IT’S been a helluva ride for Morgan Evans since the release of his debut album and being named CMC Oz Artist of the Year in March. Two singles from the album, Like a Tornado and An Eye for an Eye, reached number one on the CMC charts and the album topped the ARIA charts on release.
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Since then Evans has returned to Nashville for songwriting sessions, made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry and played the CMA Music Festival, as well touring extensively in Australia.
The US trip was a success in many ways, with Evans also picking up a Gold Tone ‘‘ganjo’’, a six-string banjo that’s tuned like a guitar, in Nashville and spending additional time songwriting with expat Aussie Jedd Hughes (who produced Evans’s album) in Los Angeles.
The ganjo, which Evans played for Weekender in a video clip (All In This Together) recorded at The Grain Store this week, was a personal treat for Evans.
‘‘I use it like it is a writing tool,’’ he says. ‘‘It inspires different things.’’
The uplifting song, which is on the debut album, is a crowd-pleaser.
At the band’s gigs it creates a special moment. ‘‘You can tell the show goes into another gear,’’ Evans says.
Last month Evans and his band played the Revolver nightclub in inner city Melbourne. While it was not the big stage of CMC Rocks the Hunter, it was a dream come true – playing one of the most revered music clubs in Australia. And it was full of country music fans – Evans’s fans. He’s already booked to play the venue again in September.
Though not yet 30, Evans is a veteran live performer. He’s very aware of what works onstage, but still amazed by his own ability.
At the high-energy Revolver show, he changed the pace in the middle of the show and played a solo acoustic version of The Best of Me from his album.
The crowd response was quick: ‘‘They all started singing it,’’ he says.
He’s finally had a chance to catch his breath this month, as he and the band rejig their show for another busy run of dates heading into the summer months.
Evans plays Wests Leagues Club in New Lambton on July 25. Not only will he present a new show, but he will also premiere a new song about Newcastle.
In the next six months Evans will play New Zealand, where his album will be released next month, and Canada, where his single Like A Tornado will be released in September. He’s also playing CMC Rocks North Queensland and the Deni Ute Muster.
The Newcastle performer is realistic about the future, the dream of American success is still on the radar. He recently picked up representation there, with the William Morris Endeavor agency, which has more than 100 country artists alone on its roster.
As long as he’s playing his music his own way, anything is possible.
