An Interview With Fear Zero’s Ed Sadler
Over the past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of listening to an upcoming album from Canadian rockers Fear Zero. Now, anyone who’s frequented my blog knows I can get into some pop rock – and Fear Zero delivers just that.
So I figured, why not do an interview with the driving creative force behind the band, singer & guitarist Ed Sadler? Stay tuned for a special treat after the interview!
Your new album, seems to be a manifestation of many years or writing, touring, growing, and lots of hard work. At this stage, how does everything feel? What important lessons have you learned during the process?
Yes, well I guess you noticed some of the stylistic shifts that happen in the songs. I am certainly happy with the album; it feels great to be doing what I love and to have people behind me now after all the years of struggling to do it all on my own.
I have learned a lot about the industry and how it all works since in the past I was my own manager, booking agent, and publicity company. During this time I was also producing, writing, and recording all my CDs myself; so yes, I have pretty much seen the biz from every angle.
You’ve been called “Canada’s Number # 1 Unsigned Band”. What are your thoughts on getting signed, given the current state of the music industry? Are you looking to get signed or is there a statement being made about doing things without a label?
I think getting signed was a goal when I was a kid because I had wide eyes about just the idea of being “signed”, but as I said before, after learning about the biz in such detail, I would have to say I look more forward to working with great booking agents and promoters to help spread my music through touring.
I have had several friends signed to prominent labels and have seen their careers languish for years as they were not a “priority” act. The people I have working with me now are very committed to making this act a success so there are no worries about that.
It would be nice to have a 3 million dollar budget but at the same time, who is to say you are going to get that attention just because you are signed to a label? Making a living performing my original music is my goal these days.
Please enlighten us with how Fear Zero started. Did you wake up one day and say “This is where were going and we’re not looking back”, or did everything just unravel a little bit at a time?
I have been writing songs for years and never really had a band that was interested in doing originals; everyone I played with wanted to make the quick buck by covering other artists. I decided at one point about 8 years ago that it was time to strike out on my own and just do what I do, and so far so good.
The aesthetic of the name Fear Zero is, “To be afraid of nothing.” That is a true statement, considering I was a kid with nothing, taking a $15,000 loan out to make a CD and having no clue about how rough it really was out in the real music business world. Everything seems to have worked out well, though it has taken a long time.
The band’s sound is the epitome of modern pop rock, but with an extra added layer of dynamics (especially on several tracks on the new album) that touches on different genres of music. How important is it for artists to try new things, and do you feel that your personal success with a “sound” affects that?
I don’t know if we really have a “sound” other than my voice and the melodic sensibilities I put forth. The simple answer is, I get bored playing one sound/style all the time, and I think it is a risky but rewarding thing to do. Mixing country and reggae-styled flavors with rock, and using improvisation as a key ingredient just seems natural after all the music I have studied/played over my career as a musician.
I’m a huge fan of grunge and 90’s rock, and I’ve noticed you are too. Can you describe how some of the commercially successful rock bands of recent past have affected you and your songwriting?
I was definitely affected a lot by Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots, particularly their ability at borrowing chords from parallel modes/scales and creating more unique melodies by using them. I ended up going to jazz guitar college for a couple of years, and it opened up a new world where I could now analyze the music of my predecessors and understand where these “borrowed” chords were coming from and begin to utilize that in my music.
In addition, the raw, personal nature of the lyrics, just saying how you really feel and not sugar coating things like a lot of the ’80s bands really did affect the way I write lyrics, even to this day.
Thanks, Ed!
Ed was nice enough to give you kids a special treat – here’s an acoustic version of the song “Broken, Still Hoping”. Free for you to download, but here’s the deal – you gotta check out fearzero.com, where you can hear the album version plus other kick ass songs like “Breathe Again” and “Cry On a Sunday” from their album, “In Lights”. Do it!
Download Broken, Still Hoping (Acoustic)
