Edensong (Eclectic)

This BIO is taken straight from the band;s myspace page, so I lay no claim to originality here, but it IS the best band bio of them I could find, I just didn;t write it.

 

 

Edensong formed officially in the Fall of 2002, however the band's beginnings are rather nebulous, and much of its current music has older roots. The story began when guitarist/singer James Byron Schoen and drummer Matt Cozin, two students at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, first met coincidentally at a Dream Theater concert. The two discovered a similar interest in music and decided to jam together as a change of pace from Matts tenure in pop-punk band Closeminded and Jamess brief solo acoustic career. The duo was soon joined by Jamess lifelong friend and high school band-mate, guitarist Ben Wigler (currently of Arizona). The three started immediately to craft new songs and revive old material from James and Bens previous band Echoes of Eden. However, it wasnt long before the weekly commute to band practice from NY to CT (aided by one hefty speeding ticket) proved too much trouble for Ben, and the lineup quickly disintegrated.
    James and Matt regrouped the following semester with a clear goal in mind: to create and perform a 3 hour surrealistic psuedo-rock-opera, a flashy and self-indulgent excuse to showcase the band's music. By this point, James's concept of the band had expanded to include a small group of orchestral players. After a brief search and auditioning process, the duo added fellow students: bassist Ian Carbone, flautist Aurora Maoz, and violinist/keyboardist Asa Sourdiffe. In April of 2003, the group, still under the earlier name Echoes of Eden, performed the show "Beyond Eden" with funding from the university. The massively ambitious interactive production, featuring the band (joined onstage by background vocalist Ben Doleac), a troupe of actors, a small choir, an African drumming ensemble, and a lawn of astroturf installed inside a historic frat-house, was on the whole under-rehearsed and performed in a less than ideal environment, but nevertheless gave the band some positive local notoriety and opened the door for the band to play some more traditional live shows. Not everyone in the lineup responded kindly to the intense rehearsal schedule and over-the-top antics that the "Beyond Eden" project demanded, so, at the beginning of the following academic year, the band replaced Aurora and Asa with current Edensong members Rachel Kiel on flute, and Mike Drucker on violin. This five-piece lineup continued to play throughout the following year. The band began work on their debut full length album "The Fruit Fallen" in summer 2004. With the addition of Arthur Sugden on piano and organ, and the unexpected trade of bassist Ian Carbone for the mysterious T.D. Towers, the current Edensong lineup was born. Recorded primarily in James's personal Den of Depression studios (with some offsite recording at Ben Wigler's Cottage of Calamity studios and overdubs at Wesleyan U.), the album features new material, completed songs from James, Ben, and Matt's original collaborations in Fall '02, and reworkings of James's primarily acoustic music. Given the luxury of time and full creative freedom, Edensong was able to pay careful attention to the fine details of the music and handcraft the album true to its original concept. Portions of "The Fruit Fallen," along with a live performance at the universitys most prestigious concert hall, earned James departmental honors at his May 2005 graduation. The band is currently putting some finishing touches on the album, which is due out in early 2007, and is anxiously awaiting the next step.

 

 

Edensong should be included because they are, simply put, absolutely incredible musicians with an original sound marrying Heavy Prog, Symphonic rock, Prog Folk and Avant/RIO style music and somehow, it just works. And it works very well. If any band is deserving of a spot on this website, it is Edensong, unsigned or not. Jethro Tull meets Dream Theater meets Yes. It's amazing-sounding stuff.

 

Official site: edensongtheband.com

 

Official Myspace: myspace.com/edensong

 

The music I heard is outstanding, too many things going on for just one genre, but have they released an album?

 

Iván

 

Iván

 

Please, not everybody is a native English speaker, so please be clear because I don't know what unsigned means and their site is not clear.

 

HAVE THEY RELEASED AN ALBUM THAT IS AVAILLABLE FOR THE PUBLIC????????????

 

If yes (doesn't matter who sells it, if in stores or only online), they can be added...If not, they can't...As simple as that.

 

BTW: Heard their music (don't know if it's an album yet) in Aural Moon, and Symphonic it isn't (At least not exclusively or primarilly), has some elements but it's mixed with Metal and Folk, even some thrash elements and Post Rock.

 

They are Prog, there's no doubt about it, but if they describe themselves as a ORCHESTRAL PROGRESSIVE METAL BAND ( http://www.purevolume.com/edensong and in their own site ), there's little room for anything that isn't Prog Metal, where I don't believe they fit perfectly, but again, it isn't my call

 

So I believe that if they have released an album, they could be added to ECLECTIC, but that team has the call.

 

Iván

 

The Fruit Fallen is Done!
Category: Music

Greetings Old Friends,

While 2007 may have passed us by without a single post to the Edensong Collective, I assure you it has been anything but an uneventful year for the band. Though I had initially hoped to break this news to you two years ago, it is still with great pleasure that I announce the completion of "The Fruit Fallen": Over 70 minutes of original music spread across eight (or more?) songs and the culmination of over three years of work. Here's the track listing:

1) Water Run

2) The Baptism

3) Reflection

4) The Prayer

5) Nocturne

6) The Sixth Day

7) One Breath to Breathe

8) The Reunion

The album was finished on Halloween this year with the assistance of expert mastering engineer Bob Katz in Orlando, and the finished product far exceeds any expectations I may have set for myself when I first embarked upon this massive musical journey.

While the official CD release is still a few months off, I'd like to treat you all to an exclusive sneak peak. Between now and the official release (details pending), I'll post a new cut from the album on the Edensong myspace page www.myspace.com/edensong whenever the mood strikes me. Be sure to check back frequently, as each song will make only a brief appearance. I posted the album's first track "Water Run" this evening, so feel free check it out. As always, I'd love to get your feedback on music, life etc., so please don't hesitate to send an e-mail to [email protected] if you have anything to say. Thanks for your continued interest and support, even through twelve months of zero correspondence on my part. I'll be sure to keep you posted as new updates become available, so stay tuned. Best of luck in 2008! I hope this coming year marks Edensong's return to live performance. Until then…

-James

 

Ivan: I am sorry, all I meant by unofficially was that Edensong doesn't have a professional record deal, and their album is self-released, but still available to the public to buy, at least I thought it was. ;(

 

In either case, the new album should come out soon, so let's all remember who they are until that time, haha.