"Evan Greer continues to write inspiring folk music in the tradition of the great protest singers. 'Never Surrender' contains an urgency and earnestness that is uniquely his...and he's a heck of a guitar player. I suspect that songs like 'Ya Basta!' and 'Picketline Song' will be heard at the barricades for years to come."
--Tom Morello, guitarist Rage Against the Machine
Evan Greer is twenty-four years old and lives somewhere between the Greyhound bus and your couch. Equally at home leading singalongs in a union hall, working with youth in a classroom, or sweating in a basement punk show, Evan's lyrically driven and energetic songs speak to people of all generations. A powerful voice and presence often lead them to leave the microphone and stage and stand facing the crowd with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a whole lot of passion.
Greer is a member of the Riot-Folk! Collective, a group of 9 young musicians hellbent on MAKING FOLK A THREAT AGAIN, she has toured internationally, sharing stages with artists ad musically diverse as Pete Seeger, Immortal Technique, Billy Bragg, Chumbawamba, Pamela Means, State Radio, Emma's Revolution, The Mammals, and Mr. Lif. Evan recently completed a 6-week, 1600 mile bicycle-tour of Florida, and has toured the country several times with renouned labor singer Anne Feeney as well the as up-and-coming political hip-hop band Broadcast Live.
Evan seeks to use his music as a tool for spreading social movements and building communities of resistance. First and foremost she is dedicated to organizing and activism, and uses tours, CDs, and shows to promote and often fundraise for various grassroots campaigns.
Evan's newest CD, "Never Surrender" displays both their lyrical and musical talent and the 15 original songs shine with the addition of a fantastic band including vocals from Taina Asili (formerly of Anti-Product, and currently of La Banda Rebelde), Pat Humphries and Sandy O (better known as the popular folk duo Emma's Revolution), the "best labor singer in North America," Anne Feeney, and NYC singer/songwriter Mimi LaValley. Also featured are members up and coming hip-hop band Broadcast Live, and Boston-based hip-hop saxaphonist AfroDZak. Greer plays guitars, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and kazoo and is joined on various songs by a cello, drums, bass, organ, violin, trumpet, and junk percussion. The disc comes in a 100% post-recycled cardboard package featuring beautiful political artwork by the Beehive Design Collective. Jory Leanza-Carey of Broadcast Live engineered the project and plays many of the instruments as well.
In addition to musical performances, Evan has recently begun offering a series of participatory Social Justice workshops geared towards high-school and college-age folks - Connecting the Dots: Social & Environmental Justice Workshops. These interactive presentations weave together music, discussion, visuals, and popular education games in an effort to draw out the connections between different forms of oppression and struggles towards liberation. Currently, Evan offers these workshops:
*Connecting the Dots of Climate Justice
*Queers Against Gentrification
*Organizing Events that Build the Movement
*LGBTQ Liberation and Environmental Justice
*Community Organizing Skills for Students
*Mental Health and Activism
*Direct Action, Strategy, and Tactics
-ask about others!
Evan has no booking-agent, record label, booker, glossy presskit, shrinkwrapped CDs, or anything like that. If you are interested in booking a show or having music at an event, you can contact her directly via phone or e-mail. E-mail: evangreer@gmail.com or call 978-852-6457 for booking.
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT EVAN GREER and "NEVER SURRENDER:"
"Evan Greer is an eloquent and energetic writer. He reminds me of Phil Ochs."
--Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
"Evan Greer continues to write inspiring folk music in the tradition of the great protest singers. 'Never Surrender' contains an urgency and earnestness that is uniquely his...and he's a heck of a guitar player. I suspect that songs like 'Ya Basta!' and 'Picketline Song' will be heard at the barricades for years to come."
--Tom Morello, guitarist Rage Against the Machine
“Never Surrender will bre athe new life into the movement. Evan’s songs are both youthful and timeless, and she performs with courage and wisdom beyond her years.” --Anne Feeney, labor singer
"Current folk is sometimes stereotyped as sappy, weak, and boring. Despite this contemporary betrayal, the Riot Folk collective champions the genre’s radical roots ... Behind all the exclamation points and proclamations of anarchy, lies a genuine sense of revolution. The Riot Folk Collective may just re-establish folk music as a revolutionary staple." --VenusZine
"Evan feeds off the energy of the crowd, putting some of the punk back into the sound with a raw and passionate performance. Being in the crowd at an acoustic show where the kids genuinely care about the message and dance and sing along with fists in the air in a crowded basement or open performance space, is a whole different type of folk show from the typical coffee house style. It's refreshingly alive and a striking contrast to sitting down and listening to someone singing about their feelings."--Urban Folk
"Phenomenal activist folk!" --Pacifica Radio KPFA-FM
"Evan's vocals are clear and definitive as he weaves a story around his concise guitar playing!" --WERU-FM Radio
"Greer has been compared to American protest singer Phil Ochs .. young people respond." --Florida Today
"Rising young artist" --The Athens News
"High energy, radical" --The Birmingham Weekly
"The only reason it's probably taken Evan Greer so long to make a full-length album, Never Surrender (on Riot-Folk! Records [sic]) is because he's never just a musician. He's always surrounded by activists working on one issue or another ... you'll see him at anti-war meetings and community potlucks organized to stop housing forclosures. Yes, he sings while he's there. But Greer is never just the entertainment; it's impossible to keep him on the stage. His songwriting is never seperate from his role as facilitator, organizer, activist, and storyteller. It seems Greer has called on his entire community of activist friends to produce Never Surrender. With songs inspired by local protests and loved ones, accompanied by veteran and fellow Boston musicians, Never Surrender is by far not a solo album. Complete with recycled cardboard case, Greer's 15-song CD is truly a radical group effort ... Like a coming of age story, the tumultuous emotions of self-awareness in a fucked up world is at the center ... But Greer proves more than a writer of catchy political pop--he makes the music functional ... Greer's best songwriting isn't passive--it's calling for and directing action, and it's demanding us to do it together." --The Noise (Cover Story, June 2009)
Read more...