My mission is: To write my own song and learn from the music.

My name is Evan Farmer and I'm a musician. Actually, its one of my self-titles, but it's the one that defines my life...literally. Late in College, after spending the preceeding 15 or so years teaching myself guitar, song writing, and after trying to start many bands, I sat down and wrote a mission statement for the kind of life I wanted to lead and for the kind of legacy I wanted to leave behind. It's purpose actually has little to do with songs or music but in the lens through which I see life. At that point in time I had written perhaps a hundred or more songs, but had a handful that that I loved to play over and over again because of the way they made me feel. Most of the lyrics were written in such poetic vagueness that I couldn't have even told you what it meant at the time of writing it even if it came off sounding obvious. I guess that was just my style, but almost always a result of sitting down with my guitar and after striking a chord progression - just writing as fast as I could to get the song that seemed to be already formed out of my head and onto paper. As I got older, the meanings of these songs seemed to find me at a moment in time when I needed to hear it. I've had many moments where years after writing a song, I'd be playing it and stop and say "So that's what it means." It's almost as if a there's a second me in a parallel universe that seems to understand way more about my own life than the conscious me does and the advice and guide posts come through this subconscious stream every now and again.

So that's where music sits grounded in my world. I've been very fortunate to have had several careers in music. The first was a bizarre opportunity to tour with Russia's biggest pop band of all time Na-Na (a story I'll tackle down the road that is very involved but was my first arena tour. I literally went from bar-tending to an arena tour in 0.1 seconds and then back to bar tending - an example of truth being stranger than fiction... Shortly there after, I won the lead role in a film called 2GE+HER on MTV that spoofed boy-bands the way spinal tap did Heavy Metal. Unlike Spinal Tap our movie spurred a follow up TV series that led to 2 gold albums and Arena tour number 2, this time opening up for Brittany Spears when "Oops She did it again" (the first time at least) in 2000. As if my ascension to the big stage hadn't been unorthodox enough, I finally achieved my true goal since high school - I formed a band. Moving back to NYC from LA, I auditioned a bass player, Guitarist, and Drummer and started Evan's dream tour playing the hotspots of NYC like CBGB's and the knitting factory. It's strange that of al the experiences the only one I wouldn't trade for anything is the latter one. It was 100% non-commercial, non-hype, non-non. My brain can only hold a couple of quick memories from the big tours and a few moments of adrenaline that came with all the hype, but I still pour over the sensation of watching a barely larger than handful of people singing my songs with me, jamming with the best band on earth. But that's exactly what I think I meant when I wrote the mission I had for myself; "To write my own song and learn from the music."

So there you have it. That's the broad strokes beginning to the story of my love affair with music. Where it has led me has been the 20/20 -hindsight purpose for my continuous search - the result of learning from my own "music"(substitute life). Shortly after the success of 2GE+HER and with a legion of mostly female teen fans, I found myself in an interesting spot. I didn't like fame, yet I couldn't escape it like I did when I left Russia to come home. Around the same time my mother had been promoted to Secretary of the non profit - Susan G Komen Foundation as a breast Cancer Survivor herself, and it hit me. Finally I could be a draw to this event to raise money to fight a disease that targets young women (My fan-base). Finally I had a positive to counter balance the vacant uselessness of Fame I never really sought in the first place (I just liked music and all creative arts). for the 7 preceding years I had sung the National Anthem for Baltimore's Race for the Cure, but up until this moment it was (and this is a plain admission) simply to support my mom. All of a sudden I had a higher purpose. I could help women, I could help people, I had become a full fledged philanthropist junkie. I watched in awe the Baltimore chapter of the Susan G Komen, start with 3,000 participants and in less than ten years it had become over 30,000. I loved to see change on that scale and I wanted to be a part of it.

Since finding myself a new purpose - I began to embrace charity efforts all around me that didn't necessarily have to do with my Mom. I felt her spirit of giving was best promulgated through indiscriminate acts of charity. Through the years I came to be involved with several Cancer charities, the Tsunami relief, Katrina, and Darfur to name a few. Then, not too long ago, I was introduced to a remarkable young woman who suffered with Autism. Michelle happened to be a musical savant who could learn a complex instrument in minutes, had the voice of a soulful angel, and a flawless lyrical repertoire of 1000's of songs. She is the front woman for a band Called Flame based in upstate NY. That moment I knew that music had come full circle for me in purpose, meaning, value, and life. I signed up for and ran the NYC marathon (yes a first timer) to raise money for Autism Speaks. Two consecutive years of doing the marathon, and after being fully immersed with the organization with several events, I have a passion for raising awareness and money to research treatments, a cure, and to help with every day living with a disorder that effects a frighteningly large number of people around the world. I have since become close with many who directly or indirectly live with autism and I am proud to be in their lives. It was at the Nashville, TN (yes I live in Music City) walk for Autism that I was approached to write a blog, and thus continues on in the cycle of "Writing my own song" and in the end learning from the music.

Be sure to check back in regularly for updates and stories, I'll reveal hear exclusively about my strange and wild ride through the "Thing" we call the music industry. Thanks for Reading!

Gratefully,

~Evan

ps. this was not proof read and written a mach30...sorry for the many likely errors!