Long before Surface of the Sun came into existence I wrote within a variety of genres. At first there was a lot of Greenday and Goldfinger style punk. Then there was a lot of things influenced by Korn and System of a Down. There was also softer, acoustical stuff. As my musical tastes expanded with my entry into the world of live-sound and recording the experimentation only continued, branching out further into more pop, EDM, folk, etc. Since Surface of the Sun was always my priority I never focused too seriously on any of these other genres until after A Dying Star was released.
Since before naming Surface of the Sun I was never really a big fan of musical acts named after one person. I can’t really explain why. Mostly I think it just felt too simple and uncreative, regardless of how much sense it might make. So, when it came time to finally release other music, I returned again to the dilemma of choosing a name. And, again, resisted using my own name, even though it made a lot of sense, yet again. Beyond feeling using my name was too uncreative and simple, I had personal reasons that made me also not want to use it. These are not decisions I regret since they made sense at the time. But as I evolved and changed my opinions on certain things I eventually came to re-evaluate previous decisions.
After the release of A Dying Star (Surface of the Sun) on CD I started writing new material again in other genres, eventually creating the two songs that became the You’ll Never Take Me Away release. I lived in Burnaby, B.C. at the time and had created a bit of a hobby with making coffee. I’d purchased an espresso machine and a quality burr grinder, and was testing beans from local roasters. 49th Parallel had been one of my favourite local cafes for a while by then (and still is), and I enjoyed using their beans at home as well. It helped that at the time their main office and roasting facility was next to the Costco I shopped at weekly.
One day I arrived at 49th Parallel to make my purchase. I stood at the front counter and requested a pound of a blend I’d grown to love. It had a sweet, nuttiness to it. Just as I was about to pay the woman, a man walked in from the back. The woman turned to him and hollered across the room, “Can you grab a pound-bag of whole-bean Epic Espresso?”
“Sure. Who’s it for?” the man asked.
“Devon Eggers,” she answered.
“Seven Acres Farm? I haven’t heard from them in a while!”
“No. Devon Eggers.”
“Oh, okay!”
I chuckled and left the office, but paused outside realizing that Seven Acres would be the perfect name for the new music.
I stuck with this name for a few years, eventually releasing the We Can Save Ourselves EP and starting many yet-to-be-completed songs. It wasn’t until after I released my first novel, Sky View, that I started to reconsider the name under which I should release all none Surface of the Sun music. Then, with the recent addition of acting it made further sense to start branding myself as, well, myself.
Until recently I attempted to manage four separate artistic adventures under four different names. Years ago, I did not predict such a situaion might occur, but I’m glad it has. So, putting acting, writing, and the other music under my name simplified management from my perspective, and hopefully makes the ridiculous number of things I attempt a little easier for others to follow.
Thanks for reading.
Devon