With everything he owned packed tightly into his two-door Oldsmobile Alero, James Evans barely had room for his broken heart.
His gas tank was full and his heart heavy as he drove 700 miles to Florence, S.C., where he planned to take his mind off the recent pain of a bad breakup.
Now, the 2000 Ball State graduate is releasing his third album and contributes much of his success to this "bad relationship with a pretty girl" that eventually led him to pick up a guitar and teach himself to play.
"I left just to clear my head and get away from everything familiar. While there, I worked nights and during the day I did nothing but play guitar. I had no friends, no outside interferences, so I taught myself how to play," he said.
Eventually guitar alone didn't fulfill his desire to produce music, and he began writing his own songs.
"I'd start humming along with a melody, and pretty soon I was writing songs, which served to be very therapeutic," he said. "I got all my negative emotions out onto paper, and kind of reinvented myself in the process."
Writing songs is a way for Evans to express his emotions instead of allowing them to consume his thoughts. Today Evans uses writing and playing music as his main coping mechanism when life fails to meet his expectations.
"One of my old acting instructors told me I was like a bat trapped in a room; just banging my head against every wall until I found a way out," he said. "I think music for me was my way out."
Releasing his first full album in 2005 was the first step to Evans' career.
Ball State theatre professor Michael O'Hara bought Evans' first album because Evans was a former student and because he felt the music was worth buying and listening to.
"I decided to buy the album to support James and to hear what he was creating," O'Hara said. "I have former students in music groups of all types and am always happy when one of my former students 'makes it,' but I am more happy that any former student is working hard, finding success in any field, entertainment or not, and contributing to the world in some positive way."
Evans released his second album "Fighting Pigeons" in 2008 as a reminder that sometimes it's not worth fighting the obstacles in life that aren't really a threat. Pigeons, he said, are just a metaphor for problems, something we all have in our lives.
Unlike the first two albums, Evans's new album "Whiskey Kisses" depicts a more empowered and secure James Evans. Evans said his silly personality is shown much more in this album than in his previous ones.
"As an artist you really have to be fearless and unconcerned about the thoughts of others," he said. "I did some silly things on it, but I'm an incredibly silly person. I'm always talking to myself in Muppet voices and acting childish. I really let my personality ring."
"Whiskey Kisses" can be purchased online through various digital distribution sites such as iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster. Physical copies can be purchased through JamesEvansMusic.com.
With "Whiskey Kisses" becoming available today, Evans said he expects some criticism as well as success with its release.
"You can't please everyone," he said. "I keep striving to write better songs, keep playing, booking shows and getting out in front of as many people as I can to promote my music. This business has everything to do with persistency. So, as long as I keep my head straight and keep moving forward, I'll reach my destination."
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