Teen Jazz June 2005 Artist Influence
Evan Stone - Drummer
By Shannon Kennedy
Name: Evan Stone Profession: Drummer Years Playing: since the
age of 8 College/Major/Degree: none
Location: Los Angeles,
CA
I first met Evan Stone at a Greg
Adams gig in 2004. He and I
have played together a few times
since then and have remained in
contact. The idea for Teen Jazz
Influences was actually inspired
by Evan himself. We were talking
about our websites one day, and
I wanted to do an article on him.
Since he didn't really qualify as a
Teen Artist, I created this series
so I could feature Evan Stone.
Evan is a very interesting and
talented person and I feel very honored to have had the opportunity to play
with him and call him a friend. After reading this article, if you are interested
in learning more about Evan Stone, you can visit his website.
When did he first begin seriously studying his instrument?
Evan Stone has studied with Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Roy Burns.He first
began seriously studying drums at the age of 12 and began playing in clubs
at the age of 13 .
Who are his greatest influences?
Drummers: Peter Erskine, Jeff Hamilton, Roy Burns, Elvin Jones, Tony
Williams, Jack Dejohnette, John Bonham, Stewart Copland, Vinnie Colaiuta,
Max Roach, Philly Jo Jones, Phil Collins, Art Blakey
Non Drummers: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Frank Zappa, Beatles, Police,
Stevie Wonder, the Meters, Tower of Power, Dexter Gordon, Billie Holiday,
Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Bjork, Radiohead, James Taylor, and
many others
Styles: Everything from Folk to Progressive rock to swing
Who or what gave him the confidence to pursue music as a career as
opposed to a hobby?
Evan Stone's parents were largely responsible for allowing him the
opportunity to pursue drumming and music without any restrictions. They
told him to do what was in his heart and if he wanted to be a musician to
be the best he could be and not to settle for second best. Evan picked
things up quickly and was able to play rock beats on the drumset without
any formal training at first. He then began studying with drum instructors
and still studies with other musicians to this day.
Evan believes that "confidence can be built through people telling you that
you are progressing and that they really like your sound/style." Evan Stone
feels that being your own critic also will help you make better choices.
"You need to monitor if you are making progress or not to determine if you
can develop and establish a musical career."
Briefly describe the difficulty to be successful in your career while remaining
true to the art form without "selling out" to popular art?
Evan Stone said;
"Success can be defined in many ways. If you find yourself in a situation
that is less than desirable, that may be selling out. If you just want to play
the music that you love which is in your heart and which is not particularly
the most popular music on the scene at the current time, then it is very
difficult to create a successful career from that if you are defining your
success in making a lot of money from the music you created.
If money is not the be all end all, and you are getting by and are happy with
your life doing whatever it is that you do, then that could also be
considered success.
I feel that as long as you are doing what is in your heart that keeps you
satisfied, and as a result of that, you are earning enough money to make a
living from that, than that is the ultimate success. If the music you create
is also the music that you love, and appears to be what everyone else loves
too, then you are in an ideal situation. I would not consider that selling out
if it happens to be the popular music of the day. I believe that would put
you among a very small percentage of creative people. If you are in music
solely for the purpose of making tons of money, than chances are you are
going to wind up playing music that you do not love."
Evan Stone always wanted to play music that he created or helped to
create part of the overall sound. He likes to be involved in groups that are
trying to do something different. "When you try to create something new,
you are a true artist because you are attempting music that hasn't been
done before."
If he was called for a gig he didn't want to do, he would do it if it helped
him pay the bills. He feels that sometimes you have to take gigs you don't
Necessarily love to keep doing what you do love.
The gigs that he does for love and the gigs that he does for money are very
rarely the same.
Do you believe that your gender or appearance has affected your career? If
so, how have you changed yourself to conform to your industry standards?
Has this changed over time?
"Unfortunately, the music business today is extremely image driven. More so
now than ever before. In the jazz world it never used to be that way; in the
40's, 50's ,60's and 70's, you were respected for your playing and not for
what you looked like. MTV changed the value of image versus talent
because you had to look good while you were playing. It has a lot to do
with marketing - sex sells and it also sells in the music industry which is why
you see Britney Spears, etc. The record companies want that image to
create teen idols."
It has even spread into the world of Jazz today. Although there is not much
of a world of jazz left, certain artists who play music that I think better fits
under the category of "Pop" or "R&B" who call themselves jazz musicians
seem more concerned about how they look on the cover of their CD than
they do about the integrity of the music they are making. Perhaps some of
them really love that kind of music but I don't call it jazz. Jazz for me is
music that is improvised and in the moment. Remember, Jazz music was
created out of the desire for personal freedom. It has little to do with how
hot you look when you are playing your axe.
Evan Stone feels he might only have lost a couple gigs because he didn't
look the part of what they were looking for. He hopes people don't care
about what he is wearing and only what he is playing. But he feels that
musicians should still dress nice to respect the music and show that it is a
serious art form. You don't want the audience to feel like they are watching
bums on stage. Also, as a drummer, it doesn't matter as much because
we are in the back. He listens to musicians because they sound good and
he feels that people need to close their eyes and use their ears more.
What have you been doing with your career for yourself? How has money
changed your initial career plans?
Evan Stone is a free lance drummer. He produces other artists, and is
writing music for television and film with the drummer for Offspring. Evan
Stone has his own jazz quartet that he leads and has been performing
around LA the last 16 years working with many groups of musicians. He just
recorded his first solo record that will be out in the fall.
In the future he would like to do some jazz festivals and continue doing
local bands playing funk, rock, and jazz. He feels that he needs to play jazz
to feel complete.
Money hasn't really changed his initial career plans - but he just has to be
able to pay his bills. You are generating your own income as a self employed
musician, you are constantly struggling to get new gigs, to keep gigs. He
feels as a musician you are on a constant job search - with no security
blanket. There are pros and cons - you are your own boss but when you
take time off you aren't getting any income. You have to take the leap of
faith and not let money be your driving influence.
What inspires him to continue to pursue music? Have he ever come close to
giving up?
Evan Stone's inspiration lies in the fact that learning an instrument and
trying to master it is never ending for anyone who wants to continue their
craft and keep developing. He is always trying to come up with a new
direction in music. The musicians that are around him also inspire him. He
has never minded being the weakest link in a group because it forces him to
grow. He is also inspired knowing that there is so much to learn.
He has wanted to quit at times in the past as a young musician - when he
used to see great drummers perform, it was hard not to walk away feeling
inspired but also feeling a bit like quitting because it seemed impossible to
reach their level. Every artist who is serious about their craft deals with this
at some point. He has also gotten pretty burnt out on drums - so to
prevent this, he has picked up guitar and keyboards. In the last three years
Evan Stone has bought a saxophone and has been practicing. He is self
taught and practices with Aebersolds. Evan started playing sax to get
interested in music again so he would not be burnt out on drums. It worked
because he started learning the melodic side of music rather than the
rhythmic side. It was another perspective on music - how a horn player
hears a drummer.
What was his coolest gig? What was lamest his gig?
Evan Stone's coolest gig - " I think some nights when I am playing with my
quartet and things are really flowing and everyone is listening well and
playing at a very high level that those are some of my coolest gigs. Some
nights are absolutely euphoric. "Part of the allure of being a musician is
when you are completely aligned with your musical thoughts - it is the
ultimate high. They don't happen often which is why they are special.
Lamest Gig - Any gig where he has to put on a tuxedo to play music for
people who aren't listening to the music.
Other hobbies:
Some of Evan Stone's other hobbies include chess, baseball, and traveling.
Evan Stone's Advice for the young musician:
"Get with a good teacher and learn how to manage your time effectively so
you can practice, perform and look for gigs. Have a smart business sense on
top of being a good player so you can have a successful career. Surround
yourself with great players who will push you to become what you have
always expected of yourself."
His Most Embarrassing Musical Moment:
His most embarrassing moment was when he was playing with Maynard
Ferguson and he couldn't read music well yet. At the time, Evan Stone was
21. Maynard Ferguson pulled a new chart out on a gig. Evan had all the
music in the book memorized, and was not able to site read the new chart.
Since he couldn't read, the band almost folded on stage because of it. After
that gig, he made it a goal for that to never happen again, so he learned
how to read music better.
Evan Stone's Own CDs:
Putting out solo record in future "Evan Stone Sticks and Stone" - all straight
ahead jazz
Favorite Joke About His Instrument:
What did the drummer get on his IQ test?
Drool
What was his first Instrument? Dream Instrument?
His first instrument was a trumpet - he played trumpet for five years. His
dream instrument are the Drums - the ones he is playing now they are the
best drums he has ever played in his life
Is he endorsed by anyone?
Evan Stone is an artist for Canopus Drums, Vic Firth drumsticks, Aquarian
drum heads, Bosphorus Cymbals.
Looking for more information?
Evan Stone has his own website with sound clips, a blog, and much more.
