Greenville Scene

Remember ten years ago when you were in high school and Cravin Melon was the coolest thing in town? Sound familiar? No? Let us refresh your memory. We’re tracking down some of Greenville’s favorite bands from a few years ago to see what they’re up to now. This week we’re talking to Joel McCreight, lead singer and guitarist from Evan’s Dilemma. Look for interviews with Cravin Melon, My Friend Stephanie, and Almost Steve in the coming weeks.

Evan’s Dilemma
Pop/Rock/Powerpop

Band Members: Joel McCreight (lead vocals, guitar); Kevin Heuer (Drum); Jay Scott (lead guitar, vocals); Jerimey Apel (bass, vocals)

By: Michelle Hannon

Is Evan’s Dilemma still together? When were you first active?
Joel McCreight: Evan’s Dilemma got back together in 2005 after 9 years and recorded a full-length album called Shine Baby Shine at OMG studios. The album was released a year ago. Evan’s Dilemma formed originally November 1990 and toured and recorded until 1996.

What do you view as your greatest accomplishment as Evan’s Dilemma?
JC: Our greatest accomplishments were probably what we did individually outside of the band. Evan’s Dilemma was one of the very first Power-Pop Alternative Rock acts in the Upstate. We completely relocated the band to Tennessee in 1993 after feeling like we needed to branch out. We also were courting several labels and producers in Tennessee. We recorded with Armand John Petri (Goo Goo Dolls, Sixpence None The Richer, 10,000 Maniacs) and wound up turning down several indie and eventually major record deals due to the fact mostly Christian labels were after us and at the time, we did not want to be exclusive in that industry. We opened for acts such as Collective Soul, Superdrag, Sixpence None the Richer, Dead-Eye Dick, Judybats, among many others.

Our more notable and national accomplishments were what we did outside the band on our own or at least not under the name “Evan’s Dilemma.” All three members of Evan’s Dilemma, Kevin Heuer, Chris Ebert, and I hooked up with our old friend singer/bassist Drue Bachmann, to create My Friend Stephanie, a side project, in late 1995. That band was quickly signed to a Christian Indie label (the kind of deals Evan’s Dilemma normally avoided). Even while we were in the studio recording the first My Friend Stephanie album, “Makeover”, released in 1996, Evan’s Dilemma was being contacted by two major record labels to sign deals. The other Evan’s Dilemma guys were so excited about the new My Friend Stephanie deal that I regretfully turned down a major deal with Sparrow Records and the A&R team signed the then unheard of, now ever so famous, Switchfoot instead.

A few months later I joined the established Christian rock band Geoff Moore and the Distance. While with that band, we toured with the Newsboys on a world tour. I also helped write and record the 1997 release of Threads which was nominated for a Grammy in 1998. I later went to play for critically acclaimed, award winning Jennifer Knapp and toured with her on the DC Talk Supernatural world tour in 1999.

Our drummer, Kevin Heuer went on to play with My Friend Stephanie a while longer until joining critically acclaimed Bill Malonee and the Vigilantes of Love. With VOL, Kevin contributed greatly and recorded the 1999 release of “Summershine.” He went on a few impressive American and European tours as well as recording a live DVD.

How did you get together and why did you break up?
JC: We got together out of the demise of another Upstate late 80s band called The Promise. We ranked #3 out of the top 10, in the Rock 101 From Atlanta Charlotte battle of the bands in October 1990. Drue Bachmann (My Friend Stephanie) was also in this band. The Promise broke up one month later and Kevin Heuer and I formed Evan’s Dilemma.

We never really broke up. We phased into My Friend Stephanie and then we went separate ways. We were always haunted by Evan’s Dilemma that we had unfinished and unresolved business. Drue Bachmann hired other members and put out two more My Friend Stephanie albums. Even over the course of the next few years there were a couple reunion shows as well as recording sessions.

We got back together when I started putting together a solo album in 2005. While working on the project all of the original members wanted to work on it, and because Joel McCreight is not a very good solo act name, we went ahead and reformed as Evan’s Dilemma and later recorded from January through March at OMG studios in Greenville.

What are you doing now? (You and other members that you know of.)
JC: The original bass player 1990-1991, Steve McGowan (in the bands: Gravy Boat, Tool and Die, and The Beef People and owner of Zub Records and Pleasurmatic Studio), is at Eastside Guitars on Woodruff Road.

Our Drummer, Kevin Heuer, is a drum instructor at Eastside Guitars when not playing with Evan’s Dilemma and his host of other local acts as well as drums for Seacoast Church (made famous because Chris Sligh, funny guy with the fro who won top 10 in American Idol this past year also sang there before.)

Chris Ebert, our bass player from 1992 – 1996 and Rhythm guitarist in My Friend Stephanie, is now the Information Technology Director at Contec, Inc. in Spartanburg. Chris has also actively played in the band at Brookwood Church for the last several years.

Joel McCreight (myself), singer/guitarist/principle songwriter – After playing and touring with Geoff Moore and the Distance and Jennifer Knapp, moved back to Greenville and has worked with Brookwood Church from 1999 - 2002, then Seacoast church 2004 - 2006, and this past year Marathon Church. I have done the score for a couple of local films and one that was submitted to Sundance last year. I have also worked in the IT consulting and staffing business over the last several years.

We have two new members; a lead guitarist, Jay Scott, as an addition and bassist Jerimey Apel, currently replacing Chris Ebert since August. Both are awesome additions to the new and improved Evan’s Dilemma. We all feel we are creating the best music, proof from our most recent CD called “Shine Baby Shine” and we look forward to recording a new album in 2008. This time around, it feels complete. We still do this because we love it. It is cool because we are just now in our 30s and in the prime of our life.

How has Greenville’s music scene changed since Evan’s Dilemma started?
JC: We always loved Greenville; however, we had to move away in 1993 because there was nothing much here at the time. If you went downtown late on a Saturday night you might see two goth chicks, two skateboarders, and a tumbleweed. We played at places like Casablanca, Al’s Pump house, Gary’s Hanger, Churchill’s, Pull 17, Gargoyles as well as Dawg Gones and Clancy’s in Spartanburg. There wasn’t much of a scene then and there really weren’t many bands. By the time most of us moved back in late 90s, Greenville-Spartanburg had quadrupled in size. The amazing thing is the crowds are bigger; most of the people that came out to our shows back in the day are much older now. We still have people come up to us in our more recent shows and say….wow, I used to come see you guys play all of the time several years ago. Most of our shows in Greenville have been at the Handlebar. We will be playing at Gypsy G’s on Saturday October 27th. We are a little older now, and no longer boys.

www.myspace.com/evansdilemma

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Don’t miss Over The Rhine acoustic at Horizon Records/Bohemian @ 4:30 on 10/19. The show is free!

We’ve changed things again! Yes, we’ve switched our site to a WordPress hosted blog. We no longer have a web designer so it was either this or nothing. We really like this. Notice that our Forum is now under Links in the sidebar and we’ve added a board called “Promote Your Show”. This is specifically for bands to promote their shows. Post your banners and show info there. We will no longer be listing every single event in the Greenville area, just ones we want to list. Overall, we think this is a big improvement. Look for more additions in the coming weeks.

And one more thing, we’ve got ads. Please email michelle@greenvillescene.com to inquire. We do have special deals for bands, so that’s another way you can promote your show. Thanks for supporting your scene! - Greenville Scene Staff