Track Listing
1. Theories (4.37)
2. Trippin (3.21)
3. Hang Ten (3.32)
4. And You (3.59)
5. Screaming Kings (4.22)
6. Shotgun (2.38)
7. Alive (6.10)
8. Rush (4.19)
9. Amazing (4.09)
10. Take Me Anywhere (4.29)
11. Better Than This (5.16)
12. Another Drink [hidden track] (2.35)
By MIKE ROSS
Edmonton Sun
In a music scene rampant with lip-syncing, image manipulation and other chicanery,
it's nice to know that Edwin does his own stunts.
The mono-named singer, playing tonight in Red's, stands apart from all these supposedly
cool pop stars who wouldn't dare risk spoiling their handsome, chiselled features
by jumping out of an airplane while strapped to a snowboard. Edwin was brave enough
to do it himself, for the sake of his art.
"It's something I've always wanted to do," he says, "but I never thought
I'd ever have the (courage) or the opportunity to do it. I always thought if a plane
is flying, why jump out of it? Technically, I wasn't supposed to jump from the plane.
The record company was forbidding me from doing it. But they left me alone with the
director and the cameraman, so boys will be boys, and we thought it would be really
cool to actually do it. So we did it."
We're talking about his new video for Alive, of course, whose extreme sports theme
has become a big hit on MuchMusic. Don't try this at home. It also features Edwin
diving off a fishing boat, swimming with dolphins and pulling off various radical
snowboard stunts. Sort of.
"The really good snowboarding stuff isn't me," he admits. Many of the aerial
tricks, too, are done by experts "who knew what they were doing." Still,
Edwin made the effort - not bad for someone who's never even been on a snowboard,
let alone on one falling 250 kmh at 3,000 metres above the Florida Keys - and that's
what counts.
We segue gracefully now to his music. It appears as though Edwin made the right decision
to leave I Mother Earth. While he says he thought he made the right move from the
beginning, the commercial success of his solo debut, Another Spin Around the Sun,
is a stamp of public approval. So were the two Juno nominations. The record is so
catchy, so perfectly groomed for Top 40 rock radio that some people - we won't name
names, but you can guess - are grumbling. How much of this did Edwin actually write?
Does he, in fact, really do his own stunts when it comes to the all-important matter
of his music?
Knowing that I Mother Earth fans were going to be watching his every move, Edwin
knew he had to come up with something strong. He says that if he wrote half the record,
he would've been content. "As it turned out, I ended up writing about 70, 75%
of the album, either co-writing or writing on my own, which I was really happy about."
Even so, he knew he'd be put into the position of defending himself. Would he have
to face these sorts of questions if he wasn't a first-time solo artist who looks
like the rock 'n' roll Ricky Martin? Probably not. Sure he had "help" making
Another Spin Around the Sun. So what?
"I don't have to go out there and prove anything," he says. "But I
want to make music and if I have to put my name on it, I want it to be strong. And
if I take input from another songwriter that improves the song I've written the bulk
of, and their idea makes it a slightly better song, I have no problem with that.
For me, it's about the song. It's not about my ego."
He's looking forward to May, when the album is set to be released in America. Few
Yanks know anything about Edwin or I Mother Earth, but he'll have at least eight
years of live performing experience as his secret weapon.
"In America, I'm going to be nobody coming down there with what I think is a
pretty strong record, a good show, good stage presence and all that and, hopefully,
they'll just take it on the face value of the music."
Edwin performs tonight, sans snowboard, in Red's with opening act J. Englishman.
Tickets are $15 in advance (481-6420).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, March 18, 2000
Edwin takes the big leap
By LISA WILTON
Calgary Sun
Living on the edge is something that comes naturally to Edwin.
But even the excitement-craving Canadian singer had doubts about jumping out of an
airplane 11,000 ft. in the air.
"Actually, if you saw the plane I was in, jumping wouldn't seem like such a
bad idea," jokes I Mother Earth's former frontman, whose first skydiving adventure
near Key West, Fla., can be seen in the video for his third solo single, Alive.
"I've never done it before and I'm not the type of person to immediately want
to jump off of any height. But the time was right, the feeling was right and the
atmosphere was great. I couldn't resist.
"Actually, I could resist but I was kind of railroaded into it. So I went with
it and it was spectacular."
Leaping out of airplanes, swimming with dolphins and totalling Ford Explorers (which,
unfortunately, was not part of the video shoot) shouldn't come as a surprise to fans
of Edwin. His fortitude, fiery ambition and need for change has been a driving force
behind his career.
In 1997, at the height of its popularity, Edwin left Canadian alt-rock band I Mother
Earth for more creatively satisfying pastures.
Two years later, he re-emerged with a new band and his debut solo album, Another
Spin Around the Sun.
With hearty optimism and a dash of trepidation, Edwin set off across the country
as part of last year's Edgefest tour hoping to prove himself a serious solo musician.
"It was trial by fire," recalls Edwin during a phone interview.
"To be thrown in front of 25,000 people or 35,000 people who are going, 'I know
what you've done before, now blow me away,' is pretty nerve-wracking."
But with his first cross-country headlining tour underway, the Juno-nominated singer
is breathing a little easier knowing that Another Spin is almost a platinum-seller
in Canada.
"The fans aren't as critical as, say, I am," says Edwin, who plays the
Back Alley on Tuesday. "They're just digging the music.... They're really supportive
so I can't complain about that. I try not to be hypercritical, I just have certain
expectations for our band to reach."
As a solo artist, Edwin hasn't run into the same problems he did in IME.
"I don't miss having a drummer or guitarist speak for me," he says.
"Our heads, more often than not, were in different places. And our views on
things were polar opposites on many issues."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, March 16, 2000
Edwin: Not just a pretty face
By JOHN KENDLE
Winnipeg Sun
Ricky Martin isn't the only heart-throb in town tonight.
Toronto-based singer/songwriter Edwin has become something of a Canadian sex symbol
in his own right.
Many folks took notice of Edwin's sharp-featured good looks when he was singing with
rock group I Mother Earth but since the vocalist struck out on his own he has become
a visual magnet -- all eyes are directed at him when he's in a room.
When told that CBC deejay David Wisdom recently referred to him as a "sex symbol,"
the single-monikered singer laughs.
"Well, God bless him ... but I really do try to play that down," says Edwin.
"I mean, I work out and try to look my best but if that's all that mattered,
I'd have gone into modelling a long time ago.
"I'd much rather have people like the music than worry about how I look."
Edwin's music is represented by his debut solo disc, Another Spin Around the Sun,
a heady mixture of pensive, atmospheric mid-tempo tunes with straightforward, guitar-based
rock.
The songs, he says, are a result of coming face-to-face with the idea of writing
music outside a band environment, something he says he hadn't fully contemplated
when he left I Mother Earth.
"Songwriting was the biggest challenge I had to face and it represents the biggest
growth spurt I went through, as well," Edwin says.
"The toughest part was not having the band environment, realizing that everything
comes down to me. So, putting the album together took a phase of about six to eight
months of pretty concentrated focus."
The response to the disc, released late last spring, has been positive at Canadian
radio, but Edwin says his live show is where he can really gauge response. So far,
he says, fans have grooved to the vibe he creates with his band -- guitarist Ruben
Huizenga, drummer Chris Simpson, bassist Ken Cunningham and guitarist Ron Bouchard.
The singer promises a full evening tonight.
"It'll be a musical journey for 90 minutes. Everything on my album will be played,
maybe a couple of covers, maybe even an I Mother Earth song," he says. "It's
a big production but intimate, too."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday November 13, 1999
Edwin avoids Mother Earth
By STEVE TILLEY -- Express Writer
More than two years after leaving I Mother Earth, you'd think people would stop
bugging Edwin with questions about his acrimonious split from the band.
Then again, that Paul McCartney guy probably still fields the odd query about the
little foursome with the bowl haircuts that he once played with.
A generous comparison, but whether it's because Canadian fans are hungry for a homegrown
music industry slapfight or simply genuinely curious, Edwin is still relentlessly
questioned about the band he spent nearly eight years with.
There was the initial onslaught of press after the Toronto rocker left his bandmates
following Edgefest '97, and another when his first solo album, Another Spin Around
the Sun, came out earlier this year.
The wave crested again when I Mother Earth's first post-Edwin CD, Blue Green Orange,
was released. You'd think that would mean closure for the issue. Hardly.
"I thought that once their album was released it would put an end to all that,
because they're such different albums. They're going one way and I'm going another
way," Edwin told The Sun in a recent phone interview.
"But no, it's still a popular question. Even the girl who sells our T-shirts
gets asked, 'So why did he leave I Mother Earth?' She's pretty sick of hearing that
question too, so imagine how I feel."
But is it an issue? No. Having just come off a tour with the Matthew Good Band, Edwin
jumped on board the Tea Party tour just days later. He'll be opening for the Tea
Party for tonight's show at the Shaw Conference Centre.
Another Spin Around the Sun has been a modest commercial and critical success, bolstered
by Edwin pocketing a Much Music Video Award for Hang Ten.
But Edwin says he's not seeking justification, vindication or the right to go nanny-nanny-boo-boo
to his former bandmates.
"I don't look at it that way. I just look at it like I was just trying to make
the best record I could make, and the fact that people are enjoying the record and
getting into it ... that's my justification.
"It's not that I can sit there and go, 'Ha, ha, ha!' That's not my thinking,
and it wouldn't make a difference anyhow because we don't really talk."
Been there, done that sums up Edwin's current feelings towards his former band, and
the upcoming solo tour early next year and the pending release of his album in the
U.S. are giving him plenty to think about. Still, he can't seem to resist the odd
sly dig.
"I'm looking at bands that are doing better than I am and I'm trying to aspire
to doing better myself. I'm not looking at bands where I've already been, and aren't
necessarily doing better than I am right now.
"I thought they would do better at this point - just sell more records."
(When asked for his opinion of Blue Green Orange, which he has listened to, Edwin
responds: "The best diplomatic answer I can give is I don't want to answer it.")
Opening for Matt Good and the Tea Party has been giving Edwin's band the road mileage
they need to function as a tight, well-oiled machine in preparation for the inevitable
headlining gigs.
"Since (this past summer's) Edgefest, we've watched it build slowly and consistently.
Every show the crowd gets better and better and more into it, and they know more
of the words."
Also undeniable is Edwin's loyal female following, a result of the unimonikered rocker's
pin-up looks. Short of asking if he makes out like a demon (yes, girls, he's single),
one has to wonder if his looks have an impact on the demographics of his fan base.
"One time I was heading through the crowd to go backstage at a show, and this
girl sees me with my laminate, and she pulls me over and says, 'Excuse me, excuse
me, are you going back there?'
"I said yeah. She says, 'If you see Edwin, tell him I love him!' That sums it
up. You don't always live up to people's expectations."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, July 9, 1999
Life without Mother
Edwin adjusts to a brand new band
By MIKE ROSS -- Edmonton Sun
Talking about why he quit I Mother Earth in 1997, Edwin stops himself in mid-rant.
"I don't want to do this," the singer sighs. "Everything I say is
going to come out negative, and I don't really want to sit here and slag the guys,
because ... " he trails off.
Because they treated you and your ideas with disdain?
They wanted all the publishing money for themselves?
The wheel of love - in the the four-way marriage that is a rock band - had broken
under the baggage of life?
About all I Mother Earth have to say on the matter is, "That whole period was
turning into an unhealthy situation. So the decision to let Edwin go was a mutual
one," as drummer Christian Tanna told the Ottawa Sun.
Edwin plays Sunday at Edgefest '99; I Mother Earth is not on the bill (now that would've
been a battle of the bands). But there's no rule you can't be fans of both.
During an interview a few months back to promote Another Spin Around the Sun, Edwin's
debut solo album, the singer only occasionally lets his obvious bitterness flash
into anger. In the end, he admits, leaving the band was a personal matter. He had
to make a difficult decision sooner or later or I Mother Earth fans would start to
notice something was amiss. Then everyone would've lost out.
"I was very emotional about it," Edwin says. "I didn't want to have
to leave, but I had to. At that point, it didn't matter how well we were doing, how
many records we sold and blah blah blah, it was all great. But I wasn't happy. It
started to be that I thought the fans could see the dissension. You can get a vibe.
I thought that this means way too much for me to pretend. I'm not pretending up here
in front of thousands of people every night just because of petty bulls---."
Once on his own, Edwin had to face the huge task of putting a band together. "All
they have to do is replace one guy - I had to go build a whole new team."
He says he didn't even know if he wanted to do music any more, but after a little
break to get his head together, he started by picking up the guitar and trying to
write an entire song from start to finish - something he'd never done with I Mother
Earth. One song led to another, and with collaborations and positive feedback from
some industry heavyweights, he was signed to Sony and the album came together. It's
all over the place, stylistically, but you can still hear hints of his old band.
After all, he was with I Mother Earth for nearly eight years
Edwin could've easily formed or joined another band, "but I didn't want my career
to be at the whim of three other people any more," he says. "I've gone
through that since high school. Every band I put my heart into, something stupid
happened, it was always a girlfriend whining, or somebody's insecurity or just stupid
stuff. I wasn't putting my career on the line for that any more. Now I'm a benevolent
dictatorship."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, 8 May, 1999
Edwin's killer good looks
For a serious artist, being a pretty boy can be a curse
By JOSHUA OSTROFF -- Ottawa Sun
NOBODY likes a pretty boy.
That's the main problem facing the backlash-vulnerable Edwin, former lead singer
of Canuck rockers I Mother Earth and the face dotting school girls' lockers and Internet
"shrines" around the country.
"Basically, the reactions to the record have been better than I thought, I was
already prepared for bad reviews," he admits, lounging in an enormous suite
at the Westin promoting his new solo album Another Spin Around the Sun.
DAVID LEE ROTH SYNDROME
"There was so much talk about this, right from the time I left the band. It's
just natural that when something is that hyped, people are going to slag it when
it actually comes out.
The hype has been in overdrive for the past month with Sony music shelling out big
bucks for a flurry of TV and press ads.
"To be honest, it was even a bit much for me."
When Edwin split from his bandmates following Edgefest '97, rumours ran rampant he
had developed David Lee Roth syndrome (or that the Tanna brothers had developed Van
Halen syndrome) and the fans began choosing sides.
EERIE
While admitting the similarities are eerie, Edwin is quick to point out Roth was
booted while he chose to pursue his solo path.
"It was a bit of a closed-minded situation. I knew I could write songs and I
knew I could definitely be an asset to the band and I was more than willing to offer
my services. For whatever reason, they closed themselves to that idea," he explains.
Citing the usual "creative differences," Edwin says while he did feel artistically
stymied by the band, there were personal problems too.
"I didn't necessarily leave the band because of the musical differences or the
creative repression. I left for other reasons which were just as strong if not stronger.
"I generally couldn't relate to their entire outlook of me. For people that
I had known for so long, they didn't really know me at all."
So he set off by himself, well, sort of by himself.
Though Edwin's moniker adorns the record, he secured considerable songwriting help
while cobbling together his debut.
WORKING WITH STRANGERS
"At first it was friends and acquaintances, sitting down in their home studios
hashing out ideas. A few times I'd written the whole song and had them play on it
because I'm not the most accomplished guitar player. Then it evolved into a writing
trip."
He spent some time in Vancouver and L.A. working with strangers, something he found
difficult coming from a band environment where he was more familiar with his musical
partners.
But the number of co-writers on the album has led many critics to deride the slick
results, harping on Edwin's lack of a clear identity.
SHARING THE GLORY
"I don't mind sharing the glory. It doesn't have to be all me ... on record,
it can be a collaboration of other people. I thought since it's my first solo outing,
I want to write at least half the record. But then I ended up writing more than half."
Edwin sits back on the couch, looking a little frustrated with the media's perception
of him. He tries to make his musical aspirations -- and therefore the end results
-- a little clearer.
"(Another Spin Around the Sun) is not just me sitting in a room with a tape
machine going 'I'll show them! I'll show them!'"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, April 30, 1999
Going it alone
Singer spins away from I Mother Earth
By LISA WILTON
Calgary Sun
Standing in front of 25,000 screaming fans, Edwin could feel a lump forming in his
throat.
Only weeks before, the charismatic frontman for one of Canada's most popular bands
announced his intention to leave I Mother Earth.
As a farewell and thank you to fans, the band toured the country one last time with
that lineup as part of Edgefest '97.
"I was looking at the audience at every show thinking, 'Wow, this could be the
very last time I have this opportunity,' says Edwin, who was in town recently to
promote his debut solo effort, Another Spin Around the Sun.
"I had to stop that train of thought because here I was on stage trying to entertain
people and I was bumming myself out.
"I had to shift that feeling, but it always hit me."
After his final show, the Toronto-based singer took a long break to relax, refocus
and rejuvenate himself in order to start working again on solo material.
Edwin denies there were any rifts within the band and says the split was amicable
and simply due to his need to grow as an artist.
"I didn't think I was reaching my full potential for whatever reasons,"
explains Edwin, who is returning to Race City Speedway on July 9 as part of Edgefest
'99.
"You have to do what you have to do and basically I had to change things drastically.
I had to shake things up and start pursuing what was my path.
"(The rest of the band) needed a change, too. I just made the decision first
... I have no regrets about it."
Another Spin Around the Sun is a strong departure from the heavier alterna-rock of
I Mother Earth, leaning more towards earthier, groovier and ultimately more accessible
songs.
"I want people to be able to sing along," Edwin says.
"I want to be able to hold out the mike and have people sing with me. I absolutely
love that. When you're on stage and you hear thousands of people singing along, you
get goosebumps. You just can't help it."
Unfortunately, his decision to go solo didn't come without snide remarks about "lead
singer's disease" and comments on how he just couldn't fit his ego into the
tour bus anymore.
"I had to listen to that kind of stuff so often," he says. "I'd flick
on the radio and hear some DJ, who knew nothing about anything that went on, slag
me and say all this bull ... But it's really out of my control.
"There was a lot of that talk but all I could do was go to work, make my record
and let the chips fall."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, 15 April, 1999
edwin goes it alone
By KAREN BLISS -- Jam! Music
TORONTO -- He was the voice and face of I Mother Earth, but never the man who wrote
the words he was singing. And in the early stage of IME's career, that was enough.
But as the years went by, Edwin felt the need to express his own lyrical ideas. He
finally gets that chance on his solo debut, Another Spin Around The Sun (out April
27). (Hear an exclusive preview of the album's first track, "Theories").
"I definitely wanted to grow as an artist, and I felt I was not having that
opportunity," says Edwin, over lunch at Cafe Volo, the restaurant he and his
former I Mother Earth mates used to frequent after practice nearby.
"Sometimes, to face your fears is the best thing for you; and to throw yourself
into the fire is also, sometimes, a good remedy and that's essentially what I did,"
Edwin says of leaving the band. "If I'm gonna dothis, I'm gonna do this and
I went for it, not really having any substantial safety net."
His safety net was his friends and family -- and his own conscience, telling him
it was time to get out.
"In this business, you have to follow your heart because it comes through in
your work, whether a band performance or songs you're singing or the over all vibe,"
says Edwin. "If you're miserable, it tends to leak through the tracks."
When it was announced publicly two summers ago that he was leaving I Mother Earth,
everyone had an opinion on the matter, from DJs to critics to fans to other bands.
Edwin paid some attention, amazed how people "took sides". Still, he was
free at last and he felt liberated.
"It had been seven years committed to the band, which leaves you very little
time to yourself," he says. "There's always something to do, whether it's
writing, recording, touring, whatever. It was pretty much all of our lives for that
amount of time, and I needed time to just do nothing.I just wanted to chill out.
"I got a new apartment. I decorated it. I got into that for a couple of months
and I felt like I had a cool place to start fresh."
He set up a little four-track studio and started noodling on guitar and writing down
melodic ideas. "'Wow, I can write anything I want,'" he enthused. 'This
is awesome. I don't have to depend on other people'sopinions of whether it's good
or not, right now. I could let it grow to acertain point, before opening it up to
criticism."
Edwin then hooked up with various songwriters in Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles,
some of them friends, others complete strangers. They started with a blank page almost
each and every time, but by the end of many months, hehad some 26 songs from which
to choose. Of the 11 songs on Another Spin Around The Sun (12 if you count the hidden
track), Edwin says, "I like melodies you can sing along with, sensible lyrics
that people can relate to hopefully, but basically I wrote left of centre, a non-typical,
non-generic vibe."
The complete track listing for Another Trip Around The Sun
1. Theories
2. Trippin'
3. Hang Ten
4. And You
5. Screaming Kings
6. Shotgun
7. Alive
8. Rush
9. Amazing
10. Take Me Anywhere
11. Better Than This
12. Another Drink (hidden track)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, November 25, 1998
Ex-I Mother Earth singer starts solo album
By KAREN BLISS -- Jam! Music
Edwin, the former lead vocalist of Toronto rock band I Mother Earth, has nailed
down producer Matt DeMatteo for his solo debut on Sony Music Canada and is already
half-way finished recording the album in a local studio.
DeMatteo, the former drummer with Toronto hip hop group B.T.K., has produced Ashley
MacIsaac and Big Wreck, among others.
Edwin's manager, Bob Luhtata calls attention to two songs on Edwin's album, "Hang
Ten" and "Star", believing them to be possible singles.
While most people assume the handsome frontman will emerge with a pop album, Luhtala
says, "It's actually got a little bit of a dark side to it. It's rock but it's
got awesome hit songs on it. Compared to an I Mother Earth, it's not as out-there.
Ed's got some great, great songs, and the album's got a great feel. It's a lot hipper
than people except it to be."
The album will probably be mixed in January and released in April or May.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 25, 1998
Ex-I Mother Earth singer signs solo deal
By KAREN BLISS - Jam! Music
Edwin, the former lead vocalist of Toronto rock band I Mother Earth, signed a record
deal last week with Sony Music Canada. "This could be the start of a beautiful
friendship," said Edwin, borrowing a line from Casablanca.
"They have great PlayStations!" he jokes, before adding seriously, "Sony?
It's pretty hard to ignore Sony. They're a great company and they've done really
well with their artists and I'd really like to be a part of that machine."
While Sony's co-head of A&R, Mike Roth, admits he was interested in signing Edwin
as soon as he heard the singer had left IME to pursue a solo career, he adds, "I
more interested in him finding a direction. I thought he was great with I Mother
Earth, but he was going to be starting from scratch."
Although there were other Canadian labels interested in signing the guy whose voice
and face helped propel IME to platinum status in Canada, manager Bob Luhtala liked
the fact that Sony wasn't just interested in Edwin for name value.
"They won Ed over because they started helping him immediately without even
a commitment," explains Luhtala. "They started hooking him up with writers
and helping him a lot. So the attaction was that Ed thought these guys were doing
a great job with him, and he highly believed in the company and signed with them."
Edwin had always been a non-writing member of I Mother Earth, a figurehead if you
will, who wasn't able to grow within the band. Upon leaving IME last summer, he started
honing his songwriting skills, both on his own, and with collaborators like Sony
Music Publishing's Dave Martin, Los Angeles-based Keith Forsey (Billy Idol), Tara
MacLean's guitarist and husband Bill Bell, Glueleg singer Ruben Huizenga, Random
Media artist Biron Wong and ex-Bass is Base vocalist Chin Injeti.
"The first song that got me excited was called 'Give It'," recalls Roth.
"It reminded me of Beck -- really adventurous, really cool, really minimalistic.
It really put him in a convincing light. When his record comes out, I think people
are going to be blown away. It's definitely a natural jumping off point from where
he ended up with I Mother Earth. There might be things that are as heavy and there
might be things that will be more minimalistic."
Edwin simply describes his solo material as "a collection of cool songs."
He will make one last trip to LA in September to do some more writing, by which time
a producer should be nailed down. "The album should be done by Christmas, January
at the latest," Edwin says. Sony is looking to release it in March.