CMT Blog: Archive

Jaron Lowenstein, of the pop duo Evan and Jaron, arrived in Nashville for an extended stay during the second week in June, and he's already finding work around town. During the first four Wednesdays in July, he's booked himself at 12th & Porter to present some new songs, as well as familiar tunes like "Crazy for This Girl" -- a major pop hit that was featured in Dawson's Creek.

"I needed to be away from Los Angeles because I'm too comfortable there," he says. "I'm surrounded by my friends and family and in order for me to create the music I want to, I need to be a little uncomfortable. Obviously Nashville is no cure from comfort, but any city away from home would give me the edge I was looking for. I chose Nashville because I wanted to be around other people who love music as much as I do."

He's also changing up the set list at all four shows, crafting a detailed narrative each week to tie all the tunes together. Thus, he's billing himself as Jaron and the Long Road to Love. (I've seen both shows so far, and they remind me of a live-action version of The Wonder Years.) You can hear some of the new music on his Facebook page.

"Every show is a different episode with different songs," he says. "What I mean by ‘episode' is that each show has its own story and I use the songs to propel the story along and deepen the emotion. Much like musical theater, except without the dancing, and I'm also doing it in a rock club. I decided to create a show rather than just play one song after another because I think it can get boring for the listener especially when you're asking them to listen to a lot of new music. If you give listeners a context, it tends to be more inviting and makes it easier to pay attention to a song they haven't heard before. The same way we fall in love with songs in movies without ever having heard them before -- we're following the story. In the end, it's still all about the music."

Asked what he'd like to achieve in Nashville, he replies, "On a personal level, I've achieved everything just coming here. On a practical level, I am here to finish rediscovering myself (up to this point in my life) and then begin the process of sharing who that is with my fans."