nelson

Description

While playing drums with Karl Denson's Tiny Uninverse in 1998, Alan Evans was inspired to start a new band and immediately called his brother Neal. Soulive was born in March of 1999. With the third member, guitarist Eric Krasno finally in place Soulive began an amazing journey across the world that is still going strong today. Over the past 13 years Alan Evans has honed his skills as a recording engineer, producer, guitarist, vocalist and writer. Armed with an abundance of newly inspired songs, Alan has decided to start a new band in a lineup he thrives in, the organ trio. Alan has recruited two of his good friends and amazing musicians, guitarist Danny Mayer and organist Beau Sasser to bring his vision to life. Danny Mayer is a self-taught guitarist who began playing music at the age of 14. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Mayer lived in many different parts of the US while attending high school and college. It wasn't until he made his way west to Santa Cruz, CA that Mayer set about pursuing his musical passion as a career. His dedication to crafting his skill on guitar has proved to be time well spent. In 2006, Mayer formed On The Spot (OTS) Trio with keyboardist Kris Yunker and drummer Emery Nelson. On The Spot Trio, now with Jeff Wilson on drums, has grown into a widely recognized, nationally touring, Hammond Organ-driven funk trio. OTS recorded their first album, "Straight Out The Garden" in 2009 and their second and newest album "Shag" with Alan Evans at the controls as producer and guest musician. With a distinctive sound of his own, Mayer's guitar stylings pay homage to some of the tastier jazz, soul, and rock players throughout the decades. Mayer's philosophy is that intention, soul, personality, and emotional content are the elements that truly move people in music. Mayer is infinitely comfortable within the trio setting. He's had the time and experience to develop his own musical voice, which he seamlessly integrates with his bandmates' sound. "To me, it's all about feeling the room out, and feeding off the crowd," describes Mayer. "You can start off slow and take your time, but eventually the goal is to fill the room up with energy, until it gets so full it feels like it's about to explode. That's when I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing." Beau Sasser hit the music scene at a young age, traversing the snowy highways of Colorado for gigs with his own band and performances with legends like John Denver and Jimmy Ibbotson of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In the mid-90s Sasser headed east for a stint at Berklee College of Music and soon found himself back on the highways with the successful band Akashic Record. Around the year 2000 Sasser began performing almost exclusively on the Hammond Organ. In addition to his tenure as Melvin Sparks' preferred organist, Sasser leads his own trio whose residency at Bishop's Lounge in Northampton, MA is now in its fifth year, and freelances like crazy. Touring throughout the United States and internationally, Beau has shared the stage with Steely Dan, Michael MacDonald, Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire along with funk master Maceo Parker(James Brown), Mike Keneally(Frank Zappa) and jazz greats Medeski, Martin & Wood and Melvin Sparks. Together as the Alan Evans Trio, Beau, Danny and Alan share the same love of recording albums and taking their music on the road. Alan began his professional musical career at the age of 13 and has the same passion for it as he did then. People often ask him where he gets the energy to keep writing, recording and touring. "I've known for a long time what my purpose is this time around. All I want to do is try to make people happy with what makes me and my family happy...... Music." -Al