ZACH STEVENS BY TAYLOR KENT
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Upon speaking to Zach Stevens, one wouldn’t guess his true age: a mere 19. Upon hearing him play music, one might actually argue against it. With a rich voice encrusted with tones of old country-western, blues, and music well beyond his years, Zach Stevens doesn’t sound 19. He certainly doesn’t play guitar like it, either. As an artist, Zach has very quickly shown an immense amount of musical maturity and skill. Since graduating high school, Zach has learned to navigate the lowcountry music scene and successfully transitioned into a fulltime musician, playing regularly around Hilton Head and Bluffton. Zach credits his father as a big factor in influencing his music taste. Growing up on classics such as the Beatles and Bob Marley, Zach began to establish a sharp ear for music at an early age. He himself began to experiment with instruments at around age 14, starting with the bass. Inspired by his roommate, Ben Hughey, who played local restaurant gigs, Zach developed a desire to follow in his footsteps. Zach was 16 when he and Ben, along with two of their friends, Grayson and Davis Lentz, began playing out as a band. They called themselves Naytiv. The boys and their band were well-received, playing popular island venues such as Boathouse, Tiki Hut, and the Boardroom. At around age 17, Zach shifted his focus from bass to the guitar. From this point on, he was hooked. It was beginning to be clear to Zach that he wanted to use music as a career path. He dedicated the next year of his life to consistently practicing, and played for at least three hours each day. The more he practiced, the more he understood. Playing and working on his 60
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skill constantly, Zach was able to fully grasp all the elements of being a true guitar player. He started listening to more bands that improvised solos, such as the Grateful Dead, Eric Clapton, and Pink Floyd. To him, the world of music got a whole lot bigger. With the strings of a guitar resting under his calloused fingers, the possibilities of what could happen seemed endless. Zach played his first solo gig at Charbar in the summer of 2018. His setlist is an impressively wide variety of covers old and new. Since 2018, Zach’s music career has only expanded. He formed his own group, the Zach Stevens Trio, and often collaborates with Hilton Head favorites such as Matt Robbins, Jeremy Phipps, and Nate Douglas. Now, between playing out as a solo artist, with his trio group, and as Naytiv, a majority of Zach’s nights are filled with music. His favorite aspect of playing live is that it allows him to be completely present in the moment, an escape from the outer world. In the next five years, Zach plans to continue to grow as an artist and hopes to have released his own records and toured the region. Zach Stevens is a musician through and through. The distinct sound of his voice and guitar simply can’t be matched. Over the past year, I’ve watched him obtain a great amount of confidence as he gains trust in himself on stage. Zach is hardheaded, intelligent, dedicated, and unapologetically sure of himself. He is an excellent musician, and possesses all the traits of a real artist. I have no doubt that music will take him anywhere he wishes to go.