1. Hey Ed what is happening ?

I’ve got my original project, DI-FI, my Crue tribute, SCRUE, and I’m still playing the solo acoustic shows around the area. The solo and SCRUE shows help pay for
the costs of running an original band.

2. More summer appearances – when and where

Good god!! I’ve got a ton of shows going on this summer . . . but in Des Moines I’m doing a solo shows at the Hull Ave and did a SCRUE show at HOB on July 26th. DI-FI will be hitting the Hull Ave on August 22nd with ONLY. That should be a good time for sure!

Then House of Bricks on the 20th of September .

3. Who is currently in the bands you are playing with? Hows that going?. DI-FI is all Omaha cats. Jeremy and Lizard are my right and left arms. I’m kind of the torso, I guess. SCRUE has Taco (guitar), Doug (drums), and Shawne (vocals) in the band. It’s fun going over and playing bass with that group. Bass to me is such a release. It’s the instrument that got me into playing music in the first place.I work with myself on the solo shows . . . I’m kind of an ass to work with, but it’s easy to schedule practices and shows.

4. How did these current projects come about?

DI-FI came about from a series of events. I was singing for Des Moines based band, Soul Sick, while living in Minnesota. I eventually moved to Omaha because of my wife’s (then girlfriend) new job. This put me closer to Des Moines, but things had already started to deteriorate in Soul Sick. Recording that first album is sometimes the death of a band, and that was certainly the case with Soul Sick. I had been writing some new material for Soul Sick and hoping to spur on some new material. The new material just never developed. I had heard here and there about other music that some of them were working on, and other people they were jamming with, so it just made sense for me to start compiling my songs andsee what Omaha had to offer.  DI-FI was my new baby. I found a few guys that saw where I was trying to go with my sound, and everything fell into place.

The solo stuff came about from just trying to help out a buddy who needed some cash in Minneapolis. We started jamming some two-piece stuff around the area. He flaked on some shows so I took them on myself. One bar owner actually said “hey, from now on just leave the other guy at home. You’ll get the same money either way.”

I started playing bass at age 13 after seeing Nikki Sixx being set on fire in an old video. I thought, “I could do that”. Kind of funny that years later I’m doing Crue tunes in full Sixx attire.

Singing, on the other hand, I took up out of necessity. I was always in bands that could never find a singer. Hell, I still can’t find one!!

6. Have you or do you take vocal or guitar lessons?

I took a little bit of classical guitar in college, but 95% of what I know came from AC/DC, Cinderella, and Metallica tapes in my bedroom on a beef ranch in the middle of nowhere.

Vocals I just do what I can. I’ve never claimed to be a great singer, but I’m also a fan of Willie Nelsons and Brian Johnson . . . neither of which probably took lessons, either.

7. What other bands have you played with: Who was in them?
Where are they now? What happen with those acts .

My first band was called NOBODY, and was based in Superior, WI. We sucked. You can ask Taco, he was there and can attest to the level of suck we were at. We didn’t believe in using tuners because we were “too metal”.
Dharma Bums was my college cover band and that’s where I really started to use my voice more. I moved to Texas in the mid-90’s and had an original
band called MEDICINEMAN, then back to MN where I landed the SAVED BY ZERO gig. 80’s pop from hell!! That band did a lot of shows in Iowa, and helped get me connected to the Iowa music scene a bit. Soul Sick followed and got me connected a little more.

8. Who where your main influences – Musically and personally as a musician / artist.

Early on it was Cinderella, AC/DC, ZZ Top . . . all of the 80’s rock you could handle. I grew up on a ranch, so country music was still in my blood a bit, too. I think my solo acoustic shows tell a bigger story about who I am more than anything else I do.

SCRUE

9. Who are the people around you in past bands current acts that have had most influence ? What other side projects do they do – who are they ?

Well, Jeremy (DI-FI) and Shawne (SCRUE) both play in some other cover bands. Taco (SCRUE) has his new band ARMED TO THE TEETH that is kind of like Soul Sick’s bastard son. Greg and Cornbread followed Taco’s new direction and are ripping out some cool new stuff. As for influences, I don’t know that anyone was a direct influence. Maybe it’s better to say that everyone has been an influence. I think it’d be wrong to think that creating music with others will have no effect on a person’s own music direction and understanding.

10. Di- Fi released “The Machine is Broken” in November 2007 can we expect more new stuff in the future. Lots of new stuff?

I have roughly 17 new songs in the works since the release of our album back in November. A few of them are in the new set list for live shows, but for the most part we’re pounding the pavement with “the machine is broken” and trying to sell some disks.

11. What direction do you see the band taking…evil disco
( static x meets Motley crue) ?

I’d like to see things go less evil, to be honest. DI-FI was asked to play the “Dimebag Tribute” show at Sokol Underground here in Omaha this summer. We declined the offer to try to get out from under the “metal” banner a well as other reasons. We were hoping to be out on the road at that time, but gas prices shot that idea right in the ass. We played the Omaha “Dimebag Tribute” show last winter, and it was a blast, but to do it again only 6 months later didn’t seem like a “tribute”. Same bands, same venue, same songs . . . we’ll wait for the next one, perhaps. The new DI-FI tunes are more diverse. There are a lot more dance beats and synths in the new stuff, yet there are some songs way heavier than anything we have now.

12. Very interesting cover of Planet Caravan, how did that come about ?

Ha, I think I answered that question in the above answer. The “Dimebag Tribute” show requires each band to pick a Pantera a Kiss tune to cover. As we’re not that heaviest band out there, “Planet Caravan” seemed like the best choice. We weren’t going to “out metal” the metal bands that day, so why not play something that no other band would even think to play? I swear to god, we had people crying by the end of that tune.

11. What is your role in all this – what inspires you to write? How have you seen yourself grow as a writer – how has the processed changed?

DI-FI is almost like a solo project with a live band. I told the guys from the start that we all have a say, but mine is the only one that counts!! (ahahhahaa) No, we work as a band for the live shows, but the writing and management end of DI-FI is my responsibility. The writing comes from what hits me at the time in my surroundings. As of late, my songwriting has been starting with drum beats and synths. I started doing this a few years ago and have been happy with the feel I end up with in the songs. DI-FI songs are really all about the beats, and the guitar riffs and vocals are just layers that embellish the groove.

SCRUE is a project that runs in amongst the other projects. It pops up here and there and we just play when we feel like it. The solo acoustic shows are just a way to make music fun in a world where doing originals all of the time can make you hate everything about music
as a business.

12. SCRUE - the band continues to do some shows and festivals, last year you did the Cory Taylors Dysfunctional New Years Gig – what else can we look for?

I’ll be dawning the hairspray and bass guitar again. We’ll be playing the Conesville bike ralley again this fall with LA Guns. Not sure what else will pop up, but we don’t really push to hard for shows. We take what sound like fun, really.

13. Any Soul Sick revivals upcoming?
Any favorite Soul Sick gigs / Stories?

I think we’ve seen the last of Soul Sick. Everyone has new projects now and there’s no real reason for a reunion. If it were to happen, it’d be for a benefit show or some “other cause” situation.

As far as stories, every show had a story . . . most of which included alcohol, chairs, and alcohol. Either we were falling off the chair, throwing the chair, or trying to steal a chair as a result of some drinks.

14. What is the best gig to date? (Brushes with fame / large crowds or just great fun)

I played a St. Pat’s Day show in Minneapolis with SAVED BY ZERO to a crowd of about 4000. We had our own RV, free beer and food, and only had to play an hour. I think I walked away with $500 as well. Getting to sing with Corey T and DMFX this last winter was an honor. It was a straight up honor to share the stage with those guys. As fate would deal it, I had a sinus infection so bad I kept getting bloody noses that week. I saw the video, I sounded like crap!! I could go on . . . I’ve played all over Dallas, Minneapolis, and Iowa, but in all I can say that I’ve played some of the best shows anyone could ask for, as well as some of the worste!

15. Last time somebody asked you for an Autograph?

Almost every DI-FI show I end up signing a shirt or a poster. Lately it’s been drum sticks. Seriously, do you know how hard it is to sign a drum stick?!

16. Can you recall any horror stories? (The worst band performance – worst club – worst travel story , bad brushes with fame - any or all ?)

I remember playing in my first band and having one wheel-well of the box of the pick-up truck we were driving rust off and get spun into the tire, shredding it to pieces. It took us forever to get a new tire on, and to arrange our gear so that it didn’t fall out of the whole in the truck’s bed. We get to the club and we can’t keep our singer awake because he had mono and was doped up on meds. About ten people showed up to the show and we got paid about seven dollars.

That same band played a teen-dance at a country church in northern Wisconsin. We opened our set with “War Ensemble” by Slayer or something like that . . . one of those events where you look around and wonder how the hell ya got there.

17. You have been know to travel what most would consider longer distance to work with people – its shows great dedication , what drives you.

If I think that a project is going to be fun and has some potential, I go for it. Not everyone you want to jam with is going to live next door to you. I’m trying to back off the traveling as much now that gas has gone up, and I’m pretty happy with my band in Omaha a it sets. It’s a bit of an issue with SCRUE, though. We have to charge X amount to play shows just to cover gas and travel costs with Shawne in Cedar Rapids, Doug and Taco in Des Moines, and me in Omaha.

18. What other local acts have impressed you?
Who do you like to go see on nights off ?

My favorite Des Moines band may just be NORTH OF GRAND. Their songwriting is solid. Any time I can wake up the next day humming a song from the night before is a good sign. In Omaha I’d say I’m a fan of CIVICMINDED. Again, it’s all based on great songwriting. I’ve always said that having the best guitar player and fastest drummer doesn’t matter if nobody in the band can write a song.

19. How do you think are greatly under rated nationally or locally?

I’d say that every local band is under rated. Whether you’re a nationally touring band or a local garage band, it takes work. If you’re out in the clubs playing you had to have put some effort into it somewhere along the line.

Nationally . . . well, if you’re playing nationally you’ve gotten some respect from someone along the way. The people that don’t get enough respect are the people behind the scenes writing and arranging songs for other artists. Ricky Martin gets awards for songs that other people write, and I doubt they got paid near enough for them. Those are the types of people I’d like to see get more respect.

20. What rigs to you currently use? What are your favorite guitars, amps & mics.

My basses for SCRUE are an Epiphone Thunderbird with all of the pots ripped out and replaced with one kill switch. ON and OFF bitches! I’ve got a black BC Rick Mockingbird to back it up.

The bass rig is an old SWR head running a pair of Behringer 4x10 cabinets. The head is killer, but I was needing some cheap cabs so I picked up the Behringers. To my, and everyone elses surprise, the new Behringer cabinets are rockin! They are sporting some Bugera speakers and really have some meat to the cabinet itself.

My main guitars for DI-FI are my old ’79 Ibanez Iceman, a ’73 Hohner Tele-copy, and a newer Ibanez S520EX. For recording I use my ’77 Ibanez Iceman mostly . . . that’s my baby that rarely leaves the house.

My guitar rig is a Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 running two Marshall 4x10 cabinets. I got the head for cheap and really didn’t like it when I first started playing with it. I got a matched set of Groove Tubes and handed the amp to Kevin Miles for some of his handy work. Now, I couldn’t live without that amp. My pedal board is pretty bare . . . a Crybaby, a tuner, an old MXR Phase90 and a delay in the the effects loop.

For my solo shows I have the Ovation double neck that’s been my workhorse for years. But my newest addition to the family is a Breedlove Jumbo body acoustic that really sings. I’d been looking to drop some cash on a high dollar Martin, but after playing the Breedlove I knew that that was the guitar for me.

Cheap Beer
Ed and Denny

21. What recordings / CDs have you currently done? What stands out about them or the process?

I just wrapped up a four song demo of acoustic covers that I’ll be using to pursue some more solo shows. Most every time I record it’s like a science experiment. I’m really new to recording, so I usually never do anything the same way twice. The DI-FI album was mostly recorded at my house. We hit the studio for drums and mixing, but the guitars, bass, vocals, and programming was all done out of my home.

22. What are some of the good and not so good things about the Midwest music scene?

GOOD – Cheap beer. Every club has it’s cheap beer on the bottom shelf. Schlitz, PBR, Steel Reserve . . it’s a good place to get a good hang over.

BAD – Cheap beer. Every club has it’s cheap beer on the bottom shelf. Schlitz, PBR, Steel Reserve . . it’s a good place to get a good hang over.

Really, though, the scene everywhere is getting tougher and tougher. The dollars aren’t there to help support the musicians efforts and it causes some turmoil between band members, bands and clubs, and bands with other bands.

23. Many musicians have a difficult time with is management, bookings and labels – any advice to others.

If fans offer to help, take them up on it and hand stuff over. I’m still trying to learn this myself. I’ve always been the “I’ll just do it myself” guy and it burns ya out. DI-FI has a street team run by a fan of ours, Kayla and some of her friends. They started it from scratch and have helped us quite a bit on the promotion end.

Management companies, booking agents, etc want to help in hopes of getting some cash. Fans help out because they like you. Sooner or later a band is going to have to look outside of it’s immediate members to get stuff accomplished.

24. What are you wanting to tell us about that we forgot to ask?   Any other promotions we should be aware of – website – videos – events – sponsors -?

I’ll probably start working on Breastival ’08 soon. I think it’ll be the third or fourth year we’ve put that show on in support of breast cancer awareness. A good cause, and really, doesn’t EVERYONE like boobs??

There are some sites to check out . . .

www. myspace. com/difi

www. myspace. com/scrue

If you look up either SCRUE or DI-FI on youtube you’ll probably find some video as well.