Edewaard is an Indie alternative Rock n’ Roll band from Eugene, Oregon. All of its members however, hailvarious sites including Pandora. Because of its diverse array of members, the musical influences are countless and immeasurable. Their sole purpose is to deliver versatile, theatrical, ambigous (yet identifiiable) music for all ages and many walks of life. The songwriting and camaraderie of the band is what tends to separate them from the ego-driven contemporary artists of the digital age. They take some time out to talk to Eyeplug.
01 How did you get started in music?
That’s a very broad question, because the moment I think my mind was triggered onto music was when I was very young, maybe 5, listening to Springsteen & Feetwood Mac records. Even though, the day I put my hands on a guitar would arrive much later, at about 16 years old I believe. But, again, if I’m being an artsy-fartsy stickler about it, I’d say the process started when I began to listen to music attentively at an early age. I was a nerdy little rock n’ roll disk-jockey. “The man with the best record collection can write the best songs”, according to Keith Richards, & I’ll absolutely have to agree with him on that.
02 Where did your direction come from?
My direction came from my absolute love for Rock n’ Roll music. The romanticism of it, the theatricality of performing, mixed with the rawness & honesty of the lyricism. You can’t beat that. I think somewhere along the lines the majority stopped liking pure, honest, music. Unfortunately in this day & age, folks would rather dance at a club, than listen to a record at home. With that, comes the simplistic, simple-minded, pop songs that are 4 chords and played on the radio over & over. No one questions the “art” of it anymore, they just want simple, digital, & catchy because: A. It’s what sells right now, and B. It’s easy to find and doesn’t take much to do. Substance makes people think to much I think. But Rock n’ Roll has always struck me as more genuine than that. So I’d say my direction came from my love for Rock n’ Roll, easily. I knew that was the direction to go in.
03 Who were your major influences and inspirations and who do you despise?
Major influences range from, Tom Petty & Rob Thomas, to Enya & John Williams. For Rock n’ Roll though I’d say Petty, Springsteen, Matchbox Twenty, AAR, Kings of Leon, Oasis, The Killers, the list goes on & on really. As for who I despise!? Well it definitely takes a lot for me to despise an artist. I’d have to really know what they were like as a person rather than just base it off their music. But if I had to say an artist where I can’t stand their music, it would be Pitbull all the way. I don’t know what he’s like, nor can I imagine liking him. But his music is garbage. I’d say it to his face. But he has much more money than me and that’s what people in his industry cherish as a soul so, not much for me to say after that’s on the table!
04 What inspires you to make your current type of songs and sound?
Everyday life inspires each new song I write. The more I keep living, the more experiences & moments I trap under my belt, then I can use those as emotional conduits for potential songs. The songs themselves are inspired by my drive to make Rock n’ Roll cool as hell again. Not the dressed up, cocky, fashion-oriented, pretty-boy, gangsters on MTV that seems to have everyone’s attention (Tupac & Biggie are rollin’ in their graves over the rappers these days).
05 What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows then & possibly even now?
If someone came to see us live now, they would definitely be in for a treat. Or at least I’d like to think so! The band & I make sure we put on quite the performance, we are aware we are performers, so perform we shall. We try to be as real and charismatic as possible because off-stage we are just about the same. Obviously we get a little more enthusiastic when performing, but off-stage we’re all smiles and damn near inseparable friends. So anything you see is genuine, but we want to involve our audience just as much. Often times we’ll get in the crowds if our cables will allow us. We just love to play this music, so hopefully folks will be able to tell, and can join in as well.
06 How do you begin your songs? What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?
I usually just write phonetically at first, and then the words place themselves in the song. It’s odd and sounds hippie-ish of me to say, but it’s honestly the truth. The songs find themselves. I never question it. Very seldom do I go in on a track with a specific subject to write about, normally I’ll just pick up the guitar and play until I find a lick that I like. Then, I simply start singing, and the first thing that sounds good & makes sense usually sets the precedent for the remains of the track, should I choose to indeed use it. I scrap a lot. As do most songwriters. Some songs I do sit down and write/reference things from my life, as opposed to making a character in a song. But even so, I’ll dress it up and make it seem ambiguous, so folks don’t know if it was real or something I just wrote about. People can identify with songs better if they can place themselves into it, it’s hard to do that if I was just writing about my life word for word. There would be less & less for them to relate to, because it’d be more & more me.
07 How did your music evolved since you first began playing?
My music has evolved ten-fold. I spent a long hiatus from Rock, learning about producing, even produced some Hip-Hop records with my friend. Learned a lot about the art form considering it deals with such exposed vocal tracks. When I was younger I played heavy metal in a local band called “Death Rides a Horse”, it sounded terrible but it was distorted shredding so I think that’s what we were going for. After that I started teaching myself to sing and recorded a terrible demo called “Take A Bow”, some local friends still have a copy of that somewhere (unfortunately). But I don’t regret it because it led me to where I am today, and I’m a much better singer now thankfully! It humbles me to listen back at previous tracks from earlier on in my career. I can see where I’ve grown and it makes me happy that in 10 more years I’ll listen back to me now and cringe! Everyone’s music should evolve, if it’s not, the you’re not. Don’t plateau, be adventurous while musically sticking to what you know. Don’t change your sound, just change the way it sounds.
08 What has been your biggest challenge? Were you been able to overcome this? If so, how?
So far the biggest challenge, is still going on, and that’s just being heard and reaching out. The UK is really taking a liking to us though. It’s all about patience, and in the words of Petty, “waiting is the hardest part”. It’s true. We’re still early in our indie career and we already have 22 released songs, and quite a few B-sides. Unlike Boston, we don’t plan to burn out after a couple records, I will keep leaping over obstacles to write better songs. The day I stop writing songs we enjoy to hear/play, is the day the train stops. But that day won’t come because everyone in Edewaard is determined and devoted.
09 Do you play covers? If you could pick any song, which would you like to cover most and why?
We play a few covers, we play Wicked Game by Chris Isaak, I’m Goin’ Down by Springsteen and Katie does a section of Rollin’ in the Deep by Adele! But if I had to choose a song to cover live, it would either be Born to Run or No Light by Florence and the Machine.
10 Where did you envisage being in five years time?
In 5 years I don’t want to have any specific goals or aspirations because it’ll limit the possibilities on the horizon! But hopefully, the band will be somewhere we all feel is prosperous and passionate. As long as we’re a band I’ll be happy. Anything else is simply a bonus. I have faith in ourselves, we’ll get where we need to be and hopefully, it’ll be by then!
11 Who would you most like to record with?
Record with, as in Producer or Artist? Let’s do both. An artist I’d love to record with is Petty. Easily. As for a woman to record a duet with, Lana Del Rey or Stevie Nicks. As for a producer, either Jimmy Lovine, or Rick Rubin.
12 What should we be expecting from you in the near future?
Lots & lots & lots of music and shows. We are planning another tour to launch when we settle back down in or for a bit, and we are still not finished with the one we’re on. That’s how it needs to be done.
Web Links:
edewaard.com
facebook.com/pages/Edewaard
reverbnation.com/edewaard
Our album can be purchased here:
itunes.apple.com/edewaard
