SplatterTribe: Introduce yourself to anyone who may not know who you may be...

Pete Evick: I'm Pete Evick from the band Evick. We're the Bret Michaels touring band, as well. (We) just released our third album 'Reflections'. We're a Washington, DC area based band. For the past 10 years, (we've) just been touring and hittin' the grind over and over again...never coming up for a break.

SplatterTribe: Your new Reflections EP is not exactly new songs, what is the reason of it just now being released?

Pete Evick: We where plagued with all kinds of things. A couple of those songs are 5 and 6 years old and we recently cut the demos for them...You know, (it's like) the first Alanis Morissette record. I don't know if you remember that story...She had made a bunch of demos and then when they went into the studio to try and make it better, they could never recapture the magic?

So, we cut the songs to demo. They where never meant to be finished versions. Then when we went to do the album versions, I felt like we couldn't do them any better. Then, the worst part was when I decided to go back and mix the demo songs, I had a hard drive crash and we lost all the data. So all I had to work with where what would have been the rough mixes from those demos. So it took about 5 years for the technology to catch up to what I wanted to do with fixing the audio files from the stereo tracks.

SplatterTribe: Where there more songs? Do you have more songs? What made you decide on releasing an EP?

Pete Evick: There where a bunch of other songs, but, you know, the way I define this is...Even though a band sounds like a band, each record sounds like a certain record. My best example of that is, Def Leppard. Def Leppard had a defining moment with the 'Hysteria' record. Any song that comes on the radio, you know that it's Def Leppard, but you also know that it is from 'Hysteria', as opposed to 'Pyromania'. All the stuff from 'Pyromania' sounds like the 'Pyromania' record. Another example of that would be Scorpions 'Love At First Sting' VS their 'Savage Animal' record. The production kind of defined the album. Van Halen's 5150 sound only like Van Halen's 5150.

My point to that is these five songs where recorded at a certain time, era and with a certain set of gear and technology that made those five songs sound alike and once we lost that data I really couldn't recapture that sound. So, anything else, any of the other few songs we put on it, didn't sound like it was a cohesive part of that package. Does that make sense?

SplatterTribe: That makes perfect sense. Another question, which is why I had maybe thought you released the EP is...Do you feel there is even a need to release a full length album in these modern times?

Pete Evick: No, I don't feel that way. In fact, stepping away from talking about my band, Evick, I also run a record label, Potomac Records and more of our releases this year have been EP's because these days it's hard for a band to...You don't make a living off record sales anymore and people like fresh, new stuff as often as they can from you. So, my concept with my record label is Singles and EP's and that way instead of touring for a year then making a record and going back out on tour you have at least 4 or 5 songs released to EP every 3 months, at least your fans don't forget about you.

You know, our last record was a EP as well. We've (Evick) had 2 EP's and one full length and it just seems to, kind of, work. You can really focus on 5 songs, 4 songs and make them the best they could possibly be, instead of just putting (in) filler (songs). If someone says you have 5 really great songs on your EP, that's great. If someone says you got 5 really great songs on your record, but the other 6 suck, then it sounds like your record sucks. You can spend some time and really focus on the material and put out just really good stuff.

SplatterTribe: Tell us a little about your record label...

Pete Evick: The record label called Potomac Records. I've had it for 10 years. I started it 10 years ago and I had a lot of visions of the future and individual downloads...not really doing CD's and stuff like that and the world didn't catch up to what my vision was. So I, kind of, put it to rest for about 5 years. Then in the last 2 years, I've noticed that the digital market shares are bigger and profitable.

You know, at first it was a great idea and I knew it was the way of the future but hard CD's still made up all of the market and (now) it's starting to change. My label is all about digital distribution, Going Green and not manufacturing a whole lot of product. The world's there now. Ten years ago, when I started this, the Going Green phrase wasn't even there... I'm not actually an environmentalist, but I do care. I care about our environment and I'm very in tune to that kind of stuff. So, even though I had the record label 10 years ago, it's just now that the world seems to be accepting to what my was my idea then. So I reinstated it and am really working on that right now.

SplatterTribe: How do you find the artists for your label?

Pete Evick: You know what? Part of my thing with the record label is 'Home Grown'. Since I am Washington, DC based, I am really looking for just artist in the Washington, DC, Virginia area right now. I always talk about scenes. You know, in the 70's you had the big New York explosion, whether you had the New York Dolls or you had Kiss, or Donna Summer, whatever you had. It was still the New York scene that created a big impact. Then in the 80's you had the L.A. scene with Poison, Motley Crue, Van Halen and all those guys, and it was a scene. Then there was Seattle. It was a scene and those guys stuck together. Then when the internet came out, everyone, all of a sudden, didn't feel so localized. I remember my own self having the feeling that "I don't have to worry about packing my little home club anymore. I don't have to work really hard. I don't have to get my neighbors to see my show. I have the internet now. I can sell records to people in Iowa. I can sell records to people in Washington State." Everyone got the sense of letting their hometown and their home, localized music scene go and it really ruined a lot of things.

There hasn't been a scene since Seattle. I'm not really trying to create a Washington DC music scene, but in my label I'm focusing on my local guys and I'm focusing on helping them create grassroots (fan bases). Like Dave Mathews, who is from Virginia is a prime example. He was able to do that. I am trying to work with my bands and say, "A.) a gold record is 500,000 people. In the Washington DC area there is 5 million people. So, if in your own area, you can drive 30 miles within, if you can just effect 10% of that 5 million people, you can get a gold record without even going outside of your neighborhood essentially."

People are lost on that idea anymore... You put your record up for sale on the internet and you think that everyone can get to it and you only sale 5 or 10 copies. It still has to be grassroots. It still has to be localized. You need to be able to shake hands and kiss babies and people lost sight of that with the internet. It's still important to walk across the street to your neighbors house, or your buddy's house and say, "I wrote these songs..."

Also, if you are a local artist, most of those songs you write are embedded about those towns, or their way of life, their culture and they speak more to the people that are like you, or (are) from where you're from. It's just like, my example is, my girlfriend is from Iowa and she say's "Pop". I am from Virginia and I use the term "Soda". Even with songs and lyrics and stuff like that, people have forgotten that the songs you write are in touch with your local community and that's what my record label is going to be about. Growing it from your localized area and right now we're just focused on the Washington, DC area.

SplatterTribe: So between our label, your band, the Bret Michaels tours and lack of breaks, you seem to be working more than just a full time gig with all of this...

Pete Evick: You know what, I've been playing guitar since I was 5 years old. It's been my dream and yeah, I guess you could call it a full time job. (but) It's your passion. It's your soul and it's your career. I wake up in the morning and from the time I wake up till the time I go to bed, it's music. The music industry is all I have ever known. I don't know anything else outside of it. So, while it is a lot of hard work, I certainly don't think of it as a job, or a gig. It's a lifestyle and a way of life for me. I just push and push and push.

So yeah, yeah, I'm consumed by it all and the Bret Michaels thing take up, I would say, 75% of my time. You know, the guys on fire. He's my best friend. We've had two Top 40 records in the last two years, Number 1 videos and (we) hit while the irons hot. We're out here, I'm calling you right now from the legendary Surf Ballroom, which is where Buddy Holly did his last gig. We're out here in Iowa. We're out on a three month run right now before Poison goes out with Motley Crue. Yeah, it's nonstop. It's a way of life.

SplatterTribe: So how involved are you and the band in the Bret Michaels writing and recording process?

Pete Evick: Bret is definitely a team player. I mean, his solo band is his solo band. It's his project and he has final say, but he lets us all have our input. He likes us for the way we play, so he lets us put our style and our stamp on everything. I co-produce everything with him and mix the records so...Yeah...

SplatterTribe: When he approached you guys to be his backing band was there any hesitation of being overshadowed or was it just about the opportunity?

Here's the thing, my drummer Chuck (Fanslau), I've been with him for 25 years and the first song me and him ever played together was a Poison song. We played 'Cry Tough' from the 'Look What The Cat Dragged In' album. So when Bret came up with the opportunity, it was a no brainer. It's what you do. We looked up to him. We where huge, huge Poison fans and Bret's from Pennsylvania. He's an East coast guy like us. We knew of him before he was in Poison. So it was a no brainer.

You know, everyone thought that David Lee Roth would be the guy that goes down as the legendary front man of an era, the Robert Plant of the 80's or whatever, and...it's Bret...

Bret's gonna go down in history as the defining front man of an era and I get to play in a band with that guy. I mean he can out shadow. I don't care if he out shadows me, he's the front man. That's what he's supposed to do.

SplatterTribe: Being that Bret is pretty much more known now, all across the board, than Poison was in the 80's, did you really have any idea of what you where getting into?

Pete Evick: We hoped, you know...(laughs) Obviously when the Rock Of Love thing hit, it was a huge step for us. It took us into a different field. It changed everything. I remember Poison went on tour with Ratt the year Rock Of Love came out and I remember by the end of that tour; I went on that tour with Bret, by the end of the tour, we where seeing young, pop culture fans at these Poison shows that didn't have any idea of any of the songs Ratt where playing. (They) didn't know half the Poison songs. They where there to see Bret Michaels the celebrity. So, we're grateful for what it turned into but everyone has expectations of being the biggest it can be.

SplatterTribe: How does the Evick/Bret Michaels Band travel? I mean, I know even during the Poison tours, Bret still does solo shows on off nights, do you guys follow the tour, come in for select nights, or book your own Evick shows?

Pete Evick: Bret runs two different business' man, the solo band and Poison. The Poison guys run in a crew with 6 buses. Our solo band runs in a crew of 2 buses and at any given time, they are all out on the road together. He'll fly back and forth in his plane, where he needs to be.

SplatterTribe: So this summer during the Motley Crue/Poison/New York Dolls tour, will you guys be out on the road?

Pete Evick: There's a couple of Bret Michaels solo dates, but I'm gonna be doing the Evick stuff and working on my record label, those 3 months Poison are out.

SplatterTribe: I mean with Evick, will you guys be doing any touring?

Pete Evick: Oh, absolutely, it's probably been 15 years since I have gone more than 7 days without a gig. I freak out, (laughs) even if I have to go to my local bar and strum my acoustic. So, without a doubt Evick will be on the road.

SplatterTribe: Do you guys do a lot of home grown Washington DC/Virginia based shows?

Pete Evick: You know what, I don't do a whole lot because we've got to the point now where if we perform at home, it's an event and it's a sellout and is expected to sellout. I hate to speak about the business of music, but I'm making national artist money in my local clubs, in Virginia, and I don't want to wear that out. I don't want to over saturate. So, we'll play 3 or 4 times every... (or) maybe once a month in the Virginia area, when we can because the venues and the people have embraced our success, and I am so grateful for it. I don't want to over saturate. I don't want to wear it down. I want to hold onto it as long as I can. We will have special events. We'll either do an "Evick Comes Home From The Bret Michaels Tour" event or a record release party or a "Last Time To See Evick Before We Go Back On Tour" event.

I used to play 6 nights a week within a 30 mile radius and beat it to death to the point where...You can over saturate and only 3 or 4 people come out at night, because they know they can go see you tomorrow night or they just saw you last night. So I don't do that anymore. I make it an event to make sure we sell out at home.

SplatterTribe: So what is on tap for the remainder of the year?

Pete Evick: Well, Bret's got a couple of other TV shows that he's gonna shock the world with. While he's out with Motley, as I said, I am gonna take Evick and work on another EP and have that finished and promote all of that music and then I am producing other bands from my record label. I take everything day to day right now. While we are out on tour with Bret, that is all that matters. I know what I'd like to do, but I won't start doing it until Memorial Day. Once Memorial Day hits, Poison and Motley go out, I'll put a string of Evick dates together and then I'll get in the studio.

www.evick.com

www.bretmichaels.com

www.potomacrecords.com

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pete.evick