Evan Champagne

Evan Champagne – Self-Titled EP – Album Review

Evan Champagne’s self-titled album, released on July 24, 2014, is a fantastic display of true talent that is not seen nearly enough in today’s ever more crowded music climate. Champagne’s debut EP was recorded at 7 Spin Studio in Valpraiso, Indiana with Jeremy Michaelis. Champagne, a native of Brantford, Ontario travelled a long way to find a producer who could take his lively and interesting performance and turn it into a comprehensible recording, the trek paid off. Champagne’s self-titled EP is, in essence, a testimony to the power and potential of a one-man band. Celebrated for his stage presence and use of looping riffs on different instruments in order to build a full sounding song, Champagne and Michaelis were able to recreate the effect organically so everyone everywhere can enjoy the layered tunes.

When talking about “genre” people often find themselves in sticky-situations, and this would definitely be one of them. Champagne’s influences range from blues to pop to R&B to country to hard rock and it can all be heard on the EP. While some artists have a hard time finding the perfect balance, Champagne clearly has an ear for equilibrium. Each song flows inclusively to the next without stepping on the preceding song’s metaphorical toes, so to speak.

The album begins with “Way Back”, a cathartic excursion of a middle-class white guy coming to terms with himself. The first thing that really stands out is Champagne’s interesting voice. It is really impossible, or at least extremely difficult to put your finger on the tone of his voice. It is unique without being unpalatable and catchy without being annoying. The almost lethargic opening track rolls smoothly into the very up beat “Give it a Chance”. The happy vibes and reggae inspired guitar riffs act as a pleasant backdrop to acoustic guitar melodies and other joyous sounds. The middle track on the album “Living in a Dream” is forgettable in the grand scheme of things but overall a necessary turning point into the final two tracks. “Love You All My Life” appears to be Champagne’s attempt at a ballad, and while it may not be an overly groundbreaking tune, the piano based song displays a softer, silken side of the artist that has only been hinted at through the first half of the EP. The instrumentation on the entire album stirs emotions beginning with orchestra feel in the first song and finishing with the hard smash of gnarly electric guitar solos in the last song “Try Again”, which is undoubtedly my favourite. The final track is a blues driven cry for attention leaving the listener moist and wanting. Powerful vocals matched by a wicked distorted guitar, these are a few of my favourite things.

THE GOOD: Champagne is a self-described multi-instrumentalist, who’s knowledge of how different riffs, melodies and tools all work together make for an interesting auditory experience to say the least. This guy oozes talent and you can hear it all across the album.

THE BAD: It is just an EP! I would definitely like to hear more from Champagne and being the hard-working singer/songwriter he is I imagine he has a lobe in his brain bubbling over with tunes. I do not know why he chose to just release the six songs but it would have been a much smarter idea for a person of his talent to start off strong with a full-length.

THE UGLY: Evan Champagne’s name and overall image made me think he would either be the worst country singer I have ever heard or a white-washed rapper. With some proper management and a good publicist Champagne could easily be the next big thing.

Grab his EP off iTunes, check out some of his cool covers on YouTube, and keep an eye out for the next time Evan Champagne is playing in a city near you, I know I will be.

Griffin Elliot
THE SCENE - The Scene Magazine

Songwriting - 8.5 || Music - 8.5 || Vocals - 8.5
Web: www.evanchampagne.com
Location: Brantford, Ontario
Genre: Rock, Roots

Evan Champagne’s self-titled EP matches his last name, sweet and smooth. Reminiscent of artists like Phil Collins and Billy Joel, Evan’s voice is pure and full of life, giving new meaning to the word “singer”. With a number of great songs on this EP, Evan drills home the fact that he’s not just a nice voice, but a great songwriter as well. As you’ll find out, upon listening to his EP, Evan Champagne writes about real life situations that most people can relate to.

My favorite track on this self-titled EP is, Living In A Dream, for a number of reason; one being the songwriting. Filled with substance, this song will make you think about the world we live in where the gaps between the “haves and have nots” is evident. Evan touches
on homelessness, hunger, and other social ills that have persisted since the dawn of civilization. The music helps to lighten the mood a bit, thanks to the upbeat tempo and melodies in the music. In addition to these awesome qualities, Evan’s vocal performance
makes you feel that there is still hope, despite the serious issues in the song’s lyrics. I really like this song and will share it with some of the people in my network who are most likely to enjoy it.

Overall, Evan Champagne’s EP is a solid compilation of rock, roots, and pop tunes that are well worth looking into. I would recommend this EP to anyone who enjoys some of the music by the aforementioned legendary artists.

EP Track Listing
1. Way Back
2. Give It a Chance
3. Living in a Dream
4. Love You All My Life
5. Try Again (Blues Remix)

Review By: @ShaineFreeman, Music Editor & Host of The Miews Podcast - Shaine Freeman, I Am Entertainment Magazine

Evan Champagne’s guitar case is old and weathered, sporting dings and dents and hinges that look as though they have been replaced a few times.

“I like it this way,” Champagne said while clutching the case during a photo shoot at Brant News. “It says something about where I’ve been.”

Champagne and his guitar case have shared a 12-year journey that has taken them to clubs, colleges, festivals and private events both locally and throughout southern Ontario.

It’s been a journey of discovery and fulfillment for the Brantford-based musician who left his day job 12 years ago to pursue his dream.

“I was doing a lot of youth work in my early twenties and I came to Brantford to work at Circle Square Ranch as a program director,” Champagne said. “Then music got busy for me so after I left the ranch I ramped into music full-time.”

When his gigs grew from “a few shows here and there” to 20 shows a month, “it was justifiable to keep pursuing it as a career,” Champagne said.

Taking his music to the next level was a little bit daunting initially.

“I always played more as a hobby growing up and every once in a while someone would hire me for an event who was a friend, so I never really did it as a job,” Champagne said. “So the concept of how to make it into a career was tough to get my mind around.”

Champagne got a “crash course” in the administrative, advertising and marketing aspects of the business and hired Angela Henrique to help spearhead projects.

“That’s kind of an interesting component of being an independent artist, is that you are wearing so many hats,” Champagne said. “You are also getting your feet wet in all of the different aspects of the industry, too.”

Champagne has gone from singing and playing around the campfire at Circle Square Ranch – he continues to visit and play for youth in the summer months – to playing gigs in pubs and at universities. His past experience as a youth worker is still reflected in some of his songs.

“My writing is a little bit soul searching sometimes, like I’m looking for answers and direction,” he said. “When you are a teenager you try to figure everything out and life is confusing and sometimes a song can get you through.

“I know there were a lot of songs that got me through challenging times as a teenager and in my twenties, too. Being able to hear the experiences of somebody in music, you feel like someone understands…you don’t feel so isolated.”

While Champagne honed his musical chops mostly by going to pubs and listening to unknown performers, musicians like Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, Phil Collins and Chris Cornell greatly influenced his singing and songwriting.

“I guess (my style) is like a collaboration of everything I’ve listened to,” Champagne said. “People often tell me that I sound familiar but they can’t put their finger on it and I think it’s because it’s this cross-breeding of a bunch of different influences that have found their way into my singing style and my writing style.”

Champagne recorded his first five-song EP in Indiana in 2013. It was released on iTunes last July.

During the month of March he donated 100 per cent of proceeds from digital downloads of his single Living in a Dream to Habitat for Humanity Brant. The song speaks of homelessness and hunger.

“We felt like Habitat for Humanity was a good option, especially with the cold weather,” Champagne said. “Thinking about people having their own home and their own place is something I think that resonates with everybody in this cold Canadian weather.

“If I can use (music) to direct people toward doing good in the community, or just being aware of what is there so they can support it, then I feel like that is a really good use of the leadership of being an entertainer.”

While Champagne wouldn’t balk at the idea of being signed by a label, he is happy simply doing what he does.

“I don’t have stars in my eyes, I’m just really happy to be making music,” he said. “I try to make people happy with it and provide a little bit of inspiration along the way.”

Champagne will perform at OLG Casino Brantford on Friday, April 17, at 8 p.m. He will also be at Glenhyrst Art Gallery’s Big Night Out on Wednesday, April 22, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The free event will also include artists Dave McCreary and Chelo Sebastian and author Joan Minnery.

For more information about Champagne, his EP or his upcoming performances, search for him on Facebook or visit www.evanchampagne.com. - Brant News, Colleen Toms

A city singer/songwriter has become a finalist in a cross-country CBC music contest.

Evan Champagne is among the Hamilton region's Top 10 in CBC's Searchlight contest, a coast-to-coast competition that connects artists with fans in their community and across the country.

Fans get to vote on their favourite acts in an effort to push them and compete against other Canadian artists.

The Hamilton region stretches from Niagara to Brantford.

Champagne takes an organic approach in fusing a variety of styles and instrumentation together with the acoustic guitar. A multi-instrumentalist, he pushes things a step further with his artful use of live-dub technology.

He has found success as an independent touring singer/songwriter, with over 2,000 live performances during the past decade.

Each artist or band was required to submit an original song to the competition.

Champagne submitted a song called Way Back, which he said he wrote at “a time of spiritual and romantic disconnection.

“It's a reminder that no matter how far away or how lost you are feeling, you can and will find your way back to what matters most.”

CBC Music and CBC Radio launched Searchlight in March in search of Canada's best new artist.

More than 4,500 bands across the country entered the contest, including 171 from the Hamilton region. After one week of public voting, the race was narrowed down to the Top 25 in each region. Then, another week of voting ensued to reveal the Top 10.

This week, until Sunday at 2:59 p.m., public voting will determine the winner in each region.

The winner will then compete on a national level, with continued voting as well as critiques from a panel of celebrity judges. Judging criteria includes general impression of the song, quality of music and lyric composition, quality of musical performance, and highest number of public votes.

The ultimate winner of the contest will receive a grand prize, including $20,000 worth of music equipment, a professional recording with CBC Music, and a spot on the bill with Tegan and Sara, and Spoon at the CBCMusic.ca Festival in Vancouver.

To vote for Evan go to: http://bit.ly/1ipDhY1. - Brantford Expositor

With an organic approach to his sound, local musician Evan Champagne brings his own diverse songs and unique style of music to Burlington every Wednesday at Dymond’s Social Kitchen and Bar (4155 Fairview St.) from 8-11 p.m.

The singer/songwriter recently released his self-titled EP, which features five varying songs to showcase his wide-ranging talent.

“We recorded about 10 songs but we went with the cream of the crop and picked the best five,” said Champagne, who recorded the EP with producer Jeremy Michaelis (Red Umbrella). “We looked for accessible message, biggest groove and wanted diversity to spotlight the different styles I do — one song is rock, another reggae pop, another blues rock, one is a ballad, and the last one a rock anthem. It’s all me and you can tell it’s me but it’s a nice palette of what I do artistically.”

‘Different elements’

The EP highlights Champagne’s approach to his music, which seems to be open to inspiration whether in style or instrumentation.

“It’s nice to leave it open like a blank piece of paper where different elements add to it,” he explained. “On the EP, there are strings, harmonica, horns section, upright piano, congas and shakers; I put it all in there with a lot of organic instrumentation like foot stomping, clapping and whistling. I love being able to do what I want with no restrictions, it’s refreshing. It makes it original sounding and diverse with a lot of stuff to grab onto that people seem to enjoy.”

Released May 15, the EP is currently available at Champagne’s shows until he rolls out a wider release.

For his shows, Champagne said he uses a live looping technique to allow him to add in multiple instruments while performing on his own.

“A couple elements I like to use in my live shows include tambourine, stomp box and a live looping or sampling,” he noted. “It allows me to record anything I’m playing on my guitar or singing in the microphone on the spot and then create a loop so I can add in different elements. The technique opens a lot of opportunity to fill out a song on a live stage.”

One song Way Back from the EP was Evan Champagne’s submission into the recent CBC Searchlight contest where he ended up in the Top 10 for the Hamilton region. The online contest featured 4,500 artists from across the country and fans could vote for their favourite artist daily.

Performs 200 times a year

“Since it was vote driven, it was a good thermometer on how supportive your fan base is and I found mine to be very supportive,” he said. “It was heart-warming to see all that support. A contest is not something I usually do, I usually just perform and plug away at my own stuff, but I thought it would be fun.”

As a fulltime musician, Champagne performs at least 200 times a year, including at Tanner’s in Acton on the first Friday of every month and in Port Dover on the last Thursday of every month hosting a songwriter’s night.

For more information, visit www.evanchampagne.com or like him on Facebook (www.facebook.com/evanchampagnemusic) for a free song. - Burlington Post