Meet Ethan Everts | Composer, Songwriter, and Performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ethan Everts and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ethan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I perceive risk as a tool. I’ve used risky situations and uncertain outcomes to my advantage, either learning a valuable lesson, or reaping a high reward for my work. Every influential musician, businessman, and visionary starts with a shot to shoot. If they hadn’t marched up and glared at risk dead in the eye, our world would not be what it is today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Picture this: you’re soaking in the adrenaline of the moment, the sweat beading on your forehead reflecting the stage lights. You’re on the primary stage of one of the most prestigious concert halls in the United States, and everything’s stopped. The orchestra is looking to you, their eyes darting between you and the music in front of their faces, the music you wrote 2 months ago. You feel your teeth grind together in anticipation. Your arms rise and all of a sudden you’re you again: the weight of the bow compels you, overwhelms you… your arm falls down and the thunder of reverberating strings rings in your ears and floods the concert hall. You’re a soloist at Carnegie Hall for a work you composed. You walk along greats and play among the spirits of stars.

The only moments more influential than those under the lights of Carnegie Hall are the little things: planning those first rehearsals with my band, the Califournians, discovering the sounds and emotions we can create, and snatching that first breath before a howl as the band begins to play. Even starting on the cello and branching into the country roots that define our nation has brought me great reward and satisfaction, and I’m grateful for every moment spent studying classical music. But at the end of the day, the draw towards the simple folk tunes and melodies once sung by our predecessors is too great, and I find myself enamored with the culture behind country music. With influences such as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Mary Robbins, Patsy Cline, and Kitty Wells, I’ve learned that no matter how you strum it, the soul resonates with a lonesome guitar and a cattle-call tune to go with it.

Fusing together the styles of old country, the melodies of pop-western, the elegance and sophistication of classical, and the simplicity of folk, the music that I create is nothing short of familiar; comforting to the souls that need it most. Speaking to both my peers and the more experienced in life, I take the everlasting lessons I’ve learned from childhood and put them to music, from the hardships and pains of growing up to the euphoria of a first love, weaving lyrics and rhythms together. After all, we’re just people, and people just like music.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a Los Angeles native, you can take it from me: there’re few cities more full of action and opportunity than the City of Stars. While listening to Beach Boys and The Eagles, we’ll spend a day in Malibu, soaking up the sun’s golden rays. We’ll run around Hollywood and visit Amoeba Records and see a show at the Pantages. We’ll spend an afternoon in Olvera street before heading over to Dodger Stadium and sit in the presence of champions. Roaming around the film studios and Sunset Blvd., we’ll have the time of our lives.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family is first: my parents and siblings have always supported me, and their continued trust in my music is invaluable.

The first job of a teacher is to plant the seed of passion in their students. Having taught my own students, I understand the difficulty of teaching one to love something. LA cellist, composer, and my private teacher Alex Bozman has profoundly influenced me to pursue my love for music and my craft. Along with the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra, I’ve had the opportunity to practice and branch out in my career, for which I’m very grateful.

Instagram: @ethan_evertsmusic

Youtube: Ethan Everts

Other: Spotify, Apple, YouTube, etc.: Ethan Everts

Image Credits
Isabelle Acosta

Krystal Mann