Songfacts®:

• Music critic, Ann Powers, commented that Shelby Earl's track, "Under the Evergreen," was "a call for Pacific Northwest music insiders to transcend their own assumptions of what's cool." In our interview with Earl, it was revealed Powers' interpretation differs from the true meaning: "Every song is up for interpretation, and that was Ann's take on the song (which is interesting and insightful)! But it is different from the original intention. I wrote this song when I was trudging through my days at a 9-5 corporate job and I was MISERABLE. I would sit in meetings at work and my heart and mind would be somewhere far, far away (usually cooking up lyrics or daydreaming about touring). But like most people who need to earn their own living, I felt stuck. Finally I had a revelation that no one was MAKING me stay in that job. No one was saying I COULDN'T do music full-time. I just hadn't tried! So it was while I was considering my options that I wrote Under Evergreen. It was sort of a 'note to self' - or a personal challenge - to look beyond what seemed to be the obvious path and to start dreaming again."
• Shelby Earl told us the song is a source of inspiration for many of her fans: "Nearly every time I play the song live, and share what it's about, someone will come up to me afterward and say 'Thank you. There's something I know I have to do in life and this song inspires me to go do it.' Taking a big leap into the unknown is terrifying – for everyone – but this song brings me total joy because I now have proof that the leap is worth it."
• "Under the Evergreen" features on Shelby Earl's debut album, Burn the Boats. Music critic, Ann Powers, positively remarked the album was disinterested in being 'cool' or 'hipsterish'. Earl elaborated to us about Powers' comments: "Ann is right about the fact that I tried really hard not to let 'cool' steer my project. I mean, I personally think the album is pretty cool, but 'good' was waaaay more of a priority than 'hip.' The result of letting that priority drive our recording process is that the album's audience seems to be extraordinarily broad. My parent's friends love the record, my own friends dig it, and my friend's kids can grove on it. That's pretty damn cool if you ask me, and way more satisfying than making something that only the cool kids like."