Edgewise
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Music
Press
"A fundraiser called “Youth vs. Cancer” takes place this Wednesday, April 22 at Yale Secondary. Edgewise, one of the main acts, will start the show. Edgewise has been in the studio finishing off a new album titled State of the Art. For more information, call 604-859-6790 or visit www.edgewise.ca."
- Abbotsford News (Apr 17, 2009) - Abbotsford News
(antiMusic) Welcome to Singled Out! where we ask artists to tell us the inside story of their latest single. Today vocalist Mike Stacy and guitarist Johnny Peralta from hard rockers Edgewise tell us about "Slave" one of the songs featured in the Sponsored Songs giveaway of songs from a 1001 bands! We now turn it over to them for the story:
Vocalist Mike Stacy: "Slave was really a song that re-defined the sound of our music. Johnny and I had been playing together since 2001 in a band called Subtitle. I don't know if there was an ex out there somewhere with a voodoo doll or just karma but Subtitle was a cursed band. We must have gone through half a dozen drummers, a handful or bass players, and a second guitarist over a five year period. Then just when things were rolling I managed to fall off a fence and take a concrete post in the throat. I lost my voice for a month and I couldn't sing for almost a year. Once again our band fell apart in that time. Amazingly, Johnny never gave up on the fact that I was his singer and I would be back and sure enough about 9 months later we were writing again. Slave came out of those first sessions and it really was the defining song of our sound in Edgewise.
The song itself is about being a Slave to the technology of our world. A lot of people think it's a relationship song but this one isn't meant to be. It's about how technology connects us in more ways than ever and yet I think we all feel somehow more alone and isolated than in the past. People would rather poke you on Facebook or send you a text than drop by and talk. We're all slaves to our cell phones, the Internet, and the next new thing that we have to buy. The song's aggression comes from being pissed off about it all. The lyrics reflect the frustration of being tied to cell phones and PDAs and wanting to throw it out the window but being unable to because everyone else is also tied to them. You simply couldn't function in our world without technology anymore. If you listen to the lyrics with this in mind you will come away with a different impression of the song. Things like the line "Come to me, to come undone" is saying let's interact like humans again and undo ourselves from this web of technology or in the bridge "See I belong, it's wasted" we're saying yea you are connected and in touch with everyone but you're sitting at your computer alone aren't you."
Guitarist Johnny Peralta: "The song is basically about being a slave to technology. Every time a person's cell phone rings, guaranteed there are at least 20 people around that person who reach for their cell phones. People can't leave the house without them.
It's funny, we recorded Slave a couple years ago but never really released it until this year. Now that we have it's causing a bit of a stir for us. The song was selected for the Sponsored Songs program, made possible by Microsoft Windows, and has been downloaded over 1000 times now for free. We've also been asked to do a music video for the track which is currently in the works."
For anyone who would like to download Slave for free you can find it here
Visit Edgewise at - http://www.edgewise.ca - Antimusic.com
1001 bands selected for worldwide music promotion made possible by Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Windows is flexing its promotional muscles and bringing free music to the masses by stepping up as the first sponsor in the "Sponsored Songs" program by ReverbNation.com.
Microsoft Windows and ReverbNation.com, an online marketing platform for musicians, have partnered to launch this program the aim of which is for artists and the sponsor to share in mutually beneficial promotion. Songs, in MP3 or M4A formats, are available online for free download and have a passive advertisement embedded alongside the album cover art that is seen by music fans when they play the song on their computer, portable device or phone. The sponsor gets advertising, the artist gets exposure, and the fan gets free music from established and emerging artists not available anywhere else on the web.
This program is introducing music listeners to a world of new music for free! In fact, one thousand and one bands of all styles and musical genres were selected from artists across North America and around the world to provide a song which has been made available for free download at www.myspace.com/windows. Kick things off with the rockin track "Slave" by Edgewise (and a lot more) - Edgewise - Antimusic.com
Discography
Awaken EP 2002 (as Subtitle)
Home Single 2004 (as Subtitle)
Great White Noise Compilation
Slave EP 2010
Photos
Bio
Edgewise is an alternative rock band from Vancouver, Canada that brings a fresh sound to the rock standard. Blending elements of pop, rock, and metal to produce a sound that's crunchy yet full of melody. This is rock music done with a nod to the past and a foot planted squarely on the modern stage and the Edgewise boys have been making music for awhile...just not with each other.
It started in 2001 with a band called Subtitle that featured the distinctive vocals of Mike Stacy and the signature guitars of Johnny Peralta. For five years they created a noticeable local buzz and seemed poised for something bigger when a freak injury cause Mike to lose his singing voice for nearly nine months. Needless to say it was a crushing blow to a young, up and coming band and for awhile the music stopped. Even after Mike had fully recovered and come back stronger than ever the band struggled through a series of part-time members that slowed their progress to a crawl. Still at the end of every tunnel there is a light and in 2008 new music was again being produced only this time it had an edge. With the addition of a bullet proof rhythm section that includes Matt Mcintosh on drums and Elliot Ness on bass, this sonic machine is once again taking no prisoners in it's mission to be heard. So far so good.
Recently the band has started getting noticed. Edgewise was one of only seven Vancouver area artists to be selected out of 1001 bands from around the world to be featured in the Microsoft Windows Sponsored Songs program. During the 90 day promotion their single "Slave" was downloaded 1227 times, an impressive number for an unsigned artist.
The hype surrounding the band continues to build with a request from independent filmmaker Thomas Newman who has asked the band to write and record an original title track for his highly anticipated indie film "Bong of the Dead".
Next up for Edgewise will be the 2010 release of the "Slave" EP to coincide with the release of a video for the title song to major networks in Canada.
The chemistry between these four experienced musicians has allowed this relatively new band to the hit the ground running and quickly come to be known for killer songs and a tight live show that is making them a factor in Vancouver's music scene.
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