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Artist to Watch 2009: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Phobiac - 8-7-2009 at 05:36 AM


Quote:




Artist to Watch 2009: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
L.A. hippie clan scores celeb fans with feel-good vibes

Posted Aug 07, 2009 11:55 AM

Ask anyone who's held hands with a stranger or danced barefoot in the front row at an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros gig: The 10-piece folk-rock ensemble's shows are more like shamanistic tent revivals than rock concerts. Former Ima Robot frontman Alex Ebert, the singer-songwriter mastermind behind the group, embraced his hippie heart after losing his major-label deal, moving and getting back to basics. "I didn't have a cell phone, we didn't have Internet," says Ebert, who embarked upon his new life with girlfriend Jade Castrinos.

On their recently released debut LP, Up From Below, Ebert channels his psychedelic tendencies into tunes that are alternately joyful ("Janglin," "Home"), jaunty ("40 Day Dream") and gothic ("Desert Song"), with echoes of the Arcade Fire and the Mamas and the Papas. Ebert attributes their sound to a conscious effort on his part to connect with his most childlike musical impulses.

Those childlike impulses come through in the band's name, too: There isn't an Edward Sharpe in the group, and Ebert named the band after the characters in a novel he was writing about a boy who transcended his dismal world by tapping into some sort of universal music. His feel-good vibe has a few famous fans totally hooked: "You dance at their show! You sing!" says Drew Barrymore, who fell in love with the group at this year's South by Southwest festival.

Recording Up from Below took the Zeros more than a year and a half, during which time they scrapped their sessions and started over with only analog tape. "It's been a serious fucking saga," says Ebert. "But it allowed us to develop into a family, which is really what I wanted. I really am a firm believer in utopia, otherwise I have no reason to be here."

Read Jenny Eliscu's full story in the new issue, on stands now.

Video: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Live in L.A.
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More Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Review: Up From Below

Sarbear - 8-7-2009 at 05:39 AM

That is a good one.

neckbeard - 8-7-2009 at 09:56 AM

oh yes

elblueblazer - 8-7-2009 at 03:15 PM

fuck you drew barrymore!!!!!!

poobs - 8-10-2009 at 01:58 PM

Full story as it appears in Rolling Stone..By the way, they only have 6 acts in their Artists To Watch feature..

"Artists to Watch - Six Acts Who Are Defining Rock, Pop And Hip-Hop in 2009"

L.A. hippie clan scores celeb fans with feel-good vibes

WHO - After his major-label deal fell apart, Los Angeles singer Alex Ebert (formerly of electro rockers Ima Robot) reinvented himself as "Edward Sharpe," the hippie-shaman leader of a troupe of 10 musicians - their shows feature a stage crowded with barefoot dancers, hand drummers, three guitarists and an accordion player. "I wrote this music for a family to play," says Ebert, who plans to start a commune with his bandmates. "I think that's what attracted everyone in the band - the ideal behind a communal happening of music. I really am a firm believer in utopia." Ebert presides over the collective's euphoric shows like an evangelist possessed by the spirit of '69, and by this spring, the group was drawing crowds of 1,000 fans to DIY shows at a dilapidated downtown Los Angeles theater. "Their live performances are liberating," says fan Drew Barrymore. "They're like a tribe that creates beautiful, optimistic music, and we need more of that in this world."

SOUND - On the recently released Up From Below, the Zeros come off like a cross between the Arcade Fire and the Mamas and the Papas, mixing childlike chants ("Janglin'"), widescreen anthems ("40 Day Dream") and jaunty folk pop ("Home"). Ebert says he found inspiration in the music of his childhood: "The Stand By Me soundtrack, the Johnny Cash tunes my dad would play during road trips and the spaghetti-Western films I would watch as a kid, that gave me a sense of the majesty of the world."

STAR-STRUCK - Shortly before he died, Heath Ledger flew the band to New York to play a concert for the release of the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There and even talked about releasing the Zeros album himself. "Heath became a major inspiration for me, especially after he died," says Ebert. "He had this philosophy of 'Whatever you want to do, make it happen. If you can't do it with money, you do it some other way, and you do it 100 percent.'"

SPIN THIS - The trippy-soul march "40 Day Dream" is perfect for a sunset drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.



Sarbear - 8-10-2009 at 02:28 PM

Crazy how I used to get Rolling Stones...haven't gotten it for some time now, and then I randomly get the issue that this is printed in. My guess is they want me to re-subscribe. But what are the chances of that??

poobs - 8-10-2009 at 04:30 PM

I hate Rolling Stone..I think it was the only magazine that I thought I could see myself reading when my son had his annual magazine drive..I should have gotten Tractor World instead..:rolleyes:

Ruthless - 8-12-2009 at 09:42 AM

Damn straight... better be

[Edited on 8-12-2009 by Ruthless]

ImyWith - 11-8-2009 at 12:12 AM

What is wrong with you elblueblazer.,? Do drew barrymore do anything about you ..,? Or you are just mad at him.,


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JPG - 11-8-2009 at 06:43 AM

lul ^^^^

jellybones - 11-8-2009 at 01:02 PM

estmz is getting sew biiiiiiiiiiiiiig




i don't know what to feel!!!!!

corkey16 - 11-8-2009 at 01:14 PM

My prayers has been answered, they will be in Georgia on the 11th of Nov, next week. Sadly i doubt i get to go cause it's a work night. :(

Sarbear - 11-8-2009 at 01:20 PM

You should try, it's well worth the sleepiness the next morning.

Delta - 11-8-2009 at 07:28 PM

most def.