Edwin (musician)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Edwin


Background = group_or_band
Origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre = Alternative, Rock, Progressive rock, Acoustic, Pop
Years_active = 1990–Current
Label = Linus Entertainment Universal Music Canada|

Edwin is a Canadian alternative rock singer and solo artist from Toronto, and former lead vocalist for I Mother Earth. He was on the band's first two albums, and was also on the majority of the songs on "Victor", a 1996 side project from Alex Lifeson of Rush. He went solo in late 1997 and released three albums from 1999 to 2006. He now works as a bartender at the [http://www.tattoorockparlour.com/ Tattoo Rock Parlour] in Toronto.

Solo career

After leaving IME in late 1997, Edwin disappeared from the public eye. Under his low profile, Edwin met with members of the recently dissolved Glueleg, most notably Ruben Huizenga. He also met with Sony Music, who signed him in 1998. That summer, Edwin finally reappeared in public, appearing as a surprise guest with The Tea Party at EdgeFest '98 on July 1 in Barrie, ON. Edwin contributed lead vocals in their Canada Day rendition of David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans". Back in Toronto, Huizenga and company brought their instrumental talents to Edwin's debut solo album, as did several other session musicians (including IME percussionist Daniel Mansilla). Producer and ex-BTK member Matt DeMatteo did the bulk of the production (at times assisted by Huizenga) and also played instruments. Huizenga, DeMatteo, David Martin, and half a dozen other songwriters collaborated with Edwin, who claimed to have written 75% of the album. The end result was "Another Spin Around the Sun", released in Spring 1999.

Edwin's first real foray into songwriting yielded his new musical direction - catchy, danceable, singalong pop-rock, complete with loops and samples and a much greater emphasis on Edwin's vocals than ever before. Initial singles "Trippin'" and "Hang Ten" focused on rock radio and became hits on that format, while third single "And You" was somewhat less successful. However, the fourth single "Alive" not only revived the album, but it changed its direction. The song managed to crack the mainstream Top 40 in Canada and became a staple on pop radio. Its video, directed by Rob Heydon, won a Juno Award in 2001 for Best Video and People's Choice Award at MuchMusic's MMVAs. A fifth single, "Rush", was released to capitalize on that success but was met with relatively little fanfare. All told, the album went Platinum in Canada, was nominated for a Juno in 2000 for Best Rock Album, and was released in the U.S. that year.

After the highly successful run, Edwin disappeared yet again, save for a cameo role in the indie film "The Art Of Woo". He resurfaced in late 2001 to report that a new album was "99 percent" finished. Furthermore, he had recruited a full-time backup band, named The Pressure. Its members were his previous touring/session bassist Kenny Cunningham and guitarist Ron Bechard, and newcomers Mike K. (guitar) and Sekou Lumumba (drums). However, they did not play on the actual album. Session musicians and songwriters played a role as before, and both Huizenga and Martin returned to make a few contributions, but overall the playing, collaboration, and production were dominated by Tawgs Salter and Jeff "Diesel" Dalziel. Edwin himself played guitar on one track and programmed another, both firsts for him in the studio.

The album, titled "Edwin & the Pressure", was released in Summer 2002. The album contained the catchy pop-rock of the previous album, but with a harder edge both musically and lyrically. The lead single co-written by Steven Klasios, "Superhoney", was given a lukewarm reception at first by the various rock media, but became a solid rock radio and video hit due to overwhelming support from the die-hard fan base. A second single, "Impossible", fared reasonably well on rock radio, but suffered from the lack of a supporting video. The third single, "Let's Dance", was backed by a video, but failed to receive any significant video or radio play. Eventually, due to poor record sales and creative disagreements, Edwin was dropped from Sony at his own request and disappeared yet again.

In 2005, Edwin signed with Linus Entertainment, at which time he began recording songs for a new release and a return to full solo status. Edwin's third album, "Better Days", was released on October 10th, 2006. The first single from the album, "Right Here", was a hit on Canadian pop formats. Despite reports from Edwin's now-defunct website and other fan sites, neither a second single nor an active tour has been pursued.

In late 2007, a venue opened in Toronto called the [http://www.tattoorockparlour.com/ Tattoo Rock Parlour] ; Edwin has been a bartender there since the venue's opening.

Discography

* "Better Days" (2006, Linus/Universal)
* "Edwin & the Pressure" (2002, Sony)
* "Another Spin Around the Sun" (1999, Sony)

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/edwinonline MySpace Profile]
* [http://www.linusentertainment.com/store/artistpage.php?artist=Edwin Linus Artist Profile]