By Josh Pettis, Contributor
[Photo by Joe Medlen]
Q&A with Michael Boston of Darwin Evolution.

Athens has an interesting beat scene with a fair share of college-aged producers and rappers. How collaborative of a space does Athens feel like in that vein? How conducive is it to your workflow and the way you make music?

Michael: I think Athens has a great underground music community – you just have to be outgoing and motivated for yourself as an artist to make the most of what it has to offer. I have met many artists and producers here for future collaboration, as well as my current manager who I met through ACRN.

Your Soundcloud seems pretty chronological in terms of profiling your growth as an artist – especially in terms of hearing how much you’ve polished your flow and delivery. You have some new material dropping soon. How much depth do you think this release will add to your repertoire, or do you feel comfortable in terms of the quality and aesthetics of your most recent music?

Michael: This next project of mine is named “Going Nowhere Faster”, and I think everyone who has followed or ever heard my music will be able to see my personal [growth]. This project, as with every one [that] I have made, has been a huge learning curve for me. After learning more about music theory and production techniques in general, it has helped me develop a lot wider range and variety of music I can make. The project is a short one. A lot of songs got lost in the sauce because I simply liked the new style I was developing more than what I had been working on.

On your Soundcloud and Twitter, you say you’re the founder of Evolution Music. Is that a personal brand or an art collective? Can you talk a bit about that?

Michael: Evolution Music used to be a small collective of artists. Unfortunately, other artists have moved onto other things. So now, Evolution Music is just a term for the music I create because I hate to be boxed in with a specific genre.

How do you approach live shows in terms of performance? I saw on Twitter that you were supposed to be playing in Cleveland this week as well, and I was wondering where you usually perform or if you had anything to say about the environments and your exposure.

Michael: Truthfully, I have not had many live shows. I had been denied from places starting out, and a lot of shows I was supposed to do have gotten canceled. I have been pursuing this since my junior year of high school, and I really just started booking more shows in 2018 with the help of my manager. [That] brings me back to the topic of Athens being a good spot for creatives. Ever since I moved here last year, the growth has been constant, and I don’t plan on slowing down.

Catch Darwin Evolution’s performance at ACRN’s Battle of the Bands 2018, Friday, Nov. 16 at the Union.