Evan Cunningham, a sophomore at the College, has always had a passion for music. When I caught up with him earlier in the semester, we talked about his beginnings with music, his time at the college, and his latest project. He spoke on his earliest songwriting, which goes back as far as middle school, joking that some songs are best left in middle school. Through high school, he performed as a member of TorchRed, an indie rock band from Charlottesville, VA. Now, at William & Mary, he is studying Music and Philosophy, as well as singing with his a cappella group, DoubleTake.
He has come a long way since his middle school songwriting days, and has spent the last six months working on his biggest music project yet. On September 22, his first full album, Lightning Eyes, will be released under his stage name, Evan Chambers (Chambers being his middle name). The album includes thirteen tracks, including eleven original songs and two covers.
Evan’s musical taste includes everything from folk and country music, to pop and top 40. He draws inspiration from all of these genres, giving his album a wide range of sound. It shows many different sides of him as an artist, allowing his music to connect with a wide audience and different tastes. Although the album is rich with variety, Evan describes it as “indie pop at its core.”
Most of the original songs on Lightning Eyes were inspired by the last year of Evan’s life and the people he has met: “When I’m writing, it’s not that a song is about one person in their entirety, but I’ll take traits from a few people and create a larger-than-life fictional character to write about.” Evan plays most of the instrumental tracks, but one of the coolest parts of Lightning Eyes is that it includes quite a few guest vocalists and musicians playing everything from the trumpet to the mandolin. The two covers are Elvis’s “Burning Love” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” to which Evan adds a modern and soulful twist. When asked about his new takes on these classics, he mentioned that a cover should be a fresh interpretation, not just a copy. He wisely noted, “Don’t try to be Johnny Cash, he was pretty damn good at it.”
Evan’s goal with this album was to create music that he enjoyed himself, while hoping that others would enjoy it as well. There is no doubt that he succeeded. His songs are honest, soulful, and catchy. Lightning Eyes is a unique album by a talented young artist who is a true example of the ambitious and inspiring William & Mary student body. He even recorded part of the album in Swem! So stop what you’re doing and pre-order the album now on iTunes.