Evan Marien and Dana Hawkins Return with “Elysian”
Buckle up: Evan Marien and Dana Hawkins have teamed up for another EvanxDana album, and they’ve brought some friends along for the ride. The bass and drum duo’s Elysian has a wide variety of guests, including Tigran Hamasyan, Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, Cory Wong, Plini, Aaron Marshall from Intervals, and more. Even with all the guests, no one drives the music more than Marien and Hawkins.
“The rise of the rhythm section is emblematic of our brave new world where musical conventions are often turned on their head,” a press release explains. “This is the case with the extraordinary bass and drum team of Evan Marien and Dana Hawkins, who lead from the front and build their sound from the bottom up to create a progressive fusion, splicing genres, technology, and technique in a dazzling display that’s already racked up hundreds of thousands of views on their YouTube channel and earned them a worldwide following.
Showcasing their unique partnership through high-definition videos – that combine slick visuals with high-intensity interaction – they now perform as a powerful live duo, utilizing Ableton Live to bring their cutting-edge production skills into the live arena.”
Elysian is another evolution of their progressive sound that combines elements of jazz, electronica, beat culture, and heavy bass. It contains nine original songs plus two Allan Holdsworth covers for a total of 11 mind-bending sonic adventures driven by the duo’s unreal playing.
Check out the intense second track, “Ultima,” featuring Plini on guitar:
Elysian is available now via Bandcamp, iTunes, and Amazon MP3.
Elysian Track List:
- Caliber
- Ultima
- Hexalogic
- Forgive
- Elysian
- Ikigai
- Don’t Give UP
- It’s Gonna Be Alright
- Funnels
- Non-Brewed Condiment
- Gums
