Conversations with Evan Mui

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Mui.

Hi evan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
well, growing up as a beatles obsessed nerdy kid.. music always held a special and cinematic-like emotive pull over me. i would spend time with a single song on my cassette walkman, rewind, and listen to it over, and over, and over again (you can live for a time that way in a song) i spent most of my time back then skateboarding, and drawing- meanwhile always messing around on my dads old ovation acoustic, and the family piano. in my teenage years at some point i had decided to have a go at writing my own music, which then turned into inheriting/borrowing an old drum set, other assorted hand me down instruments, and eventually getting my first fostex 8-track recorder. i skipped a lot during my high school years, and instead spent that time learning how to write, arrange, and record music. i learned to play drums, bass, keys, and a whole assortment of other things through trial, error, and intuition, and sometimes one part at a time. around that time some friends had taken an interest in the recordings i was making and asked me to play a show. that never stopped and ended up being the turning point really for my entire future as a music person. during the twenty-tens i toured around the country playing in a hand full of different bands, splitting my time equal parts writing, and recording my own music with a band i had started with my best friends, as well as helping to record and produce other local bands. i also worked running sound at local venues and while the road, which was an eye/ear opening experience. it was around that time that my studio really started to take on a different shape, already having graduated from the fostex, to a hybrid setup using protools and half inch tape, which became a mainstay for me. fast forward to springtime 2017, i had just come off of working on an east coast tour, and made up my mind to relocate to los angeles. i landed in highland park the next summer where i set up shop with my studio. initially in my friends basement, and then into my apartment which would become the first location for weathervane sound, which has now been based out of pasadena since 2024.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
it’s been a real trip.. in recent times especially. back in 2024 while my wife and i were out of town, there was a fire which had started on the balcony and spread to the roof and into the kitchen before it was thankfully put out. miraculously the studio and majority of our belongings survived- but much was lost, and the smoke damage left our home uninhabitable, leaving us displaced and hopping around from place to place with our two cats, and a car full of guitars and clothes for the better part of 2 months. we were very lucky to land at a new spot in pasadena, where we had already planned on relocating to eventually. that is until january 7th the next year when the eaton fire displaced us yet again… we ended up leaving town for a while to stay with my wife’s family in houston, and again were gone for the better part of two months trying to figure out from a distance through erroneous information, if we felt it was safe to return, or better to pack up and leave entirely. we did in the end decide to return, and spent a week at a hotel up the road, while deep cleaning contamination, and ash, in hazmat suits with with goggles, gloves, shoe booties, and the whole lot. the emergency center in altadena set us up with everything we needed to land safely again, and with the support of our local community, it felt like a shared effort of solidarity and faith in humanity. we have friends who were not so lucky though, and lost their homes and entire livelihoods in the fires. it’s been nothing short of life affirming to see them rebuilding now, just a little over a year later. since returning, our house has become a home, weathervane has been busier than ever, i have two albums on the verge of release, and shows coming up soon with my band wake up.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
i am a multidisciplinary artist, songwriter, engineer, and producer based in los angeles, CA.
aside from my own musical output and personal projects, i specialize in helping artists to actualize their personal creative vision in the studio with an intuitive approach towards production, arrangement, and collaboration- as well as a vast array of sonic possibilities, and most importantly having fun.
people may know me for my work in and out of the studio with artists like surfer blood, david pajo, lilys, birddog, kilo tango, photo ops, jolie holland, chelsea rose, etc. and for the indie label paul is dead records which i founded with a couple of friends during the pandemic.
i am proud of all of the work i get to be a part of, and am most excited for what has yet to be released into the world.
what sets me apart from others? well, i don’t really see the point in making art into some kind of competition, in fact i think that’s the very thing that tends to ruin it for most people. i am a firm believer in art for arts sake, and champion the efforts of those seeking creative pursuits in general. if you’re looking for the assistance of someone’s massive egoic head trip to bask beneath, then you should likely look elsewhere.. if you want a cheerleader, than i’m probably your guy.

How do you think about happiness?
i really love to cook! if you’re a friend, you’ve likely been over for dinner. spending time in the kitchen cooking with love is something that runs in my family. my fathers side owned a cantonese chinese restaurant on long island, NY where i grew up as a child, and he showed me the way around the kitchen. what also makes me really happy, is when art is able to intersect with altruism. as artists we are all creating from a literal blank slate. reaching into the void of nothing, to create something is truly an act of the utmost personal and intimate provenance, as a human being. i’m not sure there is a greater feeling as an artist than when something you’ve created can serve a greater purpose, and be of service for others in a real and meaningful way. back in 2021 we organized a complication called “subversive to care” consisting of works from 60 different artists which was the first paul is dead records release, to benefit asian-american/ pacific islander victims of violence and abuse, who were being targeted specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. through the compilation people got to discover new music, the artists connected with each other, people all over the world got a massive collection of brilliant music from independent artists who had come together for a cause, and we raised enough money that we could split the sum between four different charities. people coming together for the sake of others… it’s really is extra special isn’t it?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paulisdeadrecords.bandcamp.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weathervanesound/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/wakeupband/

Image Credits
adam lasus, vee sanders, kathryn mui, liam milano, sunfolk