Citing influences as mighty as Big Star, The Replacements and The Beatles, the songs of Edison Lights are filled with exuberant guitar-based hooks and arena-sized melodies. The band formed in 2014 for a company picnic, and since then the band has developed a sound that recalls classic power-pop eras while sounding fresh and inspired by their musical antecedents. Edison Lights are celebrating the release of their debut album Bright Ideas / Dark Matters. We're excited to share an exclusive interview with and recommendations from bassist and vocalist Eason Pritchard.
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Please introduce yourselves. Describe your music for new listeners.
Our music draws heavily from the classic rock and alternative bands of the 70’s-90’s. Cliché as it is, I think it’s next to impossible for a rock songwriter to say the Beatles don’t creep into their writing some way - no good ones any way. All the writers in the band take to the task with their musical heroes in mind. So, for us that’s The Replacements, The Beatles, Soul Asylum and Cheap Trick. I don’t think we sound like any of them though. Ask any five people on the street and you’ll come away with varied opinions on who they'd compare us to.
Talk about your debut album, “Bright Ideas, Dark Matters.” What are you most proud of? What did you learning from the recording process that you’ll take to future projects?
Most of the album was built from ideas written independently the over the years. We’re proud we could take those concepts and produce a complete, cohesive album. We’re equally proud it was a DIY effort done while juggling the responsibilities of families, work and other musical commitments. What did we learn? Wait to have everything written and rehearsed then record in a single session or two. For BIDM, we’d work up a few songs then record parts until the foundation was set. It took months to go back and fill in the remaining tracks a part at a time, a song at a time.
How does songwriting work with Edison Lights? Who brings what to the table?
Each person can bring an idea into the band. All ideas are considered and elected to be worked on. Chris typically writes more and has more complete sketches but each of us are sitting with more ideas than time available to work on them.
What inspires you about music in Kansas City?
Beyond the experiences growing up in this part of country, I’d say it’s the musicians who still produce original music without a prevalent music scene to support it.
Movies we love:
Books we love:
Professor & the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee