Seventeen Evergreen

Seventeen Evergreen

Seventeen Evergreen is a San Francisco group made up of Caleb Pate and Nephi Evans. The band forms after Pate, who grows up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and later lives in Sacramento, Berkeley and San Francisco, meets Evans on a rafting trip in Sacramento. Evans travels widely before settling in California, and the two later reunite in San Francisco to make music together.

Background and style

The group first plays a rock-oriented sound and appears on bills at the Purple Onion alongside acts such as the Dandy Warhols and an early version of the Rapture. They later move away from straight rock toward a mix of electronic and hip hop influences, drawing on artists such as Cornelius, Aphex Twin and Eno. Their music is described as an organic electronic-rock hybrid with classic pop and rock elements, and is linked to indie, chillout and dubstep tags.

Writing and themes

Seventeen Evergreen base their songs on ideas about the human condition, loneliness, alienation, science fiction, love, the urban world and the wider universe. Much of their material grows out of the place where they work, a house near a Deaf Senior Citizens’ residence and an Alcoholics Anonymous building. One song, “Haven’t Been Yourself,” is inspired by a neighbour who fears aliens with heavy artillery and uses the band’s place as a refuge.

Recordings

The band’s debut album, Life Embarrasses Me On Planet Earth, appears on Lucky Number Music and is preceded by the limited single “Haven’t Been Yourself.” The album is shaped by their blend of rock and electronics and reflects influences including Boards of Canada, My Bloody Valentine, Pink Floyd and Pavement.

Associated facts

The name Seventeen Evergreen comes from a lyrical line in an early King Crimson song. Caleb Pate is also connected with learning music in his youth, spending time in nature and skateboarding before moving into music more seriously.