The highest form of navel-gazing, writing about yourself in the third person is something most people (hopefully) have little experience with. The best place to start is looking at exterior examples – so here are some artist biographies, arranged completely subjectively in terms of star power:
If you browse a few, you’ll see that the tone and style of an artist biography is as variable as its subject. Some are serious, some are flowery – some self-penned, others written by marketing types. But the same two decisions go into each of them:
What you say – The content of your biography varies depending on the audience. Music professionals (like booking or A&R folks) need measurable specifics on your background, accomplishments, and goals. Regular listeners want an insight into your world.
How you say it – Biographies are a direct reflection of the artist, and as such their tone should mirror their subject’s image.
After thinking about it for a while, I decided that there’s no real good way to address the needs of multiple audiences in one document – so I wrote two bios. The listeners bio (destined for the ‘About’ section of the website) is in first person and contains a mixture of relevant info about me and and some brief, general thoughts about music. The professional one addresses issues more more specific to music professionals. Here’s the goods:
Listeners Bio
The Short Answer
Name: Kyle Evans
Location: Los Angeles
Occupation: Artist/Programmer
Echo Bloom?: My musical nom de plume, and the repository for my blog and multimedia workThe long Answer
My name is Kyle Evans and I’m a Los Angeles based multimedia artist and programmer. I created the Echo Bloom site originally to house writing and recordings documenting the creation of my first solo album, ‘Jamboree.’ As the music component evolved and took form, I took Echo Bloom as my moniker and began releasing music under the name. The website is now an even split between an investigation of new tools for creative process, and an outlet for my music and multimedia work – my own little sandbox.
On August 20, 2008 I released ‘Jamboree,’ a series of character studies that explore and celebrate American identity in the 21st century. The music was decidedly Americana, but ran the stylistic gamut – there’s a funk song about a President, a folk song about a prostitute, and a metal song about a preacher. One early review described it as “like Edward Hopper set to music: dark, sparse and compelling.”
My heroes employ a type of reductive clarity in their work. John Cage and Edward Tufte – Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen – Jeff Mangum and Marshall McLuhan. Each speaks with a clearly defined, singular voice. It’s a method I admire and attempt to practice in my own work.
I reside in L.A., where I recently moved to take a position as a flash developer at Topspin. I’ve previously worked as a research scientist at NPR, a ranchhand in New Mexico, and a busboy in Florida. My favorite Beatle is John Lennon.
(n.b. – ‘Short Answer/Long Answer’ shamelessly aped from Tycho/ISO50’s excellent bio)
Press Bio:
Kyle Evans (Echo Bloom) is a Los Angeles based multimedia artist and programmer whose debut solo release, ‘Jamboree,’ has been described as “like Edward Hopper set to music: dark, sparse and compelling.”
The album was inspired by the life’s work of the 20th century German documentary photographer August Sander. Between 1920 and 1948, Sander created a photographic taxonomy of his native village in portraiture, dividing people into groups by occupation (there were skilled tradesmen, artists, the last people, etc.). ‘Jamboree’ takes a similar, but distinctly American approach, telling the stories of, among others, a lonely businessmen at the end of the world, an English teacher caught in the grips of a torrid affair, and a shattered prostitute pondering the fading memories of her life. The songs are explorations and celebrations of life in the beginning of the 21st century – and as much as the pieces are reflections of their subjects, each song is completed only by the perspective given to it by the person listening. As Sander himself once said, “I never make a person look bad; they do that themselves. The portrait is your mirror. It’s you.”
‘Jamboree’ was recorded in a frenetic three-day session in the Washington DC metropolitan area by an accomplished team of jazz session musicians. Evans (guitar, vocals, and production) was joined by Jason Mattis (bass), Shareef Taher (percussion), and Dan Roberts (keyboards). The album was recorded at Omega Studios by Scotty O’Toole. The album is available in a variety of online retail stores and at the Echo Bloom website – http://www.echobloom.com.
The bios are mostly there. The press piece is still a pinch dull, so I’ll probably keep hacking away at it (any suggestions? Hit me up in the comments). But for now – on to the music section of the press kit.
