Doug Edmond A few well chosen words with Doug Edmond, singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist with his own Doug Edmond Band. The rest of the line-up is Mitch Dorge (drums and producer), Alasdair Dunlop (bass), Rubin Kantorovich (guitars) and Bill Spornitz (sax). They’ve just released their new CD "Between the Shadows and the Light" Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself, and your band. Doug: We got into playing together just over three years ago. Mitch Dorge of Crash Test Dummies fame asked if I would like a drummer to come out and play at my solo gigs. Alasdair join us shortly there after as I knew him for the work he was doing at Jazz Winnipeg. At the time I was Pres of the Jazz Winnipeg Festival. Rubin on guitar followed, with his dobro being the key reason, and his Dire Straits guitar work. Bill on sax came into the picture just before finishing the CD. He has been a very welcome addition to the band. We are currently planning a western Canadian tour to support the new CD. The CD was released to a sold out show at the Park theatre in Winnipeg. We are also planning to go back into Mitch's studio to record the second CD in 2010. LB: How did you start out making music? Doug: I took a little over three years of classical flute training and realized I enjoyed playing with my records and a jazz / rock style. In my early years I played around with friends but never anything professional until university. Did a lot of radio and TV music with various other players. I am a self taught piano player who loves to create new songs and jazz instrumentals. Used to buy old pianos and fix them up and resell them much like a used car salesman in university days. Was given the family grand in early 80s and started purchasing technology to record myself and / or with friends. LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Doug: I am a child of the 60s so I grew up listening to the standard stuff like the Beatles, Dylan, Cohen, Morrison, Neil Young, The Band, Jackson Browne, CSNY, Joni Mitchell and so on. Concurrently, I loved jazz and flute players such as Paul Horn, Hubert Laws, Herbie Mann, as well as piano players such as David Burbeck. I also grew up listening to major rock bands; Rory Gallagher, Humble Pie, Faces, Cream, Led Zeppelin, etc. Nothing more fun than flute jamming to excellent rock! Recently played with over 16 players on stage doing a cover of “Sympathy for the Devil” doing a flute solo... yea! LB: Tell us about your latest release. Doug: Latest release is entitled "Between the Shadows and the Light". It is reflective of different sounds we employed for the songs that I wrote for the CD. It also encompasses the lyrics, ranging from introspective numbers like “Fallen”, “Shadow on my Heart”, or “Lonely Man” to uplifting numbers such as “Sun Shining in the Rain” to rockier numbers with a little political message such as “Take Down”. Mitch is an excellent producer who brought in very good backup players in addition to the primary band members. Joe Curtis on guitar for “Its all Gone” and Lindsey White on back up vocals. LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Doug: We get out to play at least once or twice a month to cover type theatre venues or large bars that charge a cover. We play almost all of my material with a very small number of covers. The audience can expect extended roots / jazz numbers that will be on the upcoming CD, such as “Barcelona”, which we have up on my website (link below). LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Doug: I love the unique experience of playing live, as something new always happens in response to the kind of audience we encounter each night. Their reaction can shift the tunes we play and determine if we should do an extended jam on certain numbers. Recording is enjoyable insofar the control we have over the sound, but can lose the live feel that comes at a concert. There is no question, recording is work, in which each player need to play not just the notes, but play from his heart, to get the right balance onto the recorded track. LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Doug: People can go to CD Baby, iTunes or our website (links below). www.dougedmondmusic.com www.myspace.com/dougedmond The Doug Edmond Band – See Your Face