Evan P Donohue

“A couple of weeks ago, I was at The 5 Spot watching a solo set from local rock 'n' roller Evan P. Donohue when a pal leaned over to me and said, "Man, he's got the good shit." And I knew precisely what he meant. As we've indicated before — by inviting him in for our Conference Call series and by putting him on the bill for the Cream's fifth anniversary show at Third Man Records — we dig Donohue here. I've personally compared him to Elvis Costello on more than one occasion, probably more for his power-pop charm and rock 'n' roll gusto than anything else. But Donohue has more in common with Declan MacManus than his charmingly brainy delivery. He can also write a damn fine song.”
-NashvilleScene.com - Nashville Scene

“If you would have told us that Diarrhea Planet’s ex-guitarist was playing some of the catchiest, lush baroque pop in Middle Tennessee (dare we say, the entire Southeast), we… probably wouldn’t have done anything. But we would have said something very mean-spirited about you and your face once you were out of earshot. Don’t judge us. Regardless, Evan’s debut record, Rhythm & Amplitude basically takes all of the bits of Elephant 6 bands in early ’00s and melts it all together. You wind up with some dark lyrics over sunny arrangements (a la Beulah), some sunshine pop tinged with slight psychedelia (of Montreal), some narrative folk pop songs that don’t make a whole lot of sense (Neutral Milk Hotel) and so on. Just take our word for it, this music rules.” - DixieDownturn.com

“Evan P. Donohue and his band are the first act to grace the stage. He starts off alone, playing a little ditty that he indicates is an ode to math. The lyrics say something about, “Pi day, it landed on a Friday.” I like him already. As his band joins him on stage, and they begin to play, the sea-foam green, sparkly Telecaster wielded by the second guitar player screams to me of early Rock and Roll. What they’re playing isn’t exactly that, it’s more of an evolution of that sound, but it’s still there. I could easily think of a half-dozen bands that I hear shades of, not the least of which would be Elvis Costello. [Evan P. Donohue], himself, mentions Lyle Lovett as they perform a cover of The Cars’ “Just What I Needed”. Their set is short, since they’re the first opener, but it’s well worth seeing. The music is excellent.” - JamsPlus.com

A dispatch from local rocker Evan P. Donohue is a rare treat. Following a stint in an early incarnation of Diarrhea Planet more than half a decade ago, he's been making his own swell brand of tuneage — built on a foundation of spare, solid rock, drawing on the theatrical flair of post-WWII pop, erudite but never too impressed with its own cleverness. It's a damn shame that his releases (see 2010's Rhythm & Amplitude and 2014's Stairway to Evan) are so few and far between.

Today, we get a respite from the Donohue drought. He's got a new project with drummer Josh Minyard (late of Colorfeels) and bassman Coley Hinson (Tristen and more) called Moruga Scorpio — a play on the Trinidad moruga scorpion, which held the title of World's Hottest Pepper from 2012 to 2013. Their debut release is an EP, appropriately titled 1, and its three tracks are the perfect mix of rockin', groovin', wry humor and choice hooks for this early spring afternoon. It's also got some very cool little studio touches, like keyboard lines that come squiggling out of the ether, flanging of the full stereo mix and more. - Nashville Scene