5.5 Questions with Edewaard – An Oregon Indie Rock Band

Aug 6, 2013 by Randy Combs

Edewaard’s “Mr. Niceguy” first crossed our playlist on episode #200. Since we’re practically neighbors, we thought we would find out a little more about these indie rock Oregonians:

Tell us about the first time you heard yourself on radio.

We were on our way to Boise, ID when we heard ourselves for the first time. Interestingly enough, we were debuted on British radio before the states. So it was pretty surreal to have heard all of our names announced in a British accent. I don’t think we had expected our music to travel over seas so quickly, it was an eye-opener to the technological advantages of our time. Thank you internet!

What’s been Edewaard’s coolest day ever?

Our best day/night had to be the Burnt Woodstock show we played in Burnt Woods, OR. We tentatively booked the festival and didn’t necessarily expect it to be an elaborate gig (considering it was in the middle of nowhere). But our ignorance was immediately put on blast when we arrived, there were loads of people occupying the acreage and the stage was the biggest stage we’ve ever played on. Out of all the halls, ballrooms, amphitheaters, fairs, and hole-in-the-wall venues we’ve performed at, Burnt Woodstock was by far the most unexpected and pleasant show we’ve played. There were fire dancers, fantastic sound engineers, and wonderful people. Great listeners and quick to be new fans. Always a plus.

What got you into music?

Matt Edewaard: I had always possessed an ear for Rock n’ Roll growing with my dad listening to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. But I think what really STARTED my interest in music, was the day I received a copy of Tom Petty’s “Full Moon Fever”. I burnt that album into the ground throughout Middle School. While other kids were blasting Pop & Hip-Hop, I was sitting in my room rocking out to Tom Petty. Pretty humorous. Finally when I was 16 and confused with what my future would hold, my mother being the angel she is, bought me my first guitar. A Yamaha EG-112. A total p.o.s. but once I started teaching myself, I never stopped. Piano, Drums, and Bass were closely followed. Eventually I started teaching myself to sing as well, and song-writing became my main passion.

Jered Pound: I have always been a music connoisseur, consistently researching for the freshest bands/music. I didnt actually purchase my first guitar until a year or two ago and began to teach myself how to play. I never had any musical experience before, so I had a lot of catching up to do. I went to my first rock n roll concert earlier this year and that’s when things started clicking. I was able to meet the lead singer of my favorite band before they went on. The concert held such high energy and I was tearing up with excitement. It was then that I realized I wanted to be a part of that for the rest of my life, and was fortunate to have known Matt.

Jason Ibrao: In Middle school I started playing saxophone, which really sparked my interest at first. Then when High School rolled around I picked up a guitar and began to teach myself. I started performing at Church, playing various instruments. Mainly Bass & Guitar. Then after High School Matt hit me up to start a Pop-Rock project and have me play bass. We couldn’t think of a band name and I had a concept for a song called “A Day Without Jane”, and Matt wanted to call the band “Matt Edewaard & The Reclaimers”, but we felt it was too long. It wasn’t long before we settled on “Reclaiming Jane” (still available on iTunes). The band was fun yet short-lived because we were young, but this last year Matt and I got back into music when I joined “Edewaard”, then we released “Never Take Back“.

Katie Peters: I was always into music but it all began with theater. The first time I sang was when I was 17, in my High School Talent Show. No one expected me to be able to sing, even my mother was distraught. I started to delve more into music and adopted a great liking for Lauryn Hill, which only propelled my singing forward because she is/was such an amazing influence.

As I grew into my singing voice and evolved, I performed in about 20 musicals. The day I really decided to take music to the next level was when I joined “Edewaard” to be the other vocalist. So far it’s only been getting better for us. It’s very exciting to be on tour already & we’re all ecstatic to see how far we go!

Brennon Lovejoy: In 7th grade I joined the school band the same time as Jason (our bass player). My dad told me “You can play anything but drums”. So naturally I had already chosen percussion. I started with xylophone because that was the standard before you learned snare or any other drum. I always had an interest in multiple instruments, I experimented with wind instruments and taught myself guitar when I was 15. Throughout my school years I was in the school band with Jason and played percussion & was also on a competitive drum-line team. I wasn’t interested in playing a full-kit until I began to mess around on the Church kit at worship, then I grew fond of drumming on a whole other level.

In 2009, Matt (who had gone to school with Jason and I) called me up to be the drummer for the band “Reclaiming Jane” they were starting. After auditioning multiple local drummers, they chose me before I even had a kit. So I called him back, told him I was in, then bought a full PDP kit the day-of, which I still play to this day. After R.J. broke up I awaited the day I got another call from Matt, and when that day came, “Edewaard” began to set in motion. So here we are.

If you weren’t musicians, what would you be doing right now?

Matt Edewaard: Well, I’m a licensed tattoo artist in Oregon so I would definitely default to that.

Jason Ibrao: Work at my parents gym in Eugene, and finish my degree in Economics.

Katie Peters: I would either be an actress, or philanthropist.

Brennon Lovejoy: Either an architect and/or massage therapist.

Jered Pound: Well without music, I’d maybe be qualified to be a delivery driver.

What’s on the ideal Edewaard sandwich and what would you wash it down with?

Because we have a musketeer mentality, we’ll create the “band which” as an accumulative piece of food. It’s going to sound disgusting, and contradicting considering Katie is a vegan while all the men in the band are meat-eaters. So these ingredients will be interesting.

The Edewaard Monster Sandwich (…Bandwich?)

Eggs, cheese, Sriracha, Roast Beef, Avocado, Cilantro, Veganaise, Tofurkey, Pickles, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onions, Ham, Turkey, Pastrami, & Spinach. To accentuate the texture, we’ll include: Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips, Kettle Salt & Crack Pepper Chips, Sweet Maui BBQ Chips. The top piece of bread will be wheat and the bottom piece of bread, will be sourdough.

And to wash it all down, we’ll gurgle and chug some cold 2% milk & a virgin Shirley Temple.

You can visit Edewaard at their website, ReverbNation, or Facebook.