Evan Boyer – “Home to You”
Americana Highways presents this premiere of Evan Boyer’s song “Home to You” from his forthcoming album The Devil in Me, due to be released May 3 via Medicine For Mary Records. This song will be available on Feb 2. The album was produced by Bradley Prakope and recorded at The Panhandle House in Denton, Texas.
“Home to You” is Evan Boyer on vocals and acoustic guitar; Timothy Allen (Shane Smith & the Saints) on electric guitar; Nate Coon on drums; Bob Parr on bass; Jenee Fleenor (4 time ACM musician of the year) on fiddle, and Drew Karakul on B3 Organ.
Americana Highways had a chance to chat with Evan about the song. The premiere appears just beneath the interview.
Americana Highways: Can you tell us what inspired you to write this song and what it’s about?
Evan Boyer: It’s funny because I typically don’t know the inspiration of a song until after the first draft. I just kinda write, which many times doesn’t go well. Sometimes it does. I don’t pre-plan the topic, and I definitely don’t schedule time to write, because when I do, I feel like I lose the soul of the song. If I was in Nashville, I’d be awful at co-writes, because I can’t schedule when my brain decides to be creative. Now, with this song, I wrote out that first verse as I normally would but took a second and really liked how vulnerable it was. I kinda knew those lyrics could easily go in a dark direction, and that wasn’t how I felt when I wrote it. It was a much more positive vibe than the first verse alludes to. So what’s it about? 30,000ft view: it’s an ode to the spouses and loved ones who stand by the inherently flawed and just as much for the inherently flawed themselves. I’m in that group. On the personal level, my wife is that person who has stood by me when frankly she could have thrown in the towel long ago.
AH: What kind of a vibe were you going for on this song? How does the final version differ from what you imagined it might be before you went into the studio?
EB: The vibe certainly leans into more of the country stratosphere, but certainly not the Nashville one… if that makes sense? Honestly, I wrote every song on this album in front of my bathroom mirror, so the bones are very singer-songwriter, but then working with Brad allowed each track to evolve into something much more. Specifically for this track, Jenee Fleenor is on fiddle and she’s won so many ACM awards, it just blows my mind she’s even on my record. She just totally elevated the song.
AH: What do you hope listeners get from hearing the song?
EB: I want listeners to feel acknowledged when they hear it, whether they’re the saviors or the saved. I want people to take four minutes and recognize that it’s okay to hang a C+ on the fridge of life. Just keep on trying.
AH: Have you played this song live? If so, what kind of reaction has the song gotten from audiences?
EB: Yes! And I love playing it live, and, candidly, it’s pretty easy on my voice. As soon as I sussed it out with my band, it’s been on the setlist because it just slaps. Previously, I’ve always had Tyler and Robbie play the lead line harmonizing on electric guitars, which gives it a super Allman Brothers vibe which just gives me all the good feels, but I’m really pumped to have a fiddle on tour now, which will be true to the record and will allow for the guys to do something else. Lord knows what they’ll come up with. My band is incredibly talented.
AH: How does this song fit in among the others on the album? How is it similar and/or how does it stand out as different?
EB: It’s different in that while I’m acknowledging my screwups and missteps, it’s looking at how far we’ve come instead of how far we have to go. And yes, both are true, but I’m glad I’m balancing out the “sad dad” songs (my wife’s words, ha,ha) with the positive ones.
AH: What’s next for Evan Boyer?
EB: Wow, a lot. I’ll be releasing a few more singles in March and April, and then my first full-length album, The Devil in Me, comes out in May. I just got the vinyl, and I about cried when I held it for the first time.
Thanks for chatting with us, Evan. Evan has a classic country sounding, honest voice and that adds to the overall authenticity of his songwriting. Power fiddle helps every step of the way too.
Presave and find the music here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/evanboyer/home-to-you
https://youtube.com/watch?v=DNlXU1YUWWk%3Fsi%3DIOLeNbXVeO7CJ4yH
