If you think Edward Sharpe is one of the members of the 10-plus member band called Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, you’d be wrong. Edward Sharpe is actually a fictional character created in the mind of group frontman Alex Ebert. Sharpe was the main character – described as being an almost “messianic” figure – in a fictional story that Ebert began to write years ago. And Magnetic Zeros? That’s a form of mathematics that Ebert came up with that has “no known application.”
There’s no question that Ebert and his band of merry musicians are somewhat of a mystery to onlookers – a mystery filled with unusual and somewhat unexplained facts such as those mentioned earlier. But these types of anomalies are commonplace in the magical world of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. And, whether or not we fully understand the creative musings of Ebert and the rest of the gang, it’s clear that they’re doing something right because we’re still listening.
Their first album, “Up From Below,” reached no. 76 on Billboard 200, but their follow up release, “Here,” reached no. 5, while their infectious single “Home” hit no. 28 on Billboard Alternative Songs and has been played in a number of TV shows and commercials including NBC’s “Community,” The CW’s “Gossip Girl” and the trailer for the film “Cyrus.” It was even featured in 2011 NFL commercials and in Ikea commercials in Holland.
We got the chance to catch up with drummer Orpheo McCord in preparation for the band’s upcoming performance at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, during which he talked about life on the road and what it’s like being a Magnetic Zero.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
I love Velvet Underground. I’m really inspired by classic older composers. As for current bands, our friend, Aaron Embry, just came out with a new record. He used to play in the band. It’s not out yet, but I love it. He did it by himself. That’s been really inspiring to me lately. Black Hole Oscillators is a really great group. I really like He’s My Brother She’s My Sister. And that’s just a few of many. I also really love African music – particularly northwest and eastern African music.
How did you come to be a part of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros?
I’ve been in it since the beginning of the band. Basically Alex was in the process of recording the first record. The band developed as he was recruiting musicians to play on that record. He and I had met at a mutual friend’s (Aaron Embry’s) house (who was the first piano player in the band). We didn’t really talk too much, but we just kind of hung out and jammed. Then about a week or two later, Alex and I ran into each other on a trail in a park in L.A. He said he had been thinking of me and wanted to know if I would come in and play some percussion. He asked me to do the first out of town gig, which was in Texas. And I’ve been a Magnetic Zero ever since.
How many members are currently in the band?
For a while there have been 10 of us, but over the last two tours, we added on a couple of friends to join the group, so there are 12 of us now.
That must make touring pretty crazy.
It does. But there’s such a harmonious interaction between all of us. There’s a lot of laughing. There’s really no complaints of how it all comes together while we’re traveling.
Tell me more about the band name.
Edward Sharpe was a fictional character from a book that Alex started writing years ago. I think when it came time to put a name to this project, it was something that he thought could be an engaging name. He considered changing it at one time, but everyone really liked it. There was something catchy about it, something just whimsical and grandiose – which is kind of like our shows. It’s very much a spectacle sounding name that seems to be very fitting for the band.
Explain to me your Town of Songs website. How did you get the idea for this?
Alex was interested in making some sort of interactive website, so it’s not just your typical run of the mill website where you just go to the home page. He wanted to do something interactive so each person could experience it in a unique way, so that’s kind of the idea and the principle behind it. It’s a work in progress. There’s a lot more we can do to develop it further. We can add more material to interact with as things evolve.
With your website, your music, how you present yourselves, different words come to mind that can be associated with you. There’s definitely a down home and earthy sense, but you guys also talk about things being “magical” a lot. Why is that something you emphasize?
I guess magic is something that occurs through the combination of intention and action. I think that the magic is just us coming together and setting an intention to make something pure and really like magic in the sense that it’s about love for us and expressing that love to each other and to whoever is there to engage in the experience with us.
What kind of change did you notice between the two albums?
I think after playing so many shows together, we were itching to do something new – record some new songs and collaborate. Everyone kind of brings in some of their own ideas. The whole process of these new recordings (and there’s many more than were on the second record that we’ll release in due time) was pretty organic. It started with us figuring out where we were going to record. This beautiful studio opportunity arose near where I currently live, so we were able to build our own little clubhouse studio that became our safehouse where we could do what we want and have the space to be really creative and free. We ended up really covering a lot of ground in a few months.
I would imagine it would be hard for that many people to collaborate.
We’ve become pretty good at learning how to do it. We’ve had time to get the experience in.
Your song “Home” has done very well. If people only know one song of yours, that’s probably the one they know. Why do you think that song has resonated with people so much?
It’s kind of hard to get perspective when you’re so involved in the process of the creation of something. You sit back and think, “Wow. It’s amazing at just how effective it is on people.” I think it’s obviously the subject matter of “home is wherever there’s you,” and there’s something simple and beautiful and so true about that that it resonates with everyone who listens to it. Then obviously there’s the feeling of the song – it’s got a very dancey feel to it and very happy harmonic movement – and the duality of man and woman sharing their love in a song that really hits home for people. Songs that really get that popular, there’s something pure about them that anyone can relate to. We hit it with that song. It just sort of manifested itself. Alex and Jade had written that song together, and it naturally came out and from a very pure place.
What should audience members expect from your upcoming show?
It’s hard to know what to expect. We don’t even know what to expect night to night. It’s always quite an organic experience. We approach the songs slightly differently each night. You put 12 people together, and the alchemy of that combination is always going to be very unique each evening and very unpredictable. Definitely expect a good time and us giving all that we can and just a lot of love and good music.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will perform at 7:30 p.m. on September 25 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre along with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. For more information, visit edwardsharpeandthemagneticzeros.com or explore townofsongs.com.
