Evan Koteles will grace the stage from 7-8:00PM
From around the age of 13, Evan Koteles would ride his bike to Eoman’s every Tuesday night to watch the open mic from outside, captivated by the performances. Those nights sparked his love for music, inspiring him to learn guitar, write songs, and eventually step up on stage himself.
Evan grew up surrounded by music, with a supportive family background. His dad, a drummer who also played around the Tampa Bay area, encouraged his passion. Soon, Evan’s brother started playing guitar and writing songs, and it was only natural for the two of them to team up, playing gigs wherever they could. After a few years of performing the cover circuit through high school, Evan spent one year at Florida State before following his brother to Nashville.
In Nashville, they connected with a producer who introduced them to other songwriters, eventually leading to the recording of a full-length album. Rather than hiring Nashville musicians for live shows, they decided to return to Tampa to form their own band. They named it 10th Concession, and soon they were touring the Southeast, opening for artists like NEEDTOBREATHE, Mat Kearney, and Sister Hazel.
As with many bands, life eventually took the members in different directions, and the group disbanded. Evan, however, never stopped writing and performing. After a few years in Atlanta, he returned to Tampa, where he’s now putting together a new band.
From 8-10PM enjoy a duo performance from Drew Young and Bud Tower
Award-winning singer-songwriter Bud Tower hails from New Orleans and Nashville and now lives in Florida. He has performed at songwriter festivals around the country including the Sandy Lee Watkins Festival in Henderson, KY, New Orleans Songfest, Key Largo Songfest, Mississippi Coast Songwriters Festival, Key West, etc. He’s been a featured performer at many Nashville singer-songwriter clubs including the Bluebird, Douglas Corner, and The Commodore Lounge. His songs have been recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Jr., Buddy Jewell, Zydeco artist Waylon Thibodeaux and many indie artists in the U.S. and Europe. His songs have been in major screen works including movie Foodfight! starring Charlie Sheen and Eva Longoria and documentary One Note At A Time, chronicling New Orleans’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina, and TV series Panhandle, streaming on Spectrum TV. Tower has lectured at Loyola University in New Orleans and Southern Mississippi University. He’s also authored pieces on songwriting including for American Songwriter Magazine.