Edwin@Cord_cool.com
Robin Whittaker

On Tuesday night seventeen reporters gang up on former I Mother Earth (IME), singer/songwriter Edwin. They have gathered to ask the artist questions about his solo debut release, 4 spins around the sun, to be released April 27.

The interrogators are: Sarah, Jennifer, Johnathan, Joe, Kevin, Joy, Elaine, JK, Jake, Doris and myself. Six reporters (and their questions) didn’t make our cut.

Sarah: What direction did this album take from your past albums, musically, conceptually, etc.?

Edwin: This album is a little more accessible. Musically, it still has fire and conceptually, it’s a year in the life of Edwin.

Johnathan: Rumour has it you might be on Edgefest this year? Details? Touring plans?

Edwin: Don’t tell anyone, but I will probably be doing Edgefest this year.

Joe: What inspires you to write your songs?

Edwin: My manager standing over me with a big stick, (just joking). It starts with a seed of thought and I water it until it grows and pretty much writes itself.

Kevin: What does this album mean to you?

Edwin: Pure joy, fear, anxiety, stress and excitement all rolled into eleven expressive journeys.

Robin: What are your feelings about doing music videos? Are plans are in the works for videos off this album?

Edwin: Music videos unfortunately dictate what the viewers should be hearing. Sometimes they make the song better, but most times they steal your own thoughts and images and replace them with their own. Yes, I will have a video for Trippin’ in about a month.

Jennifer: Listening to your finished album, do you have any criticism?

Edwin: No one makes a record without having criticism. But there comes a time when you accept it for what it is and if it fell short in any way you hope to correct it on the next one.

Joy: What’s your last name?

Edwin: Win.

Elaine: Do you consider yourself a sex symbol?

Edwin: No I’ll leave that up to others.

Jennifer: Are there any plans in the future for any of the old bandmates to join you on an album?

Edwin: Yes, I’ve been sitting by the phone waiting for them to call.

Jake: What do you think is the biggest surprise fans will have from your debut album?

Edwin: That I actually made one.

Robin: How would you describe the present and future of music in Canada, especially compared to other countries’ artists.

Edwin: In the past several years Canadian music has come up with some surprisingly talented writers and performers. Now we must make our impression on the rest of the world.

Jake: So when is the soonest we’ll be able to see you live?

Edwin: There will be a few unpromoted shows just to get the band in game shape and then a big cross country festival in the summer.

JK: When was the first time you performed live? What did you perform?

Edwin: I was in grade 12 in highschool. It was a small bar in Etobicoke and we played 80 percent covers including Kiss, Def Leopard, Queen etc. I still have the board tape from that show and I listen to it occasionally just to keep me humble.

Doris: If you had one wish in what you would still like to achieve with your music, what would it be?

Edwin: That when I’m dead and gone people still get inspiration from my music.

Robin: How did the acoustics of the small, homely Presence Sound studio [in Toronto] contribute to your album?

Edwin: It’s an excellent studio for drum sounds and there’s no glamour in that place whatsoever. No cable, no video games, no decent guest room and lots of fruit flies. Anyone there was only there for the music.

Robin: How important is it for a Canadian artist to make it in the U.S.

Edwin: It’s only important if you want to reach a bigger market. If you’re happy in Canada alone it’s not that important.

Jennifer: Do you enjoy press conferences, being interviewed and interacting with the media?

Edwin: Some days no because the media has a tendency to misquote, incriminate and judge on little or no facts. However, it’s a catch 22 because us artists definitely need the media so we can only hope for the truth to be the main goal.