Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Berseth, of the solo musical project, elowel.
Hi Chris, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
elowel began as a studio recording project between myself and a few other guys who I met through a music festival in Birmingham, AL, called Furnace Fest. The other guys are located in North Carolina, while I am in Minnesota, so we didn’t really have any aspirations of playing live shows. However, in our time as a full band, we did have the opportunity to play twice—both times for shows happening the same weekend as Furnace Fest. As a full band, we recorded and released two EPs, one single, and one cover of the song, “Last Christmas”, by Wham! Our music has received much positive feedback from other members of our music scene, including some long-time musical heroes of ours. Most notably, we have been reviewed a few times on a weekly podcast hosted by Mike Herrera, of the band, MXPX. In September of this year, the other guys stepped down due to time constraints and a desire to pursue other endeavors, leaving me as the sole remaining member. Initially, I had considered putting the band to rest, but after receiving their blessing and encouragement, I made the decision to move forward with elowel as a solo musical project. At the beginning of November I released my first new single as a solo project and it has been very well-received by my fanbase, breaking the band’s previous streaming records in less than a month of it being available on Spotify. I am currently in the process of recording additional songs for a new EP I plan on releasing in 2025. If the opportunity presents itself and I am able to find local musicians to put together a live band, I will potentially play a few shows in the area, but my focus is still primarily on being a studio recording project, as I am also very busy as a husband and father of three girls.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our biggest challenge as a band was the fact that we lived in different states and never really had the opportunity to work on music together in the same room. Our approach to writing and recording was always to send audio files back and forth, which didn’t really allow us to be as collaborative as many other bands are. Now that elowel is a solo project, that isn’t really an issue, as the creative process is solely dependent upon myself. My biggest challenge currently is the lack of time and resources to promote my music through playing live shows. However, through the use of social media and all the streaming platforms available to bands and musicians, I have still been able to distribute my music to people from all areas of the world.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My full-time career is as a senior graphic designer for Allina Health. In my role, I develop a variety of print and digital pieces for our marketing and communications department, as well as other departments throughout our system. elowel is primarily a passion project for me at this point, but I am very proud of all I have achieved in both areas of my life. The work I am most proud of in my role at Allina is the design work I have done as part of our partnership with MN United FC. As for elowel, I am most proud of the fact that we played one of the official Furnace Fest preshows in 2023 and had the opportunity to share the stage with other bands we admire and respect, as well as play for a full crowd, some of whom had never heard us before.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams. It may not always be the right time or place, but keep doing the things you are passionate about. And while it’s an incredible feeling receiving recognition for your work, first and foremost, do it for yourself and not for other people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elowelband.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elowelband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elowelband/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@elowel
- Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/elowel/livelihood
