Arad Evans (The Whimbrels, Glenn Branca)

Today’s guest is a fan of birds. Not really. I don’t know. He’s been in two bands named after birds, so maybe. Welcome guitarist Arad Evans to the podcast. I think Arad may be my first Alaskan on the podcast. Now he wasn’t born there, but he did grow up there. He tells me what got him into music and what kind of music scene there was in 1970’s and early 80’s Anchorage. 

Arad moved to New York City specifically to play contemporary, avant garde music. Well, he was pretty successful. His first gig was with the legendary experimental composer Glenn Branca. In fact, Arad played with Glenn until his passing in 2018. 

Arad has played in several bands. He talks about one that was inspired by Captain Beefheart and Alaska. This band, Heroes of Toolik, is so unique. Arad said the premise of the band was making a conscious effort to not make a conscious effort.

His new band, kind of new, is called The Whimbrels and the lineup is stellar! In addition to Arad, there’s Norman Westberg and Luke Schwartz on guitar, Steve Dibenedetto on drums, and Matt Hunter on bass. Their debut, self-titled album is out and is so catchy. With so many experimental artists in the band, you might think it’s an avant garde album. But it’s wonderfully accessible, no matter if you like experimental music or not. Check it out on Dromedary Records. Follow The Whimbrels on social media and keep an eye out for live dates. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Grab our merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Send money through ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. Now I hope you enjoy this chat with Arad Evans of The Whimbrels on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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