70's style singer-songwriter with powerful pop-rock melodies which exude Elvis Costello and Billy Joel influences while veering into Great American show-tune and jazz neighborhoods with strong vocals and unique guitar parts.

11 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Classic Rock, POP: Beatles-pop



Details:
Iâm not going to pretend that this was written by someone whoâs a good writer. Iâm a good writer, why should I spend hard-earned money on something I can do myselfâ¦thatâs what being an âIndependentâ musician is all about. Right? So hereâs the 10 minute Lifetime snapshot. Iâll do my best to entertain you.

I was exposed to many things as a kid (cut it outâ¦thatâs not funny), but the one thing that always seemed to be most prevalent during my formative years was music. My father, funny as hell and a great lover of music, introduced me to an amazing spectrum of recorded and live music in my youth. He took me to the ballet, Broadway, opera, or whatever he thought would open up new ways of thinking for me. My mother bought me a Chuck Berry record in 2nd grade to help me with my Marty McFly fixation. The record threw me over the edge; I was never the same. I expanded my musical obsession by buying armfuls of well-worn Beatles, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, etc. records wherever I could find them; they ruined me forever. My sordid, life-long affair with Ms. Music had begun.

Being the lonely, only child that I was (am), I took it upon myself to learn piano, guitar, harmonica and voice independently. Ok, sure, I took a few months of this and that here and there, but I never had the patience to go through months of lessons. I scraped through my Billy Joel songbookâs and, somehow, spontaneously ingested it all.

Anyway, I began high school where I played around in a gaggle of punk bands. The most constant of them being my own creation: The Derelicts. The band name wasnât far from what we actually were; Catholic schools can be scary. Fueled by Kurt Cobain and plenty of good-old teenage angst we built up quite a reputation for ourselves as being a fun, solid Northern N.J. punk rock band opening up for such legendary bands as Dog Eat Dog, Reigndance, and Biohazard.

However, when school ended so did many close friendships. Things happen and people change. The Derelicts broke up and I was left puzzling over what musical direction to go in next.

Since I was the only writer Iâd ever worked with I knew I had that gag in my arsenal. I also wanted to utilize my piano playing and bring it into the act. Although I loved the punk rock that I was playing at the time (and I still do) I wanted to get a little more creative and make some original, well-written, rock and roll music.

In 1998 this desire led me to enter a âsound-alikeâ contest held by the NYC metro-area Beatlefest. Yes, Beatlefest is like a Star-Trek convention without the Spock ears, but itâs still fun if you love The Beatles (and I do). Anyway, I managed to snag first-place for aping Paul McCartneyâs Let It Be. 1000+ Beatles fans helped me win by audience participation. It was at this moment that I convinced myself that I might have a shot at making some decent music here.

After clawing through every piano bar in NYC I happened upon a shot-in-the-dark audition for Tony nâ Tinaâs Wedding; the longest running comedy in Off-Broadway history. I won the role of Donny Dulce, the sleazy singer who fronts the partyâs wedding band. Yikes!

I certainly canât complainâ¦the show brought me around America for six months, back for a limited stay in the NYC production and later they dragged (sic) me all the way to Fukouka, Japan. What a great runâ¦

Upon my return to New Jersey I began making the rounds as a solo player (guitar, vox & piano). I even took a short tour to Nashville, TN and New Orleans, LA. Playing all alone on stage with nothing but my guts and a beer was fun, but I still hungered to have a group of guys who helped me get my tunes across.

At long last, it appears as though Iâve found them, and weâre ready to start ripping up the pavement in a neighborhood near you. Iâm flattered and lucky as hell to have guys of this caliber who believe in my music as much as I do. Itâs a great honor to bill myself as Evan Toth and The Excuses.

Weâve had some great success since weâve begun! Weâd played at The Newark Bearsâ Riverfront Stadium, Hackensackâs Foscini Park; weâve appeared on WMSU-FM & WFDU-FM, weâve been written up in The Bergen Record, The Aquarian, and Kweevak.com. Weâve also been gaining a loyal following on the NJ/NYC original band circuit as our 900+ mailing list will attest. Our reputation to pack a bar and to give a blistering live performance is beginning to precede us.

I donât believe these tunes are better than sliced bread, and they probably wonât bring about world peace. However, I firmly believe my music is well written, solid, full of integrity and sincerity and catchy as hell. How do I know that? Because thatâs what people tell me.

So, enjoy the new CD, come out to a show, sign the mailing list, and buy me a beer. Letâs talk about life, people and the future, but have a lot of fun while weâre at it. Thatâs what I miss in rock nâ roll these daysâ¦funâ¦how âbout you!?

For More Information Donât Forget To Check Out: WWW.EVANTOTH.COM