Led by Evan B Harris, Portland based Afterlife Revival is more than just a band. The group combine conceptual art and social practice, with music which fuses Beatle-esque psych country, with illustrative folk art, and stories based on Harris’s childhood.
Evan was brought up in the late 1970s by his mother, whose life was defined by her connection to her Native American heritage. Free spirits embodied, they spent time in abandoned gold mining towns, as well as Indian Reservations. Evan felt decidedly out of place with his blonde hair and blue eyes. It was here he discovered his love of art:
“I found solace in my imagination, expressing myself through drawings and would give them away to other kids to dispel the tension.”
Evan spent a couple of decades as an illustrator, after ending up in Portland as a young man. It wasn’t good for him. “I was fumbling around, drinking too much, staying up late and running around with the wrong women”. Becoming ill, he found his art took on his disease, with characters whose bones and arteries showed through their transparent skin. He was temporarily blinded through life-threatening shingles, and his desire to create took on another form. He dreamed of a crow, which said to him, “get your grandfather’s guitar and sing your song!”. This gave him the idea for Afterlife Revival, and although he regained his eyesight, he continues to combine his folk art with his music.
Afterlife Revival plan to release one single a month, over the next six months, alongside digital and physical art prints. Fans are given the option to subscribe to them, to hear the music, and for the chance to receive their art. Afterlife Revival are in this way planning to create a lasting vision for others in order to find their own creative path.
Additionally, the group plan to support a different Portland non-profit organisation each month, by donating 11% of all profits, and playing mostly benefit shows, for their partners.
Evan says:
“My greatest hope is that by casting a pebble of inspiration into the infinite ocean of awareness, my ripples resonate and create a beautiful pattern for the world.”
‘Rich In Love’ is their song for this month, released on June 6. Their June charity is Ant Farm Youth Services. You can subscribe to Afterlife Revival on their Bandcamp here.
Find Afterlife Revival online on Facebook, Instagram and their official website.
