After becoming a major label robot slave with his former band, Ima Robot, headman Alex Ebert has emerged from his musical cocoon as Edward Sharpe. Together with girlfriend Jade Castrinos, who is the most magnetic of the zeros, he has traveled into the past and brought back music from an era begone. They make a musical harmony reminiscient of Arcade Fire infused with the stylings of Buffalo Springfield all wrapped in hippie love.
On July 23rd, they played a killer free show at the Hammer Museum in Westwood that melted my face. When they sing "home is whenever I'm with you," with the audience belting out every word, you truly feel its meaning. It almost seems that the audience is part of the band, the 13th member. It is an experience I plan on repeating as often as possible, starting with their return to Los Angeles on September 22nd at The El Rey.
But if you can't wait that long, go pick up their debut album Up From Below and give it a spin. I'll warn you that the album doesn't quite live up to the live experience, but it still gives you a strange innate sense of happiness and peace. You become a hippie-ster from the very beginning of the first song "40 Day Dream."
"40 Day Dream" performed live
music video for "Home"
"Janglin" live at the Hammer Museum (not the best sound quality)
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