Earl Yevak
Earl Yevak (born March 3, 1982 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American songwriter who became noted in the early 2000's when he played drums and other percussion instruments in the the Virginia post-rock band Gregor Samsa. After he left Gregor Samsa in 2005 he formed Lavinia, a post-rock, lo-fi, indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia. This was Yevak's first notable attempt at singing and songwriting. Though no official releases were made by Lavinia, various live recordings and videos can be found circulating the Web via websites such as youtube.com. Lavinia disbanded in 2007. He currently works on multiple solo projects, and does guest vocals with other lo-fi, folk musicians from Richmond, Virginia.
Name origin of Lavinia
Lavinia was named after Earl Yevak's late grandmother Lavinia Stallings Phoebus (Yevak), who was the great-granddaughter of 19th century prominent Virginia Peninsula entrepreneur Harrison Phoebus. The name also means "purity" in Latin, which was cohesive with much of Lavinia's lyrics and imagery. Yevak, who is openly a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often references, though sometimes subtly, his spirituality and longing for spiritual purity in his songs. Members of the LDS Church are often associated with strong ancestral ties, as genealogy is one of the main pillars of the LDS or Mormon faith.