Melanie Edwards is a global musical scientist, based in NYC. She recently lived in San Ramon where she wrote and recorded her 6th album entitled Las Rosas, using ambient sounds from Tortuguero, Cloud Forest, Nicoya, etc…. She also had a final concert at Sinem with Costa Rican musicians backing.The new album will be released on on May 21st. She is the founder and CEO of Melanie Edwards Laboratories and we caught up with her to ask a few questions. Starting with,
What exactly is a global music scientist?
I’m a hybrid between two worlds that in actuality are very similar. Imagine that: duality that is also the same thing; or paradox that makes every bit of sense! Basically, I’m a mash-up between music and science. As a youngster, music was my whole world and I devoted my time to singing, playing the piano and violin. I realised I could write myself out of the real. While everyone else was at the beach for the summers, I was at Suzuki camp. I loved the spiritual connection and translating energy from intangibles. Music brought me there as a conduit. However, I was also enthralled by the logics of science and at 15 was chosen for a special school, to study nuclear science. I tested titanium alloy through flight duration and uranium 235. I’m fascinated with experimentation and the juxtaposed. I like having a key to unlock the universe and coming back to wildly transpose a hypothesis through musical notation. I try to push the envelope with my songwork. I’m not your usual pop formula, because I do things on the fly. I’ll incorporate my audience, or write music in front of you on the spot. In fact, this next record, “Las Rosas” is the most unique of all my compilations, because I actually recorded ambient sound from my journeys through Costa Rican forests and beaches. I’ve added rain storms, winds, waterfalls, birds and frogs as back up singers.
Photo: Melanie Edwards
Where are you based and what area do you play in?
I’m a global musical scientist, touring both nationally and internationally. At this very moment, I’m in NYC getting ready to release my sixth record “Las Rosas” on May 21st.
Where can we purchase the record?
On my website: www.melanieedwardslabs.com
How many years has your band been together/ have you been performing?
I’ve been performing for two decades and touring the last five years. I went solo back in 2008.
How old were you when you started playing?
I began singing at three years-old and playing both piano and violin at nine.
What instruments do you play? What influenced your choices?
I’m a songstress/pianist/violinist. My whole family is extremely musical. We had a piano in the house so I climbed up on it and began pounding the keys when I began to walk.
What instrument do you wish you played?
I wish I could play the saw or the gu zheng – it makes the harp look like a washed up, prowling cougar who’s had too many cocktails.
What genre would you call your music? Have you always been into this genre?
It has it’s own formula and I suppose it appeals to wizardly folks. I’ve never been interested in becoming a mainstream, predictable songwriter, singing at a crowd for 45 minutes, then running off the stage. I don’t care about failed experiments, tend to do things on the fly and try to co-collaborate with my fans. That’s why it’s called The Lab. It’s for and by the people. Really.
Do you think the internet has helped musicians or hindered them?
I think the internet is here and so it’s irrelevant to think in binary terms of help or hinder. I try to be more neutral about it. It certainly connects everyone in ways the past could never anticipate. I have fans all over the world because of this worldwide phenomenon. In the days of yore, I’d have to send my tracks to Thailand on a carrier pigeon. But, times, they are a changin’.
Do you use social media? How do you promote yourself?
Yes I do, but I mostly rely on real connections with my Lab Producers, new and old alike, who continue to support my projects and spread the word.
Do you enjoy other art forms?
I enjoy escapism, so yes; film and photography, in particular.
Why is live music best?
Because it shows who has chops. Recording artists aren’t the same as live musicians. You don’t get 20 takes up on a stage. Live music brings on the real deal; forget the auto-tune.
What advice can you give to people just starting out?
Don’t ever sign with a label unless you can work out a fair deal. Challenge yourself and don’t believe the hype. If you don’t do it because you have to, then find something else to do. Simply by owning an Apple product everyone is now a DJ, musician or artist. If you’re obsessing about being famous, there are much easier ways.
How much time do you spend on writing? Practising? Performing?
Honestly, writing songs for me takes a few minutes, but practising is a different story. If I have a gig or I’m recording, I rehearse three to four hours, daily. You have to build up physical strength in your fingers. Plus, if you’re nervous, during those first few minutes into a show, you have to rely on muscle memory to get you through the set.
How do you hope to develop musically?
I’m feel complete with where I am at this point and happy to be a creative human being, open to the possibilities. I would like to play in space.
Do you get involved with politics?
I should, but I’m extremely unpopular because I believe in peace.
How does a typical gig go? How long is a set?
They all vary. My longest gig was two hours and my shortest was 15 minutes. It depends on the venue and type of show.
What do you wish you had known earlier about the music industry?
I was lucky and learned early on that the industry is controlled by greedy business men, who use artistry to benefit themselves. So I developed my own label and actually have a relationship with my fans. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Your fourth album was recorded in the Finnish woods; however this new EP “Las Rosas” was composed in San Ramon, Costa Rica. Is this a continuation of the “Back to Basics” process?
All my albums are continuations, because we’re constantly evolving as creators and life forces. I wrote “Las Rosas” nearly six months after “Back to Basics” and a lot has changed personally, professionally, spiritually and physically. The climates are extremely different too, one being in Scandinavia and the other in Central America. Also, I didn’t have much equipment this go ’round, or a mixer, like I did in Finland. So, I had to be well rehearsed, singing and playing in one take, to facilitate editing. I recorded in a music hall, without doors or privacy. So a lot of the songs I performed on the spot, with an audience. One of the things that makes this record unique is that I woke up before the sun most mornings and recorded ambient sounds of birds, waterfalls, rains and insects. Then, I placed the nature throughout the songs, allowing the environment to act as a soundtrack. “Las Rosas” is authentically Costa Rican.
Can you talk about any of the songs on the album, like Roses?
Roses were a central theme throughout my time in Costa Rica. They would show up everywhere – on my coffee mugs, bowls, curtains and doorstep. I embraced them as some sort of message, sent by the muses to channel their energy towards my new song babies. We even named the album “Las Rosas” because of their constant company.
How did living in Costa Rica influence the sound? How was it different than recording in a NYC studio, like your first album?
There’s something honest about endless sunshine land and the Pura Vida mentality. Living amongst this nature and general laid-back attitude helped transition the song kids in unique ways. I didn’t have an overblown fancy NYC studio, with sound barriers and multi-milion dollar microphones. In fact, it was quite the contrary. I had open air music rooms, with no doors. I also didn’t have a Lexicon audio board or any mixing equipment, so I had to dig up the mental precision to press play and record in one take, knowing I wouldn’t be able to edit back in post. I would say this is my most organic record.
Will you remember us when you are famous?
I don’t want to be famous.
Finish this limerick: There once was a muso from…
within.
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