It was about eight years ago when Sara Evans really started bragging about her oldest son.
To me, anyway. There’s kind of an unwritten rule among mothers: you can tell me how perfect your kid is, and then I’ll tell you how perfect mine is. (I didn’t make the rule, but I’ve complied with it ever since my own kids were little.)
So when Evans’ son Avery was 11, she told me all about how musically gifted he was already. “He plays the drums, the guitar, he raps. And he’s obsessed with Eminem and Lil Wayne, so we download all the clean versions of their songs,” she’d told me at the time.
For years, she shared with me everything her kids were doing, and most of the time it had something to do with the music. Avery (19), Olivia (16) and Audrey (14) — from her first previous marriage to Craig Schelske — have grown up watching their mom share her music and her voice with the world.
And now it’s official. Avery and Olivia will be joining forces with their mom to become The Barker Family Band.
Evans herself was part of her own family’s band when she was growing up, and it’s clear from her new side project that she’s carrying on that tradition. On April 12, the family band will release a six-song EP. And then in May they will head out on the road for an acoustic tour at City Wineries in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Nashville.
“Family is everything to me and making a record like this has been a dream for me since my kids were little,” Evans said, echoing the #familyiseverything sentiment she shares so often on social media.
“They were literally raised on a tour bus around music and this is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” she added.
“I’m honored that I get to make this music with them before they embark on their own careers as musicians.”
The Bloodline tour dates:
May 7: Washington, D.C.
May 8: New York, NY
May 9: Boston, MA
May 15: Atlanta, GA
May 17: Chicago, IL
May 18: Nashville, TN