Mikal Evans has a folk rock sound of a woman in charge. After a stint with acoustic players, Revival, laying down the keys and violin, she decided to go solo and perform music a little more her own style. Her morose and sultry voice drive her acoustic rock sound, reminiscent of a Tom Waits structure but with sweetly melodious vocals, simultaneously taking influences from the indie rock movement as much as singer/songwriter genres. For Evans, influences are dated back to when she was growing up in Moore, South Carolina. That is where she first heard her father record bands in a converted schoolhouse gymnasium, and that's where she found music to be her calling. She bought a guitar at 16 and began writing songs immediately, picking up gigs around her hometown and just generally honing in on her craft.
After college, she moved to Washington, D.C., signed to Gypsy Eyes Records, and began playing all over the district with Timothy Bracken for months. Before heading into the studio, the duo added the drum work of Jerry Busher (French Toast) and bass stylings of Ashish Vyas (Thievery Corporation). However, this band was unable to tour due to side projects. As for her solo efforts, Evans' fourthcoming EP, "A Jailhouse.A Kingdom," is slated for release in February 2008 by D.C. based Gypsy Eyes Records. The tracks are expected to be etched with an Appalachian influence often accompanied by mysterious lyrical content that demands a second listen.
The DCist wrote: "Evans' style is best summed up by an observation from one audience member: "This reminds me of a really good P.J Harvey song". To her credit, Evans has sincerity by the bucket. Like her raspy voice, her melodies seem to prize honesty over prettiness."
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"You know that creepy feeling you get when someone who's a little too close for comfort peers over your shoulder? That "someone" is Washington, DC's folk-rocker Mikal Evans. The former Revival member's debut solo EP, A Jailhouse. A Kingdom(Gypsy Eyes), features Evans's eerily beautiful vocals immersed in captivating acoustics and subtle percussion sets. She boldly confronts universally introspective questions vicariously through each song's jaded protagonist, easily proving that she is the queen of storytellers.
Jailhouse's five tracks show that the EP is appropriately titled, as they take you on an aural caravan ride through the Oregon Trail, the most common route mid-19th century settlers used to migrate to the west. "Dark Hushes Light" is an ominous sounding prologue that speaks to the curious, exploratory "[animal] under [our] skin." The following four ballads collectively romanticize the idea of leaving your comfort zone while acknowledging man's irremovable fear of the unknown. But as Evans's raspy, comforting voice tells you to "ride on," the unfamiliar just doesn't seem as intimidating."-Michelisa Lanche (CMJ)
