations, 2) Secondary stations, 3) Community & college stations, 4) Public radio in the way of the CBC (Swedish equivalent SR). BDS stations hold the most power because they are the stations that report to the “charts”. I could be played on 100 Secondary stations, and never be a hit because they do not report to Broadcast Data Systems. BDS stations make up the charts, and influence other stations.

Now here comes the first Catch 22 that I have experienced...

Because I am focused on commercial BDS & Secondary stations, if I am not played on BDS stations (so far in none yet during this promotion - some still thinking about it...)...then the song can never chart as a hit. If the song never charts as a hit, by default the effect can/will be that I will not be played on a majority percentage of Secondary stations either. Why? Because they are programmed to “only play the hits”. OUCH! There is the odd renegade program director out their that sort of "flip the bird" to the charts, and still play music that they like and feel should get some airtime. Award winning Program Director Bruce Leperre from 730 CKDM in Dauphin, Manitoba is an example. He takes chances and took a chance on Still Crazy, for which I am thankful. There are others, as well...but no so many left. Radio, like the music industry, is a changing landscape. Not so many people taking chances on artists they are unfamiliar with. Summary: if I don’t crack the line-up/playlist of the BDS stations which comprise at a guess - roughly 15-20% of the 134 stations across Canada ...then the promotion will yield a significant loss due to the fact that most other stations won’t/can’t play it because it’s not already a hit. But you can’t become a hit until you are played = Catch 22.

Here is a second Catch 22...

The idea is to let Still Crazy run for 8 weeks as a single (we’ve done 6 now), and then evaluate whether or not to continue promoting it for another 4 weeks, after which more decisions need to be made. What decisions? Well, the main decision as to whether or not to invest in another single to be promoted. I am damned if I do because it’s gonna cost me and add to the pile up of investments to produce, release & promote the record without so much payoff so far from the promotion. I am damned if I don’t because if I don’t release another single...I will likely not be taken seriously by program directors as a developing artist...and without appropriate exposure via radio, it limits the opportunity establish as a developing “mainstream” artist...which in turn, limits the amount of respect from potential venues & festivals....which limits the opportunity to recoup costs via live shows. And.....there are no guarantees that the next single will be played either. So, summary: damned if I do, damned if I don’t = Catch 22.
Good news in all that...heck, it’s just one big experiment to see how far a guy can go with a little focus and effort!

So, that said...............thanks for reading. I need to sleep, evaluate, and make good business decisions.  I need to balance the desire for breakthrough motivated by self-actualization with the ego bashing that I get when I am “passed over” by program directors because they are either not familiar with me, or they just don’t believe that the song is good enough to compete.

If you have advice, knowledge, expertise that could help me make wise decisions in this game you are welcome to reach me! I am always open for suggestions. So long for now...

TWANG ON!
//Evan

"Bull" Twang!

Howdy!

Been a while! So many things to ponder, contemplate and write about, so little time to do it. But we roll on, despite. It's a speedy world!

And what would a speedy world be with people to make things just a little easier for you because of their ability to give of themselves? I tend to meet a lot of those people, and I am constantly amazed by the generosity & selflessness of some. Today I want to introduce you to Per "The Bull" Gyllingberg.

Per once held down the established svenskacountryartister.se website. He, over the years, invested more time promoting country music & country artists in Sweden than anyone else I know. With a passion for all things country - new - old - traditional - bluegrass - honky tonk - you name, it...Per was & still is supportive of it. His site helped give a lift to artists daring to showcase their brand of country in this country. I remember asking him if he was willing to put a small profile together for me back before I traveled to Nashville for the recording of my first album "Howlin' At The Moon". And of course he welcomed the opportunity with open arms. After a a number of years doing all of that work for free...he put it out to members that he would charge a small fee. Needless to say, I paid him a few years worth in advance. If it was country in Sweden you wanted to know about - that was the site to find all the information you needed.

Per takes care of relationships & I think is a great example of how to influence. When you give a lot, you attract the masses. His idea to break away from svenskacountryartisterna.com recently, to do his own thing, was a good choice I think. Why? Because I believe that some people took his work for granted. Not all, but some. Now Per is reviewing music that he loves at "The Bull's Place", and continuing to promote...but in a different way. I'll attach his link a little lower in this posting posting. You'll find that he is currently supporting the promotion of another Alan Jackson concert in Sweden coming up this summer.

Per has some serious Twang. "Bull" Twang! And I thank him a great deal for the contributions he has made to my artist career since late spring of 2007. Pay him visit at:

On my next post, some updates on the radio promotion thing - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

For example:

"Gary Allan struggles to get radio airplay how is this Gary Allan wannabee going to? That may sound negative...it's not intended to. He simply sounds a bit too much like Gary Allan. Which is not a bad thing at all! However, Gary Allan struggles to get airplay in Canada and the US with his unique sound. I wish Evan the best! He has talent."   

I would never want to be Gary Allan, who has been through a heavy period in his life after his wife committed suicide a few years back. But I am impressed with some of his music. Are the statements above a good, bad, or ugly? Well all three, but I'll explain more! See you next time...

Twang!

//E

Blind faith - or intention?

Ask yourself.....would give up a secure, decent paying job just to do what you love to do and find a way to earn a living from that? It's a great question, and the answer, as I have come to learn over the years, is that not so many would do this for fear of losing what you already have. Good logic to hold a good economy - maintain a lifestyle, but also good logic to sit in your rocking chair at age 80 and look back on your life satisfied that you didn't let our societal structure dictate where your happiness comes from.

That's why I am impressed Olof Berglund. He's got Twang!  

Here's a guy educated as a music teacher, a multi-instrumentalist, a knack for production & recording technique, a passion for music, learning, growing, and doing what he is is on fire for. Not to mention, and unwavering reliability. When he commits to something - he gets it done - no if's and's or but's. Last year, he made a key decision in his life that inspires me to the core. He jumped. He gave up up that job that consumed the creative energy he wants to put elsewhere. He gave up that routine thing that he knew he could do and has been educated to do...and is now pursuing the development of his independent music business. It takes guts and a firm belief in your own capacity to make such a decision. Impressive! He has the talent and the diligence to make great things happen.

Result? He did a major update of the equipment in his recording studio, has secured and delivered some good quality voiceover projects, and some really cool recording projects. He is learning new ways of thinking about people, selling services, and helping others reach their goals in the audio world. Super cool!

That said, if you have an upcoming recording project (weddings, voiceovers, song demos, independent recording projects, etc.) and you are looking for a committed engineer, talented arranger & musician, and a person who can coordinate & produce your project - go and visit him at his studio and have a look around. Give him a ring, meet him and chat a bit about what you are looking for. He's got a great ability to listen and get focused on what you need for your recording.

If you have been "thinking about" recording your demo, album or whatever - don't think too long. Life goes buy pretty fast. Sprinkle a little Twang into your life and go get it done. It will cost you more in misery for not doing anything about it and letting your potential hide in a closet, than it will cost to get the recording you want.

Be like Olof - do what you love. Life will follow along and open up opportunities for you.

My next post will feature a person who has supported country music more than most people in Sweden combined. He's well known for his "mini-grisar" and onto some new creative outlets now. You should get to know him...

In the meantime...Give Me Some Twang! I need a bunch of it, as I start a full-blown radio promotion/campaign for Still Crazy on Monday when country radio stations across Canada (about 130 of them) receive the title track as the lead off single.

Be well!
//E

2011 = Turn it up to 11!

When I look at the photo below, it brings back powerful memories of a challenging 2 days back in June, 2010. In the photo you see to the left James Mitchell, Larry Marrs in the middle, and Howard Duck up to the right (all three have killer Twang!).  In this "still" moment, we were making adjustments to the room mics during the early stages of the tracking sessions.

I took the photo from the vocal booth on because I wanted to preserve this piece of my history. It reminds me of making decisions, and what we decided in this moment changed the entire sound of the record. As I look at it today I am once again reminded of the speed of the world - how fast time goes by - and how deciding fully one way or the other is a key for progress. It also makes me think about the importance of now.

In my last post I left you with the inspiring result of Charlie & Fredrik over in Karlshamn who are out making things happen, and taking their own world by storm. For me, these two guys are a great reminder of my my need to walk my own talk, after having challenged them to "make things happen" instead of "hope for things to happen". Hope is not a strategy. 

I have also shared with you a little about how a catalyst name Desmond Harty got me moving in the right direction years ago. I'll share some more of that twisted road as we continue our conversation here, but today I want to forget about the past and focus on the now & the future. I find myself at a point where I need to make key decisions in order to "Turn it up to 11!".  I borrow this phrase from Tom Jackson, a live show producer based in Nashville. I own a DVD of his with that title. I love the title because it speaks to me in volumes, and says..."defy limits". And in this case I am referring to my own limits that I sometimes put on myself (as we all do from time to time). I could easily allow what I have invested to this point in Still Crazy just run it's course, and fade out by "hoping" that what I have done is enough to generate what I want from it (to get the music to it's rightful audience), or I can heed my own words of advice to Charlie & Fredrik and "make things happen".

My decision boils down to this: invest in a radio promoter/tracker or not?

I have European radio to contend with, which, in the country genre consists of a number of radio stations that have what I like to refer to as "pocket programming", meaning that they program country/americana music perhaps once per week in small blocks of an hour or two. I think it's wonderful that people/stations have enough love and respect for country music to do this and not completely limit the opportunity for country to be heard on this side of the Atlantic. The genre is too important to not be heard. Remember, Rock'n Roll came from Country...not the other way around. Anyway - with regard to European radio, the programming of country is so limited that "frequency" is nearly not an option due to the mass amount of music being produced and all of them looking for airplay. Frequency & repetition breeds awareness. Awareness increases potential record sales. Because of the "pocket programming", whatever airplay I am currently getting won't last. Frequency & repetition will be defeated before too long. So I think I'll stick with my current strategy for Europe which includes radio delivery via digital means. So far, this relatively cost effective method has gained me airplay in Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. & Austria, U.S. and some college stations in Canada.

As I communicate this, my decision is forming. I guess that's why I write my thoughts - to crystallize them. Thanks for reading.

Here is another side of the radio story. In the U.S., there are literally hundreds of radio stations that program country 24/7. And many of them are programmed by consultants who program hits and songs/artists who will nearly guarantee hit status. Most of which are "core" artists, or established artists with hits behind them already. This is also limiting for guys like me, although it is possible to gain airplay on independent stations - this already proven with my campaign in Nebraska. The challenge is getting them to listen, finding someone you trust to get the work done...not to mention that radio promotion in the U.S. is a significantly more costly venture if/when you involve professional promoters.

The 3rd side of this is Canada - my home country. In Canada, there are approximately 130 stations that program country music 24/7. A percentage of those are what we refer to as "reporting stations", others are secondary stations. Reporting stations are the ones where "charts" come from, meaning if you gain significant/frequent airplay and rotation on these stations - they report to BDS (Broadcast Data Systems) and a song moves up the chart by frequency of airplay. Secondary stations are often subject to a "promise of performance" in their programming stating that they will only play hit songs (this because advertisers pay for stations that people like to listen to - and in general people like to listen to songs that are familiar and are hits...makes good business sense, but it's tough on unknown artists). So they don't play the songs unless the reporting stations play them and they have charted well. What this creates is a bit of a vacuum for guys like me and a slight Catch 22 - in the way that I can't get airplay on a significant number of stations unless you get airplay on a few select reporting stations that determine if your music is good enough to become a hit or gain frequent rotation. And these stations are supremely difficult to get airplay from if you are not a "core artist" with a proven track record at radio already. I am a big fan of DIY (do it yourself), but stations no longer talk to artists directly, only professional promoters due to the thousands of artists looking for airplay and having the need to talk about their music.

Multiply all of the above with the number of releases by major labels, the increasingly stiff competition by independents turning out better & better music + the desolate state of the music industry and declining record sales = YIKES! DO I DARE INVEST MORE MONEY TO COMPETE WITH MY MUSIC? ..............Hmmmmmmm...........do I believe in it enough??? Should I pay a radio promoter to test the value of my music against giants?.............Hmmmmmmm.........how else will I know if it can stand up?.............Hmmmmmmm.............how else can the music reach its rightful audience? Will I kick myself in the ass later in life if I don't find out???? ANSWER to the later: Yes. DECISION based on the later question: Go for it! Go for it with a Canadian radio campaign! Sink or swim, baby!

Decisions like this remind me of when I met my wife in Dallas, Texas in December of 1998. A long story short - it was an extraordinarily romantic lightning strike of a meeting, and at one moment in our conversation we had to decide. When I asked her when the last time was that she felt something so powerful, she replied, "Never." I then suggested that we talk about what was happening, and she asked "Wouldn't that make things more difficult?"...I gave a split-second, gut response, and said..."Absolutely!" So, we talked all night about life, dreams, values, and the ideal future. The next day I flew back to Vancouver, she flew back to Stockholm. I sold all my things & moved to Sweden in '99. We've been happily married for nearly 10 years now. Decisions...

So I guess in summation of this post, 2011 for me is a year to "Turn it up to 11"!

I hope that you do the same. Life is too short! See you in the next post where I will share a bit more of my twisted artist road, plus feature a local Malmö musician who I feel has a whole lot of Twang!

//E

Hot Country 106.5 + Charlie & Fredrik!

I know I should have my computer off at this point, be sleeping and preparing for a big day tomorrow (today, actually...as it is1:39 AM) but I was compelled to check my e-mail one last time before going to bed. What I found was a message from Josh Mackey at Hot Country 106.5 in Ogallala, Nebraska. Josh is the Music Director & News Director, and host of a talk show called Mid-west Opinions.

And, as the result of persistent work & luck would have it, Josh mentioned that they will have a chance to air Springtime in Nebraska on their station, and that he would like to do an interview next week to promote the song/album, and get to know me a little & what's behind the song.

Sounds like fun to me, and a nice early Christmas present!

While I am at it, back to Twang!

Last post, I mentioned that I would like to talk about Charlie & Fredrik. These guys are AMAZING! What a story of simply deciding & getting things done! Here are a couple of young guys who were "stage hands" at the Carlshamn Country Festival a couple of years ago when the band and I were performing as the headliner act. Charlie contacted me this past fall to say hello...and after asking a little about their music, they explained that they played a little acoustically together and that they wanted to make a record. Then came the very common,"..but we are students and don't have any money" line. For those of you know me well enough, you'll know that I can't simply accept such an answer when it comes to matters of the heart. And music is a matter of the heart. So, with more questions it became apparent that not having the money had nothing to do with it...it was more a matter of discovering how to make the money?

So, they put their creative heads together and started planning, deciding, and crystallizing what they wanted first, before thinking about all the reasons they could have it. I supported them in the early stages of what we can call the "innovation process" or "creative process" (I'll expand on some ideas here in later posts). And these guys caught on real fast - not like some of us older folk, less pliable folk, who like to examine all the merits of things & talk about why they won't work before we actually try them ;--). They did some quick work here, and discovered that it was not a matter of money, after all. But more a matter of actions that would lead them to their dreams.

This was on Thursday, November 4. Their first major target is to raise 12 000SEK for a simple album recording. Now 49/50 days later, they have raised over 10 000SEK by just getting out there and making things happen. Playing on the street, playing in shopping malls, playing at grocer stores, contacting newspapers, radio stations, starting a blog and such to create their own little "buzz factor".

I have 3 words to describe how I feel about this: Inspired! Wow! and Twang!

If you want to support these two young guys to get them over the top, go to their blog http://charliefredrik.blogg.se and share your comments & support!

When I got the news of their latest figures in an e-mail seconds after my news from Nebraska, I thought...hmmm...imagine the possibilities for 2011!

Once again, Merry Christmas!

//E

Desmond Harty & Johan Engström - Masters of Twang!

In my last post I mentioned a guy with Twang named Johan Engström, as well as my early focus on Twang back in '95. I'm going to expand on those two things in this post.

It's late, after midnight. I should be sleeping after a nasty bout & double-knock-out punch these past couple of weeks by "vinterkräksjuka" , as we call it here in Sweden, or in English, winter vomiting disease. It was ugly. Got me twice! I seemed to regain some strength today after doing some Christmas shopping, shoveling a lot of snow, and buying groceries for the coming days. I'll let Twang take over.

First, back to 1995. I was telling you about a program I took that kinda changed my focus in life (insert Twang here). It went something like this:

I went into this Dale Carnegie program thinking human relations, communication, leadership and a more forward-moving life back at the radio station I was working at. But I came out of the program thinking music, music, music. How? Why? Well, one of the ways we developed our communication skills & speaking skills was to communicate things about ourselves - who we are, our defining moments, achievements, mistakes, goals etc. And along about the 4th or 5th session of the program...I recall talking about my music again, and my rather peculiar methodology of learning how to sing & play at the same time. I used one of my favorite old songs by Paul Simon called Slip Slidin' Away...playing on my dad's 30 year old acoustic which I still have today. I practiced by propping a ski pole up between cushions on the sofa, and then trying to play the chords and get a vocal out at the same time! LoL! I was living in a basement suite apartment at the time, and the landlord was above on the next floor. Every time I heard that she was home and moving about, I would crimp up, loose my courage, and stop until I thought she was gone...then continue. Anyway, as I was explaining all this to a group of fellow participants in the program, the instructor, the now late Desmond Harty, interrupted me briefly. It went like this:

Desmond: "Evan, it seems to me that whenever you talk about music, you are on fire inside! Is that true?"

Evan: "Yeah, you could say that..."

Desmond: "You become more enthusiastic about this than most other things you talk about. Do you agree?"

Evan: "Uhh, yeah...?"

Desmond: "Well, why don't you stop talking about it and get off your ass and do something about it!?"

Desmond, as a person, became one of the most important catalysts in my life (I worked with him for a number of years after that...but that's another post). I have had a few people play the catalyst role in my life, but what he hit me with was the the question that changed me most significantly. From that evening I set out on a journey that brought me here (and I'll share some really cool parts and mind blowing experiences to let you know a bit more about me & my own kinda Twang as I blog on...). "Des" as we used to call him, had a lot of Twang, and of the most beautiful sort - a keen insight into people and a relentless dedication to see people achieve their potential. I miss him deeply since his passing February 14, 2007.

Now onto Johan Engström. He is a bit like a bookend, in the sense that he supports the book(s) to stand up properly on the shelf. Here's how I relate to this:

When I stepped into my "vision" on November 4, 2007 of getting onto an aircraft in Nashville with the Master of my first album in hand, I found myself looking straight into nothing but gray & fog in a metaphorical sense. I had no idea what my next step would be (besides packaging & manufacturing 500 copies). Just after Christmas in 2008, I was asked to perform in Trelleborg in conjunction with Musikföreningen Riffet. I contacted Johan and asked if he like country music, and I remember the conversation going something like this (the short version...):

Evan: "Hey, Johan...this is Evan Westerlund. Johan Hallström says you like to play guitar. Do you like country?

Johan: "Yeeaahhh...haha!"

Evan: "Ok, well I just recorded an album in Nashville and I have to get started playing again, and need a guitar player for an acoustic gig in February...you interested?

Johan: "Yeeaahhh...haha-ha!"

Evan: "Alright, do you play any steel?

Johan: "Yeah, I play steel as well..."

Evan: "Can you make me look really good?"

Johan: "Well, yes I can!"

Johan has an amazing attitude, and he has stood by me from the start. He is an outstanding guitar player, a fun guy to co-write songs with, and he has a work ethic & desire to stretch that impresses me. As long as you feed him when he's hungry, he'll be 100% present for whatever the task is. I appreciate him as a friend, and as a professional musician. He's been a great sounding board for me, and we have a lot of fun on the stage together. He's been supporting me with dazzling guitar work (like that bookend does...) the whole time, and his type of dedication inspires me. When he stepped into the studio with the boys in Nashville, he fit right in, as I knew he would. In my books, Johan is Twang. Here's a Hipstamatic pic from the trip featuring Johan and the legendary pedal steel player Robby Turner after a day in the studio:

And by the way, Johan has a brand new Christmas song at his Myspace site. You'll find it here.

That's it for this post. I hope that you enjoy a wonderful Christmas with family & friends! See you on the other side where we'll revisit a couple of young guys name Charlie & Fredrik from Karlsham that have a lot of Twang!

//E