Music Monday: Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros
With only a few weeks remaining until the third instalment (most things are better on three!) of the downtown Las Vegas hometown festival – Life Is Beautiful we wanted to highlight some of the amazingly talented acts in this years musical lineup, beyond the more widely known headliners.
A good friend of mine, Art Gimbel spoke up at last years Life Is Beautiful. He was interviewed by The Festival Guy himself. One of the things he talked about and as he has since passed I feel is REALLY good advice, was on the importance of being open to the flow of new music in the festival setting. You can watch the video HERE. RIP Art.
Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros
One of our team members whom also happens is a super fan of to respect Edward Sharp greatly shot a show in Victoria BC over the summer, it was on over the top performance. One that you never want to miss and could see over, and over and over again. See below for the gallery from Rock the Shores.
photo credit: Selena Unger
MUSIC MONDAY
(because it’s raining, a little chill for you)
‘ALL WASH OUT’
‘MAN ON FIRE’
Traveling through empty roads, a whole life unfolds in the mind of a man in the small confines of a car. The night offers him no simple solution. A road movie about a man looking for answers, acceptance and salvation.
‘THIS LIFE’
finally, my favourite ES song… ‘IF I WERE FREE‘ an acoustic via SOUL PANCAKE.
ABOUT EDWARD SHARP & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
In 2002, in the midst of a year of sleeplessness, and novel-writing, Alex Ebert created two things: A distracted, deformed, and hopelessly romantic messianic character named Edward Sharpe, and a new kind of mathematics called Magnetic Zeros. The novel was never completed and the math’s application is yet-to-be determined, but Ebert liked the sound of those two inventions combined, and a band who’s members were yet to be met was born.
(Note: “EdwardSharpe” is not an alter ego of Ebert’s, but rather “a vehicle that delivered me back to myself”).
Several years later, disillusioned with just about every aspect of his life, Ebert dropped nearly everything- his relationship, his home, his phone, and even Alcoholics Anonymous, and embarked on the journey of self discovery and liberation that gave birth to the material that would be the first Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros album, Up From Below. Inspired primarily by the simple, rag-tag, jangly sing-a-longs at his elementary school, Ebert wrote songs designed for a large group to have a childish, unprofessional, and irreverent feel. With (at the time) odd instrumentation, the songs required upwards of ten musicians to play, and it was during the recording process that the band truly formed. It would be a member-less band no longer.
Ebert’s “partner-in-liberation” during his time of transformation, singer Jade Castrinos, helped co-pen the song “Home“, and in it the band had a platinum-selling song. In the time since, the band has released three albums and toured much of the world, but in the process something else happened: “we went from social experiment to accidentally becoming a great band”, Ebert says. Indeed, they became known for the power of their live shows. [THEY PLAY FRIDAY at LIB – DON’T MISS IT]
In light of this revelation, the band feels a new purpose: “to write music especially designed to perform live, and to become the very best band we can possibly be.” They now anticipate releasing their 4th album, recorded almost entirely in one room, in the summer of 2015.
a note from Edward Sharp;
We are excited to announce that our debut live album, “Live In No Particular Order: 2009-2014” will be available on vinyl and Apple Music on October 9th through Community Music! It includes cuts taken from our club shows, festivals, and studio sessions.
Pre-order is now available! iTunes includes immediate downloads of “Better Days” and “If I Were Free” (Daytrotter). For those who order from our online store, we will randomly select five fans to win a signed copy of the LP: iTunes: esmzeros.co/livealbum, 3-LP gatefold vinyl: esmzeros.co/livealbummerch
All proceeds from the album go to our not-for-profit 501(c)3 Big Sun Foundation, which is dedicated to facilitating more sustainable and communal living throughout the world.
m! Media & LBH Collective 