The future of Edison Chair

Edison Chair. Photo by Holly Aker

Most likely, you haven’t heard of Edison Chair. You probably don’t have any friends that are fans of Edison Chair. And you definitely haven’t heard any songs by Edison Chair. But don’t worry, you will.

Edison Chair is a pop-rock trio from Dripping Springs, and the last year and a half for the band has been a doozy. The band went from trying to win their high school Battle of the Bands to sitting in the office of Jimmy Iovine, the CEO of Interscope Records, and playing him a personal concert.

It all started when the trio met Monte Warden, a singer/songwriter who famously wrote “Desperately” for George Strait. Warden offered to produce five songs for Edison Chair and then distribute the recordings to major record companies. Interscope was the first label to  bite, and before they knew it, the band was skipping school and hopping on a plane to L.A.

“It was all happening so fast,” drummer Wes Armstrong said. “I was really excited to be in L.A., but at the same time, Jimmy was very intimidating.”

Interscope Records flew the band out one more time, and during this trip, Iovine offered Edison Chair a developmental deal, which stated that the band would record under an Interscope producer and then Iovine would decide to sign the band or not. However, even after the songs were recorded and mixed, Iovine was still undecided about signing the band.

That’s been the status of Edison Chair for a few months now, but they’re not letting Interscope’s indecision slow them down.

“We’re in this kind of limbo state right now,” bassist Martin Aker said. “But that won’t stop us. We’re getting better as a band and as individual musicians everyday.”

All three members of Edison Chair graduated from high school in June 2009, but instead of going to college, the band decided to take a year off to focus exclusively on Edison Chair.

“How often do you get an opportunity like this?” guitarist Nathan Thrash said. “We are on the brink of success, and we couldn’t pass this opportunity up. If Edison Chair doesn’t work out, college will always be there. This opportunity may not.”

Recently, the developmental deal with Interscope expired. While it’s unfortunate that Interscope didn’t sign Edison Chair before the expiration date, it’s not the end of the world. Interscope has extended an offer to Edison Chair to re-record the band after they write another batch of songs.

The band doesn’t see this as a slap in the face either. They now understand where they need to focus and that there’s huge room for improvement.

“Right now our focus is on improving ourselves,” Aker said. “We write song after song after song, and with each new song, we get better. Music is not a quick and easy thing. It takes dedication and lots of time. Luckily we have that.”

With the help of Rainmaker Artists, Edison Chair’s management company, the band is getting constant critiques, and they’re beginning to book bigger and bigger gigs.

“We’re going to keep getting better, and that’s when we’re going to strike,” Armstrong said. “The record companies won’t know what hit them.”

You can see Edison Chair at Emo’s on December 19. Find out more information about the band on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.

Edison Chair plays La Fuentes

Edison Chair bassist. Photo by Holly Aker

Last night I went to a little Mexican restaurant off South Congress called La Fuentes to see Edison Chair. Reigning from Dripping Springs, Edison Chair plays good quality pop rock music.

The band started the show with “Feels Like Forever,” a very catchy, upbeat song that was a perfect starter. The song warmed up the crowd and promised everyone that they were in for a really good show. Edison Chair continued the set with old favorites like “I Can’t Even Imagine,” “Pressure,” “Heart Packed Away,” and the oh-so-cute love song “Don’t Go.”

This show was the first show in a long time for Edison Chair. The boys have been really focusing hard on writing better and better songs and really tightening up their performances. The show last night really proved how their hard work has been paying off. The performance was flawless, and those in attendance were lucky enough to hear the first live performances of a handful of new songs including “Learn to Love Again,” “Over And Over Again,” and “Let It Rain.”

The only downside of the show was the attendance. Besides the band’s families and the restaurant’s wait staff, only a handful of people showed up. But this little fact didn’t get to the boys. They still played with the same amount of energy and dedication to the songs, and honestly, I like seeing Edison Chair with a smaller crowd because the boys are less inhibited and do things like tell really unfunny-funny jokes. They boys were born to be performers.