Ontario’s award-winning singer and songwriter Ed Roman has a brand new single out and an album on the way. We caught up with him to find out how these latest projects came to be and how his creative process has evolved over the years. Here’s the interview in full.
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Hi Ed. Great to catch up with you again – thank you for your time!
It’s a pleasure and thanks for having me today.
You have a brand new single out and an album on the way, congratulations for both. What does I Have A Dream mean for you as a song title, what is the dream?
The single I Have A Dream is part of a new project entitled A Recipe For Perpetual Spring. I think a lot of artisans look very closely at life and at times our subconscious is filled with an abundance of things we can’t control. Sometimes they tend to go for walks with our subconscious when we are asleep. Much of the time many of the dreams I have are horrific and almost apocalyptic in nature but I realize they are a byproduct of the fight or flight sociological environment that we live in. The song talks about all the things I wish for in my life… the things that I daydream about and hope to see you come to fruition. The dream is life found happy. Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream…
Is there an underlying concept or string of experiences connecting the new music?
La Vie .. it never ceases to amaze me as time passes that so many things are connected and all have a greater meaning. My music always is hopeful but reactionary. I am always trying to coincide my existence and feelings with my art form. Art – in many ways it’s like keeping the garden. Tending, nurturing and eventually the fruits of your labour are shared with many. The concept of a perpetual spring is continual growth fed by hope and an underlying passion for experience and living life to its fullest…
What does The Way She Goes mean to you?
“If you’ve been singing this song lately” The idea of the song is simple… summations and anecdotal morays of today yesterday and tomorrow… rolled up into a jacket of cornmeal and tied together with parable like jute string grandfather teachings.. They are flip-flopped clichés that still ring true today as far as our perceptions with so many things we take for granted in our life. The important thing is we keep moving forward, stay happy positive and always think creatively..
How has your approach to songwriting changed over the years?
I used to duct tape my feet to the ceiling… preferably in the kitchen but I found it very difficult to write and the blood rushing to my head would sometimes make me pass out. I found it much easier to sit in a chair or on the couch or perhaps even in the car while driving.. 😉
What I’ve learned is to stop pushing and to listen. That way the song writing experience pulls you through new territory..
How has social media affected your ability to share music and connect with new fans?
Social media has become an incredible tool for staying connected with fans all over the world. It has allowed me to create a virtual business that can exist from a small desktop computer or portable phone. I can talk to people in Singapore, Germany, Rhode Island, California, Canada, France – all over this beautiful globe. Social media has allowed me to create a foothold in a new kind of industry that is far more independent and fruitful..
Will you be performing live over the coming months?
I’m not dead yet so every gig I have from thus point until then will be the living breathing me. 😉
I am doing a lot of writing and recording as I mentioned for this new project “A Recipe For Perpetual Spring” so I’m sure there will be a lot of shows in the spring and summer of 2018.
What are your plans for the future? Is there a bigger picture in mind?
The bigger pictures to keep living my life as best as I can. That means living in the moment creating in my space and always looking forward to a new doorway that I know will always open. Art has this way of creeping up on you, almost like a tiger in the jungle. You must act on the moment when it approaches and fight for the vision that you see and feel inside of you. This is on going till the daisies get pushed up.
If you had to choose one song by another writer, from throughout time, that you feel you yourself could have written – which would it be?
Hahahah this question is tough..
There are so many songs that I wished I could’ve penned but what that makes me realize is that they were already written, listened to, falling in love with and kept close to the heart for a lifetime.. I really couldn’t answer this question because it would go off of the page.
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
As always its a pleasure to be able to speak with you and I thank you so kindly for having me as a guest. We’ve spoken before and I’d like to say to you that you are diligent Vanguard of independent music and I can’t thank you enough for all of your help and support.
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A huge thank you to Ed Roman for the interview, the insight, and the words of kindness. Find & follow him on Facebook & Twitter. Visit his Website for more information.
