Jamie Hampton
jhampto6@uwyo.edu
For Laramie local and Cheyenne native, Evan Gwin, music has always played a part in his life, starting in third grade with piano lessons.
“Growing up, music was an important part of my family,” Gwin said. “My parents fostered an environment that promoted creativity and artistic expression, and music is what I used and still use for expression.”
Gwin has been playing and performing music for about 12 years and learned guitar in junior high school.
“I played a lot [of] piano recitals growing up,” Gwin said. “But the first performances that really started to empower me to keep up with my own music were the shows I did with Abroad in high school.”
Abroad was an alternative rock band that Gwin was in with some of his friends, which included Trey Lowery, Kody Struna, Ben Gardner and Jake Ward.
Gwin believes that performing in a band and performing solo are great for different reasons.
“Having an active musical relationship with other people on a stage is incredible,” Gwin said. “You can play the same songs with the same people every night but the performance will be different every time just because the venue changed or the audience’s energy is different.”
Gwin went on to explain that performing solo can be scary because of having to be exposed to the audience.
“It can be nerve-wracking, but if the audience digs what you’re playing, it can be a very intimate experience,” Gwin said.
Gwin released a 5-song EP this month entitled “The Woodpile.” Gwin recorded the five songs in the spare room of his place using a USB microphone plugged into his laptop.
“I experimented with other instruments once I had guitars and vocals,” Gwin said. “Banjo and percussion are littered throughout the EP.”
Gwin explained that some of the songs on the EP have been written for a while and he spent time tweaking the songs until he was happy enough to release them.
“My inspirations are the usual things: relationships, life experiences, especially winter weather,” Gwin said. “I’ve written most of my songs in the winter months. The cold always gets me thinking clearly.”
Last month Gwin opened for the University of Wyoming’s a cappella group the Happy Jacks. Gwin said that performance was the biggest audience he has ever played for.
“I keep telling myself it was just like a big open mic night, except that everyone was listening to every note I played,” Gwin said. “The exposure was horrifying and wonderful.”
Other than hoping the 5-song EP reaches a bigger audience, Gwin hopes to start playing more shows around Laramie.
“I’m in the process of striking up a full band to play shows,” Gwin said. “I also enjoy playing open mic nights at local bars and coffee shops.”
Gwin also commented on some changes he would like to incorporate into the new music he has been writing.
“I haven’t really played piano since I quit taking lessons, and my violin has been sitting in a corner since I graduated,” Gwin said. “One of these days I’m going to pick them up again.”
Gwin considers himself to still be an aspiring artist and shared some advice for other aspiring artists in Laramie.
“Remember that music is best shared with others, not locked away,” Gwin said. “Go out, play shows, play with a band and don’t be afraid to be bad or even terrible when you start out. The ‘bad’ performances are only bad if you don’t learn from them.”
Updates on upcoming music and possible shows can be found on Gwin’s Facebook page.
“Support your local music scene,” Gwin said. “There are a lot of awesome acts sprouting out of Laramie right now.”
