ED RASHED - INTERVIEW

Learn more about Ed Rashed from his Website at: Bigtreehouse.com

MUZN: How does your songwriting come together?

You really want to know? OK. USUALLY it goes something like this: Lyric idea first, sometimes from a scrap written down months before, try to flesh it out and still confine it to a single idea, then work on scansion, chord structure, and tune, then back and forth, revising, revising, revising, getting it to work together, then play it for someone else, note their reactions, then put it aside to come back to later with fresh ears, then decide if it is material for 1. the next CD, with a little work, 2., the "work-on-it-later" pile, or 3., the circular file or delete key!
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MUZN: What's your philosophy on music today?

There isn't enought time in the world to to really get into that discussion. But I'll say this - I think pop music today is way more fragmented than it used to be. The problem with that is evident when people get too involved inside of just one of those fragments, and develop a narrow minded attitude towards all other styles, sometimes even contempt. To do that is to rob one's self of a lot of good listening. No good music is worthy of contempt. There is good and not-so-good in almost every genre, I think, so I try to listen to all sorts of music, and always have. If I find "art" in it, I'll listen to more. In the end, for me, there are only two kinds of music - good and not-so good.
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MUZN: Tell us about you, when did you begin writing songs?

Answer: When I was 3. Although I think I started to write some pretty fair things, mixed in there with a lot of not-so-good things, starting in my late teens and 20s, I didn't really start to get the hang of the daily activity of songwriting until sometime in the last 5 years or so. Let's just say that the percentage of stuff that I am keeping, as opposed to throwing away, has grown a LOT in the last few years. And a lot of that comes from the realization that writing is only a small part "inspiration," and a much bigger part "craft and hard work." Most young writers tend to think that it's the other way around, but it definitely isn't. That's a hard lesson to learn, but a very useful one.
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MUZN: Tell us about your newest release, what can we expect?

I think I did something rather daring for an independent - I released, as my solo debut, 2 separate but linked CDs, a total of 32 songs. I just had to get the whole closet cleaned out, I guess. Anyway, "Wrong Side Of The Door" and "Big Book Of Love" are really two sides of the same coin - a pretty massive songwriter's showcase. Most of the tunes are recent but there are a few that go back some years. Anyway, the "buzz" from people who have heard it has been very, very good, and I know that there is a whole lot of good music here for a lot of different ears! My web site has a pretty fair amount of downloadable "teaser" material for people to listen to, so go ahead and listen to some tunes if you haven't already. I'd love to know what YOU think!
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MUZN: How many projects are you currently involved in?

Aside from my day to day work? A few new songs at various stages of completion, with enough tunes in progress now to almost fill the next CD! I am also working on a children's book called "The Tickle Trees." A working version of it is posted at my website.
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MUZN: What's your long-term goal?

I think most writer/artists will tell you something along these lines - I want my music to be heard by as many people as possible. It's usually not about the money for writers, it's about validation - to know that I have made that special connection with others through my words and music. Which is to say, that I have done something right! That's the test for me. Which is why I can't wait to have other artists cover my tunes - the secret goal of my "songwriter's showcase." The more versions I can get out there, the more ears hear my songs, the more hearts I have connected with, the happier I'll be.
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MUZN: How did you get into music?

I am absolutely convinced that doing music is what I was put on this planet for. I can't remember a time that I wasn't "into music" and that music wasn't in me. My first piano lesson was at the age of 5.
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MUZN: How long have you been performing?

The first public performance with a band was when I was in the 7th grade. It's been pretty constant since then. We're talking decades, now, not years, see? Next question...
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MUZN: What bands\artists inspired you the most early on?

Oh, start with the sheer variety and the consistantly high quality of all the best 60s stuff - Beatles, Stones, Beachboys, then Dylan, The Fariñas, Paul Simon, add a dash of Zappa, a pinch of Miles Davis and a tsp. of Robert Johnson, and then flavor with a little Beethoven, Mozart, and Gershwin; voila! the soup is ready! That's the very short list. Read the "influences" page on my web site if you want the long version.
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MUZN: What do you want out of life?

To be able to do just a few positive things for the world while I am able. For myself, maybe to get to a place where writing (and a bit of performing) my songs is all I need to be doing besides enjoying life! I would prefer to do without the fame, but a little piece of the fortune would be nice.
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MUZN: What is the most important lesson you think you have learned so far?

One of the many important lessons I have learned is that music gets inside people in ways that nothing else can do. Music has very special power. Like other powerful things, it can be used in both positive and negative ways. I try to stay tapped into the positive side. And I try to encourage others who do the same by buying, playing, and spreading their music too.
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MUZN: Who are your favorite artists?

Too many - it would be easier to tell you who I DON'T like. Again, take a look at the "influences" I have listed on my web site and you will get a pretty good idea.
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MUZN: Where do you want to be in the future?

Literally? Someplace on the Mediterranean, eating, drinking, traveling, loving, and smoking way too much and getting away with it. And, of course, playing music, preferably with very good players, every day, just for the love of doing it! Pass the wine, please.
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MUZIQUENET'S FEATURED INTERVIEW WITH ED RASHED!

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