Ed’s Redeeming Qualities

A quirky folk group who defy a straightforward positioning in genre, Ed’s Redeeming Characteristics’ instrumentation — guitar, violin, ukulele, bongos, accordion, cardboard bass, and drum — suggests folk music as well as the songs have huge variations of affects from rock, nation, calypso, and klezmer. A reviewer explained them as the “David Lynch of folk music,” which is really as apt a explanation as anyone offers produce. Having a penchant for composing simple, influencing melodies with advanced wordplay which makes one either giggle aloud, smile, or scrape one’s mind in dilemma (and occasionally all three concurrently) along with live shows that went the gamut from amazing to unpleasant, ERQ amassed a solid cult pursuing, which hasn’t subsided using the band’s demise. Founding users Dan Leone, his cousin Dom Leone, and Neno Perotta are from Ohio. The band’s genesis started in the middle-’80s in the University or college of New Hampshire, where Dan fulfilled Carrie Bradley, Jonah Winter season, and Ray Halliday in the composing system. Dom and Neno ultimately relocated to New Hampshire. Amidst this assortment of authors, songs were created and informal informal jam classes — Dan around the ukulele, Carrie on violin, Neno on percussion, and Dom composing nearly all songs and performing – eventually resulted in more band-like actions. They began performing displays locally and in Boston at a pub known as the Rathskeller, which at that time was featuring an alternative solution performance space referred to as “Ed’s Cellar.” The foursome released two cassette demos — Ed’s Redeeming Characteristics and Ed’s Kitchen — along with two seven-inch information — Ed’s Day time and Safe Globe Record (even though latter wouldn’t normally end up being released until 1993). Amid this innovative activity, Dom succumbed to cancers in 1989. Soon after this unlucky occurrence, Dan, Carrie, and Neno relocated to SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA and continuing on using the music group. Two tapes, a tribute to Dom known as Guess Who THAT IS, and another demo, Strolling THE GROUND Over You, had been produced, as well as the music group landed a contract using the folk label, Soaring Fish Information, which released two albums, Even more Bad Moments in 1990 and it’s really All VERY GOOD NEWS in 1991. Neno still left the music group in past due 1991 soon after the tour once and for all News was finished, with Jonah Wintertime changing him. The music group did get some good publicity via NPR and Dr. Demento and was producing new changes with every tour, nonetheless it wasn’t plenty of for Flying Seafood to maintain them. Still, the music group continued carrying out. A tape demo, Static and Weak Tea, premiered in 1993, along with Safe and sound Globe Record, while Carrie and Dan became users of Ray Halliday’s nation strap, the Buckets, respectively beneath the titles Wanda Taters and Jesse ‘Shoes’ Daniels. Some visible exposure arrived in 1994 when the Breeders protected the ERQ track “Drivin’ On 9” on the second recording, Last Splash, and Carrie became a member of the music group throughout their tour with Lollapalooza (she experienced also added violin parts to Pod and Last Splash). In 1995, ERQ released Big Grapefruit Cleanup Work around the Sluggish River Information label, documented live and having a visitor appearance by Neno. In 1996, the music group was featured within an indie film, Ed’s Following Move, that used many music and on-screen performances by the music group. Furthermore, their 4th full-length album, ON THE Fish and Video game Club, premiered this same season. However, it became their last record. The music group amicably disbanded in 1997, with associates heading off into the areas. Carrie proceeded to go into session function, a stint in the music group Warm Cables, and began her own music group, 100 Watt Smile. Dan continuing with a meals column in another of the every week alternative press papers, has released a assortment of those columns, and comes with an ongoing fiction column. Jonah returned to posting and has created two children’s books, Diego and Play Ball, and another book titled A long time ago in Chicago: THE STORYPLOT of Benny Goodman, that was released in 2000. The music group has regrouped yearly in 1998 and 1999 for reunion displays.