There’s something to be said for a band that takes on all of their own responsibilities. Evolfo, a seven-piece rock group out of Brooklyn, NY, did just that, not only routing their own tour but producing their own documentary to chronicle the experience.

“I just want to make this thing happen, no matter what. It’s still an adventure to me, also I have no chill. I want to get out and play with my band and I won’t sit around and wait until someone asks us to play,” says guitarist Matt Gibbs. “I was bitten by the bug when I started tour managing the Easy Star All-Stars back in 2015, I love being on the road and at this point in my life I can’t get enough. I can thank my friends in the Easy Star All-Stars & Evolfo for that love of the road life though, I have so much fun when I’m on the road with these bands.”

Bassist Ronnie Lanzilotta echoes that sentiment about life on the road. “Recently, my friend Aaron [Frazer from Durand Jones and the Indications] said something to me and I really feel like he nailed it: ‘If I’m not fired up about the music, then why am I crashing on a cat hair covered floor in Ohio for a door deal on a Tuesday?'” He adds, “There’s something super zen about my touring experiences. The only thing that you have to do to be successful on any given day is get to sound check on time and play music. That’s it.”

The experience comes full circle in Ultra Mega Hyper Overdrive, the Return, the short film documentary that captures the band’s experience on the road. Created by keyboardist/vocalist Rafferty Swink, it’s a rocking look at the band’s tour around the country. There’s even footage of them busting out Devo’s “Whip It” in San Francisco!

We’re honored to premiere Evolfo’s new film release, which you can watch streaming below.

“I’ve always had a fascination with tour documentaries,” says Swing. “The first one I made for Evolfo I shot, scored, and edited all myself which limited my scope because I could only capture so much. With this new one I sifted through our combined documentation. Bob Dylan’s Renaldo and Clara is a big inspiration because it combines on stage footage with behind the scenes stuff as well as fiction.”

The band has been on a role ever since releasing their debut EP last year, and certainly aren’t going to stop there. They have a bunch of tour dates on the books, a new album on the way (due out April 7th via Royal Potato Family Records), and their live shows are always something to behold.

“I hope that audience members would describe an Evolfo show as wild, high energy, and possibly a little creepy,” says Matt Gibbs. “In an ideal world people will dance at the shows but I hope that dancing is not a requirement for enjoyment; we have some extended jams but mostly we play songs and the lyrics are worth enjoying! The show is a two way street, if the audience is giving me some energy I will up the ante. We pass the energy back and forth and it grows, I give as much energy as I can no matter what but there is always somewhere to go from there.”

Don’t miss Evolfo on the road. You can see their tour schedule below, and keep up with them via their official website.

Evolfo Tour Dates

Apr 8 – Boston, MA – Track Shack
Apr 11 – Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit
Apr 12 – Toronto, ON – The Piston
Apr 14 – Chicago, IL – Emporium Arcade Bar
Apr 15 – Omaha, NE – Reverb Lounge
Apr 18 – Foam – St Louis, MO
Apr 19 – Nashville, TN – East Room
Apr 20 – Athens, OH – Casa Nueva
Apr 21 – Philadelphia, PA – BOOGALOO
Apr 22 – Brooklyn, NY – Evolfo LP Release Party @ Alphaville​

[Photo by Liz Maney]