After Edmund

I met with Ben Hosey, guitar player and Mitch Parks, lead singer/guitar player along with the rest of the guys in After Edmund earlier this week. The guys were passing through Nashville on their way home to Georgia for a couple days off.

Having been raised on a hearty intake of indie, classic and experimental rock, along with the fact that the guys are classically trained and met amidst college music classes, are just a few points of distinction for After Edmund in the modern pop/rock pack. The LaGrange, Georgia-groomed quintet (named after the Edmund character in C.S. Lewis’ bestselling book series The Chronicles of Narnia) has been electrifying that regional scene and beyond since 2001, touring tirelessly and refining a potent alternative sound that merges the timeless sensibilities of Pink Floyd and the Beatles with the organic influences of Wilco, the dynamic swells of Keane, plus the band’s own razor-sharp rhythms and introspective lyrics.

The guys grew up listening to all kinds of music—classical and classic rock to jazz and experimental stuff. They are kind of a melting pot, a unique fingerprint for Christian music, combining so many of their own individual musical influences into one sound. Their musical backgrounds are so diverse, it’s interesting to see how they pull it all together. More than just sounding strong, they hopeed their varied backgrounds would open them up to a larger audience--one not subject to the same three chords over and over. Those elements were exactly what attracted Slanted Records, the pop/rock/alternative indie label under the Spring Hill Music umbrella, which also recently launched the Grammy-nominated act DecembeRadio. The two bands share the same producer Scotty Wilbanks (Third Day, Overflow, Echoing Angels), who introduced After Edmund to the highly interested staff when demoing tracks for its national debut.

Merging the timeless sensibilities of Pink Floyd and the Beatles with the organic influences of Wilco, the dynamic swells of Keane, plus the band’s own razor-sharp rhythms and introspective lyrics, After Edmund says Hello with their electrifying brand of music. Meticulously crafting their first nationally released album has been at the forefront of the band’s efforts for the winter of 2006-2007. The result has proven to be overwhelmingly fruitful throughout the ambitious “Hello,” which fans from any scene can recognize for its artful approach when it hits the shelves in early 2008. Between the vast degree of inventive muses, plus members’ own individual talents and chemistry with one another, the disc is drenched with an engaging sonic landscape and thought-provoking lyrical fodder.