An Interview with Ethan Isaac of Edisun

Edisun entered the studio in mid 2010 to track their self-titled debut album.  The debut CD is produced by Claude Villani, a long-time Edisun collaborator, and mixed at NRG Studios in Los Angeles by Jay Baumgardner.  Edisun not only captured the excitement of their live show and the cavalcade of emotions that come from being away from home in the middle of a war zone they created an aurally rich, musically diverse record that reflects the universal hunger, creativity and vulnerability of youth.

Edisun vocalist Ethan Isaac sat down with Type 3 Media to discuss the new album.

Type 3 Media: You recently toured with Smile Empty Soul; what was your best experience on that tour?

Ethan Isaac: We did a show in Spokane, Washington at the Knitting Factory.  It was a sold-out show.  Our single is getting a lot of radio play there, and there was a great reaction from the crowd, it was very lively and a lot of fun.  It was the high point of the tour.

T3M: You’ll also recently played for the troops in Iraq.  How did that come about?

EI: We’ve been doing that for four years now.  We’ve been oversees a number of times.  In the Middle East, we’ve been to countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.  I was near the World Trade Center when we were attacked.  I wrote a song called “Into the Sunlight” that reflects on that day.  Someone over in Europe that handles the entertainment for the military heard the song and thought we would be a good match to go over and play for the troops.  That started a whole series of tours and we’re still doing it.  We’ve played in Guantanamo, we were recently in Australia, and we’ve also played many countries in Europe.  It’s been life changing and probably the best experience that this band has had ever, hands down.  I don’t know how we’re ever going to beat that.

T3M: You’ve recently released your new self-titled album, how long did you work on this latest effort?

EI: As far as the recording process went, it was shorter.  The writing process has been going on since the day the band was formed.  Over the last four or five years, it has been the culmination of all our experiences overseas to all the countries we’ve been to.  When the deal was put together we had a lot of this material that we had been working on.  The recording was relatively fast.  This has been years in the making.  We were very fortunate to have all that time and experience to put into our music.

T3M: What was the biggest challenge you had putting this album together?

EI: That’s a good question.  I think just staying upbeat, working hard, and touring is a lot of work, and a lot of fun, and that’s the challenge itself.  As far as the actual writing and the making of the music, it has a lot to do with hard work.  It really came in a natural way.  All in all, it’s been a great record in the making.

T3M: You’ve played with some major acts like Sevendust and Staind; what’s been the best advice you’ve been given along the way?

EI: There’s been a lot of it given over the years. I think it’s this; if it’s something you believe then don’t ever give up. Be real with what to do. Be passionate. Always push yourself and push the boundaries of your writing and of your music, and have fun while you’re doing all that. All the bands that I’ve seen, that are really successful, are people who are serious minded about what they’re doing. They love what they’re doing.

T3M: Which band have you really enjoyed playing alongside with?

EI: We just got off the road with Smile Empty Soul, it was really a match.  They’re a really authentic band.  Great lyrics, great stories.  Of course there’s a lot of other really great bands that we’ve played with, even great mainstream rock acts like Everclear, Nonpoint, and Cold, and there were some really great shows there too.

T3M: Where is the best place where people can find more information about Edisun?

EI: edisunmusic.com Is the hub to find everything out about Edisun. You can also keep checking into danpatrick.com.  People can find the record at Best Buy, Borders and all the great online stores like Amazon.

T3M: Anything you’d like to close with before we wrap it up ?

EI: I would just like to thank everybody for listening and coming out to all the shows.  It’s been really great.  Please check out the record.  It’s an exciting record, great rock and roll.  It’s got a lot of twists and turns and we’re excited to have it out there.