Asking why more people should know about Eve Selis can be answered simply by pointing to her 25-year solo career during which she’s released ten albums and garnered many awards. Add to that her memorable live performances and the fact that she can attract the very best musicians to play alongside her and there’s a strong case to be made.
Touring Europe regularly over the past two decades, Eve Selis has built a devoted following, not least because of the warmth of her personality. My first experience of her stage show was in the tranquil setting of a converted church in Buckingham in 2007. I’d travelled from London on the strength of having seen Buddy Miller appear at this venue and I reckoned that promoter Mike Trotman knew a thing or two about putting on great acts.
Nevertheless, I was completely unprepared for her dynamic performance, as she blew away any cobwebs that may have been lurking in the rafters. Accompanied by two virtuoso guitarists (who I later learned to be Marc Intravaia and Jim Soldi) the music spanned the genres, with country, americana and rock all delivered with phenomenal vocal finesse. Subsequent tours enabled her to build her audience and bring other members of her regular band, (Sharon Whyte on keyboards, Rick Nash on bass and Larry Grano on drums), playing festivals, house-parties and venues across the UK and Europe, from Abbey Road Studios to the Faroe Islands.
Growing up in southern California, Selis performed in several bands before going solo and sharing the stage with many legendary performers. As a major player on the San Diego scene, her Christmas concerts are eagerly awaited and she has released two collections of Christmas music.
Aside from a compilation, her most recent album was the 2016 released ‘See Me With Your Heart’. Shortly afterwards, life threw her a curve ball in the form of serious family illness and personal tragedy. As she puts it, “my world fell apart”. Leaving her San Diego roots, she moved to Nashville, managing to combine appearances at The Bluebird Café with walking her four children to school and watching British costume-dramas.
There’s a new album coming in 2024 – ‘Dark Blue Sky’. Produced by Alex Wong, the ten songs are infused with the healing that she needed to get through the hardest time in her life, as on the new single ‘There Will Come a Time’. With characteristic generosity of spirit, the album is intended to help others on their life journey –
“I want to sing the songs to as many people as possible, have a choir join as often as possible and hug as many people as I can. It’s my mission to talk about grief, loss, addiction and mental illness, share my story and hope that it helps anybody who needs to hear it.”
After a five-year absence, Eve Selis plans to tour the UK again in 2024. We can expect the usual charismatic stage presence and possibly a cello and rhythm section along with the guitar. Whoever she brings, don’t miss it.
