Eric Church's "Evangeline Vs the Machine Comes Alive"

Eric Church was planning his next tour that would feature the songs from his latest studio album, Angeline Vs the Machine. I was called by Reid Long who would direct a film of the performance during two special shows at the Pinnacle in Nashville. He asked me to create drawings that would visually relate to the storyline of each of the songs that, together, formed a musical suite. Reid and I discussed each song in detail and what elements I should feature. We developed a menacing looking ‘Machine’ and equally-menacing-looking workers in hazmat suits whose faces are never seen. There would be an ugly looking factory belching smoke beside a dam on a river in lush countryside, and so on. The movie, Evangeline Vs the Machine Comes Alive, opens at IMAX theaters February 11 and 14, coinciding with the release of the ‘live’ soundtrack album (the cover and gatefold of which I also illustrated).

Here are just a few of the many illustrations I drew for the project, along with some screenshots showing how they were used in the IMAX movie.

An 'establishing shot' of the river and lush hills

...and how it appeared during the concert and the movie

The hazmat guys at work in the factory landfill...

The scene revealed bit by bit during the performance of "Bleed On Paper"

Inside the factory, we see... The Machine!

The camera pushes in tighter on Eric and The Machine

The Machine is slowly enveloped by plants growing up around it...

...and the Machine's "M" logo begins to turn into Evangeline's "E" logo

For the "Knives of New Orleans" sequence, a hazmat guy runs through an alley in exaggerated perspective

...and as the image appeared on stage and on the IMAX movie

Hazmat guy chased by Evangeline during "Homeboy" segment

The clock face & cogs for "Hands of Time" sequence. The hands were added separately so they could be moved to different times

Evangeline throws open the doors for the "Outsiders" sequence

The speakers in the factory for the "Storm in Their Blood" sequence

The speakers throbbed to the beat!

Hazmat guys flee destruction of factory

These are jusr a few of the iullustrations that were used in the live concerts and the IMAX movie. Many more were featured in the music videos posted at YouTube for each of the songs in the Evangeline suite, such as this one for "Johnny."

Here's the trailer for Eric Church's Evangeline Vs The Machine Comes Alive IMAX movie.