CW's Place: Interview With Our Featured Band Edisun
(Photo by John Shyloski)
The band Edisun encompasses the American spirit with their alternative rock style of music. The band based out of Norwalk, CT. recently released their sophomore album, “Collision,” through Factory Underground Records/ SoNo Recording Group.
In a world today where too often bands could care less about the impact their music has on society and just looking to make big bucks Edisun is different looking to make the world a better place with their music. The band has helped to raise both awareness and funds for organizations that include those dealing with pediatric cancer, ALS reseach, and the Wounded Warriors. The band has performed for US troops in over 20 countries, including two tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. The band has also put thousands of miles driven and flown under their belt on their tours with stops in 25 countries and across 48 states.
If you haven’t done it yet you need to visit the band’s website and check them out and I’m sure you’ll become an instant fan.
Websites:
http://www.edisunmusic.com https://www.facebook.com/EdisunMusic
I want to thank the band’s drummer Todd for doing the interview below with me.
Edisun Interview:
1. How did the band get started?
Edisun:The band was founded by Jonathan Svec who had played in the band Splender, with Ethan Isaac. They were introduced by Claude Villani and Arma Andon who worked with the band Godsmack. Their idea was to form a group around a Page-Plant dup. I had played drums with Ethan in other projects and they brought me in. I was the Bonham guy who had a littleBerklee to him as well. Jonathan left the band for personal reasons and Joel P Kelley took over as lead guitarist, and the last to join was Mike Russo our bass player.
2. What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Edisun: Well of course there is the Thomas Edison reference, so it’s about the spirit of invention and the drive to succeed. We changed the name to Edisun with a U when we put out our first record through EMI in 2010. We wanted it be more unique, it vibed with us all being really organic type of people. It’s a combination of the electric light with the power of the sun.
3. How do you describe your style of music?
Edisun: Our first record was marketed to the “active rock” radio market, and we got known touring with heavier bands like Cold and Nonpoint. But we are actually an alternative rock band, and on this record we really went deep into our roots. We wanted to make a record that was true to who we are as musicians, where we all come from, and the thousands of miles we traveled to get to this moment. So there are moments of hard rock, pop, dark acoustic, really deep alternative. We wanted to make a full rock album, not just a collection of singles for iTunes. On that level, I think we do what we set out to do.
4. Does the band have a special song?
Edisun: “Ready to Believe” is the closest thing Edisun has to a rock anthem,and that’s been a special song for the band. It was never a single,but it got used in a ton of sports TV spots, ESPN, etc. US Olympian Kelly Gunther used it in her promo leading up to the winter games at Sochi, and the US army is using it as a promotion for their own athletics. Dan Patrick the NBC sportscaster has played it on his show, he calls it one of his favorite songs. It’s just been a song that registers with people striving for something, overcoming adversity. It’s about belief in yourself and never quitting. Those are things Edisun is about.
5. You’ve played a lot of overseas dates for US troops through Armed Forces Entertainment how did you get involved in doing that?
Edisun: Ethan wrote a song with his old band Wooden called “Into The Sunlight” about his personal experiences in Manhattan on the morning of 9-11. That song made it’s way to the people at Armed Forces Entertainment and Wooden ended up doing a tour that included Iceland, Germany, UK, etc. But they were playing at a lot of empty bases–because there were so many soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. So Ethan started asking–could they go “downrange” to play for the troops? They kept getting told “You boys don’t want to go there.” One day it was a case of “Be Careful of What You Ask For!” They called and said– “Ok we’ll send you there.” Only by then Edisun had formed. We had barely been together, only recorded demos, had only played maybe one gig as a band, and there we were on a C130 flying into northern Iraq, doing what is called a “combat landing.” You know that feeling of being on a roller coaster where it’s terrifying but you know you’re pretty safe? Imagine that coming out of nowhere and you think you might actually die. Our first rock n roll tour as Edisun and we were in a war zone. And people have told us that Vans Warped Tour is roughing it!
6. The band recently released your sophomore LP, ‘Collision.’ What is the message you hope that people take away after listening to it?
Edisun: Its important for people to know that Edisun is a real band in a very old school rock tradition. It’s not just one guy and a producer, or Pro Tools files getting shared over the internet. I hope if there’s one thing people know about us, listening to Collision, is that we have put our hearts into this entire record, and if you get anything out of it all that’s meaningful to you, then that’s all that matters.
7. What’s up next for the band. Are you currently doing any touring?
Edisun: We are gearing up for a world tour now that is going to hit a lot of countries. With all the military tours we’ve done, playing for the troops around the world, we’ve managed to perform in over 24 countries. Now with social media, we have fans spread literally around the entire planet and we try very hard to stay in touch with everybody–we tweet in about twelve languages and I’m not even kidding. But people want to see you, and let’s face it–rock n roll is about going to these places and people feeling the power of the live music. It’s about the experience, for us and for them. This summer we played in Singapore for the first time, and we’re making new fans all over Asia who are asking Edisun to come to Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. There is no place on we will not go if there are fans who want to hear us perform.
