Ed Roman is an Award-winning singer/songwriter, performer and multi-instrumentalist from Shelburne, Ontario, Canada. Blurring the lines between pop, rock, folk, and country music genres, Ed’s uniquely crafted songs have received regular rotation on more than 100 terrestrial radio stations across North America and more than 600 stations, worldwide. Ed was featured as an “Emerging Artist” in Billboard Magazine, December 2018. The animated music video for the Top 20 iTunes charting song, “Red Omen” has been shown at numerous film festivals around the globe, earning accolades and raising funds for Whole Dyslexic Foundation, a cause near and dear to Ed’s heart. Ed is also a gentleman farmer, gardener and paranormal enthusiast. Ed’s brand new single, “Stronger” was released in January 2020 on MTS Records. The song raced onto the iTunes Canada Pop charts.
- How would you describe the sound of your new upcoming album “A Recipe For Perpetual Spring” to any potential new fan?
Ed Roman: Songs of hope broken free from the rusted cage of disillusion that had been buried for eons beneath the walls of fear..
- How long did this album take to make from start to finish, recording wise?
Ed Roman: 1/72 of a lifetime.
- Does the album have an overarching theme or is simple made up of a series of individual songs?
Ed Roman: The theme is always rotating in the human mind as a result of the experiences that we have and thus music projects itself in the same way. From year to year or generation to generation and from minute to minute this is a result of the human condition.. I would say the overall theme is saying everything without saying it. The language is upfront but the messages are hidden. They are there for those that want to take on the treasure map of language and it’s hidden meanings.
- What kind of ‘sound’, production wise, did you have in the back of your mind, prior to entering the studio?
Ed Roman: I allow the music to dictate. One of the most passive dictators I know but yet one of the most expressive. All art takes on so many formats and as a result they require a different modelling. It’s almost like it’s written into the music as it’s unfolding. I prefer raw and un-capsulated.
- Did you use any particular experimental sounds and/or recording techniques on this album?
Ed Roman: On a more recent upcoming single “Tomorrow Is Today” we overdrove an acoustic guitar, nylon. It was wacky crazy fun..
- Are there any interesting behind the scenes anecdotes from these sessions that you can share with us?
Ed Roman: There isn’t always a crazy wacky set of things that occur in the studio but one of the things that is always happening is a lot of banter about politics sociology history.. I think I went off about mammoths and mastodons for about an hour and a half once. I like to keep my nose to the grind stone because time is precious. We usually have our coffees in the morning, fire up the gear and get right down to business and sometime around mid-day we might stick a sandwich in our head.
- And are you pleased with the final outcome of the recording done on the album?
Ed Roman: I’m lucky to have such a wonderful musical partner for so many years in the studio, Michael Jack. Sometimes the recording process can be time-consuming especially when it comes to mixing and mastering. I’ve relinquished a lot of my worries when it comes to this because so often our initial capture of the material is what is most important to me. If that is done correctly from the beginning there usually isn’t much to worry about other than trying to figure out the visual presentation and song order. We’ve been getting a lot of wonderful comments and extensive radio airplay with the latest single “Stronger” which is fantastic to hear and confirms for me our direction.
- Did you collaborate or work with any other artists, on any of the songs on “A Recipe For Perpetual Spring”?
Ed Roman: Currently right now the major players or guests that are on the album or Canadian musician and drummer Dave Patel. Dave is one of the most free and open musical drummers that I’ve ever heard or had the pleasure of playing with in my life. We’ve been playing music together for over 30 years so it’s like breathing.. Also upcoming artists like Tobias Tinker have been featured on the latest single and will also make frequent appearances through the rest of the album.
- How has the reaction to your latest single “Stronger” been? And is the song a good indication of what we are to expect from the rest of the album?
Ed Roman: Well in less than three months it’s already at 25,000 views. It’s been getting extensive AirPlay in the United States as well as Europe. Ive heard nothing but positive feedback on the lyrics the recording and the way it makes people feel which is great. It’s why I wrote the tune to try to make people feel good and have a good time and think about what’s happening inside of them.
- Did your initial artistic vision for the album change at any time during recording, or did you pretty much to what you had in mind from the start?
Ed Roman: Everything is always in a state of flux so I’m going with the moment most of the time. Kind of like Indiana Jones “I don’t know.. I’m making this up as I go along” What has changed greatly is my perception of the overall language and how to present it visually when the time comes.. As of late I have become very interested in sacred geometry, geology as well as astronomy and catastrophism. The images are symbolic in nature’s and the front cover of the album which is very suggestive of my thinking process and where I stand today in method.
- Did you draw inspiration from any particular sound or style sources for this recording?
Ed Roman: This is an immense question because I think it has a lot to do with growth which is ongoing. For many years as young players and musicians writers and performers we look to our idols as mentors. We all become part of your subconscious and emotional tapestry. A pallet to be able to call upon. Over many years I fought to develop my own sound which I didn’t even know was there until I stop thinking so much. Then it happened. Criticism, unclassifiable, to many genres, Little did I know then that I was on the right path.. It is that amalgam of everything I have seen and heard that I forget about in order to be myself and express what I’m feeling without putting myself up against the framework of my musical ancestors.
- With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
Ed Roman: In the past I’ve gone off. It doesn’t help prove anything. I welcome good criticism as opposed to character assassination because of personal opinions dislikes or likes. If you’re going to use my platform pages for your own personal smut peddling and advertising horseshit I’m gonna fight you. If it lacks complete decorum. I’ll turn you into the fucking authorities.
- Please inform us about what you would consider particular highlights to watch out for on the album?
Ed Roman: The latest single that I’m going to release is a tune called “Tomorrow Is Today” It’s language is very suggestive of the modern times that we live in. It’s like slapping yourself in the face, loving it, getting mad and suing yourself and then doing it again and again. The bigger picture behind this song really is what really is reality. Why do we follow suit. Is it pre-manifest destiny? Relinquish your rewards for kindness. It should always be there. Go look up the word troubadour. Those of the esoteric schools will understand.
- What’s currently your favorite song from the new album? And why?
Ed Roman: It’s such a difficult question for me to ask because I wrote them because I was feeling certain ways. My day-to-day experience changes. From one minute to another I may need one of those songs. Need it like I need an aspirin. Need it like I want someone to hug me. Need it like I’m having incredible sex. Need it like I’m praying to the gods of the universe. Need it because I’m humble and worthless..
- What was your creative and recording process like for “A Recipe For Perpetual Spring”? Did you work to a fixed schedule?
Ed Roman: I work with midgets and curmudgeon so it can be tricky. The little people like to eat early in the morning and the curmudgeon’s don’t get up till noon. By then there’s only room for four or five hours in the afternoon and then I have to go start selling pumpkins. The midgets like to get to bed early and the curmudgeon’s are up really late. But we get her done.
- There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?
Ed Roman: What an astute and formidable question. The deception is somebody is scribbling working in a room with a guitar and a piano working on things late into the night like some kind of professor in a laboratory. The fact of the matter is it’s happening all the time. Quite often I am acting on those energies quickly l, whether they be happiness or anger and usually … I find their somehow therapeutically connected in the envelope of the overall scheme. The distraction is existence. Playing the juggler in life and trying to make sense of it all and have an open sense of time to create without all the restrictions of scheduled life. The other restriction and boundary is feeling comfortable in my living environment and stressors in family and relationships can greatly depress motivations.
- How do you see the relationship between the ‘sound’ aspects of music and the ‘composition’ aspects? How do you work with sound and timbre to meet certain production ideas and in which way can certain sounds already take on compositional qualities?
Ed Roman: A lot of times the writing process is already dictating the possible recording format. There’s an evolution that is moving hand-in-hand. But overtime those things may change as a result of the intermingling and playing with new ideas. Sometimes there are moments where the recording process is more of the leader as it helps illustrate more of the personality of the story and a greater depth to its spectrum. Once again like riding I try to follow the moment. I hate forcing things.
- What were your main compositional- and production-challenges on this new album?
Ed Roman: Well with the way everything is in the world these days the greatest if she was being in the same room at the same time being able to work comfortably. We’ve already recorded some things at a distance and that isn’t out of the ordinary but it has a very different feel as a result of the times we live in.
- It is remarkable, in a way that we have arrived in the 21st century with the basic concept of music still intact. Do you have a vision of music, an idea of what music could be beyond its current form?
Ed Roman: I see music becoming part of more of the modern day mystery schools. Something like Jedi training. As we move deeper into the technological age more and more of us are detached from the subtle energies which emotionally guide us through our decision making processes. Music is a vehicle for so many things that create and foster stamina, passion, philosophy and agility. Our instruments are like passive weapons that infiltrate your hearts and minds and allow us to become centered and grounded in ourselves whether anybody listens to us or not. When I’m playing, creating and performing it’s when I am most relaxed in my life. When I am most connected. And when I feel alive.
- If there’s anything you’d like to add, say, please do?
Ed Roman: I’d like to say thank you so kindly for having me today and it’s a pleasure to be able to speak with you. I found your questions exhilarating insightful and spiffy. Thank you for allowing me to be playful and sarcastic. Please check out the latest single on my YouTube channel “Stronger” and look after each other.
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