The Inside Track: Asterhouse - 'Evelyn'

Words by John Thornburg


The song "Evelyn" had an interesting inception. I had initially written it as an acoustic song, just guitar and vocals. When I sat back and listened to the demo, I quickly realized that the song sucked.  I liked the idea of the song, but I didn't like the execution of it (if that makes sense). I gave the demo to Russ and Julio and told them to “make it good”.  Russ dismantled the original demo and added some wacky electronic elements. Maybe the song still sucks, but it sucks far less than the original version!

I think that “Evelyn” is a love song that is disguised as a doomy, buzzy nightmare. The song is about loving someone very deeply. The adoration that the character feels for his sweetheart is so intense that he just wants to be around her in whatever way he can. " I want to be in your family album, I don't care in what way, I'll wash your car, I'll be your mother so I could just see your face". The character wants to exist in the same sphere of his love, somehow.  

Evelyn is part of a larger project called "The Asterhouse Magic Show". We have a ton of old demos that have accumulated over the years, so we thought it would be cool to pick our favorites and release them. The Asterhouse Magic Show compilation should be out in its entirety in the early new year! (We hope!)

Please check out our new documentary, "Stay Well, Stay Awake- The Effects of COVID-19 on the Seattle Music Scene". 
The documentary started out as a fun project to mark our 10 years as a band, but quickly changed directions. Midway through filming, the world was hit by COVID 19. As we were interviewing musicians and local businesses, the subject matter changed. The interviews quickly turned into a discussion on Mental Health, and what it was like to be a musician during such troubling and uncertain times.


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