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Friday, November 6
The Independent (501 I-35, Austin TX 78702)
$12, 7pm
[info]
Alex Ebert was the singer of the LA-based outfit Ima Robot with a major label deal and all the stress that goes with it. So, after some very attitude-changing realizations about himself and his state of mind, he started a new band with new sound and a new outlook on life. Enter Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros with their spirited folk tunes touching down in Ennio Morricone and psychedelic territory from time to time and staying catchy enough to sing along to and dance with the band. We spoke with Ebert before their show in Austin at The Independent to hear about the secret ingredient to a happy band.
What major changes did you go through musically and personally that took you from Ima Robot to Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros?
Well, I was looking for something... Something - purity that I had - purity towards living, towards being something connected and good... I was at a place where I was becoming disconnected and needed life badly. So, I remembered back to when I was a child, my heroes then, what I wanted to be, and the music my father would play when taking me on these long road trips cross the west... It all culminated in a giant upheaval and shift to the grander and golden aspirations of my childhood.
How is the whole experience with Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros different than your years with Ima Robot?
I am defining myself in positives rather using negatives. I am for things now, not against things so much.
You guys seem truly happy on stage, smiling and dancing. What’s the secret ingredient?
LETTING GO of any fear of anything. Knowing.
What does the term collective mean to you, and do you think it applies to you guys?
Collective means a group bound by an ethos. But, the word is used too much for high-brow art for my taste to apply it to us. We are a family. We are not loosely knit and bound by an ethos or any manifesto. We are bound by... for lack of a better term... fate.
There’s a noticeable Ennio Morricone vibe in some of your songs. Was that a conscious choice or something that naturally bubbled to the top?
His music has always inspired me. It was beyond a conscious 'decision', it was an atmospheric aspiration, declaration. There is something there that transcends, that moves me to jubilation and adventure.
What’s a typical night like in the bus on tour?
Eating, Laughing, playing,... living.
I know it’s super hard to define, but if you had to sum up what this musical project means to you in a sentence or phrase, what would that be?
LOVE and COURAGE.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros [Official]
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros [MySpace]
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