Two albums in and preparing to drop a third next month, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros are a band gaining traction, not least due to their association with the all-conquering Mumford & Sons. During their recent Dublin stop-off (supporting the aforementioned chart-toppers), entertainment.ie caught up with Alex Ebert, the charismatic ringleader behind this Los Angeles psychedelia/folk/soul ensemble.
Check out the brand new video for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros' 'Better Days' above.
Alex, that was a typically exuberant set. Irish audiences can often be a little restrained or slow to warm up. How was it from the stage?
It's interesting that you say that about Irish audiences, because the Irish people are sort of not that way, but I guess audience-wise might be. When you're opening for a band, you never expect much, you know? It was just that low-expectation high that you get after a show that went reasonably well.
The sunshine helps.
I guess Ireland doesn't always get sunny days, right? [In LA] it's just, "oh yeah it's summertime". I do have to remember that last time we were in Ireland I said, "when does summer come around in Ireland?", [and a guy] said (adopting a hybrid diddley/Eastern European accent) "We hear summer is coming next year on a Thursday".
You have a feel-good hippie commune aesthetic. What sort of atmosphere do you try to foster when you're performing? Is there a formula for a successful Edward Sharpe show?
Yeah, the formula for the show really is single-pronged. For me, it's to try to get open, to let go of my societal inhibitions, my social anxieties, allow the instincts to guide me. Other than that, hopefully we have good sound and everyone can hear each other.
And be prepared to entertain any marriage proposals that might crop up [as was the case during their Phoenix Park set]?
Oh yeah, absolutely.
This isn't the first time that you've toured with Mumford & Sons. You must be getting to know them pretty well.
We love them. At this point, they're some of our best friends. We've gotten to know them over and over and over again so it just keeps growing; it's cool.
The new album is released here at the end of August. It's quite a quick turnaround from 2012's Here. Was the process different this time?
No, just worked really fucking hard.
How collaborative was it amongst all of you?
About the same as Here, which was more than the first album. It's becoming more collaborative.
The lead single, 'Better Days', is hopeful and uplifting. Is that indicative of the sound of the rest of the album?
In a way, yeah. I think that the toes of the album are very rooted in pain, though, but everything is focused on that horizon. With the exception of a song called 'They Were Wrong', which is probably the darkest song we've ever put out.
I'm almost ashamed to admit, Alex, that my first exposure to your work was not the Magnetic Zeros at all, but through your other projects, due to my fondness for Breaking Bad and Suits [Ebert has released material under his own name and with another band, Ima Robot, and has had songs featured on both shows]. Do you mind that you attract fans in that roundabout fashion?
No, it's cool. In fact, it's always kind of nice because I put a lot of work in to most of the stuff I do and it's nice for it all to come together, you know?
Does the Edward Sharpe alter-ego allow more freedom or creativity when you're on stage?
There's no real alter-ego. At one point, maybe, I was conscious of that on stage, but I'm almost not conscious of it at all any more so I would say it's become in my mind more or less irrelevant. I don't ever really think about this Edward Sharpe 'thing' – is that a person, is it not, am I that person, etc.
What you see is what you get.
Yeah.
The transition to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros seems to have been quite organic. Did you anticipate taking all these guys on the road?
I sort of did, yeah. It was a long view of a merry gang of pranksters, and it's what we morphed in to. The songs asked for it. They asked for piano, horns, accordion. They asked for all these things so I gave it to them.
Do the personnel change at all?
Very little. It changes very little.
I wanted to ask you about your experiences of Ireland. You've been here once or twice in the past. Have you spent much time soaking up the atmosphere or has it been all business?
This time it's been mostly business, but last night we went out. I don't know Ireland very well, but I imagine I would love most of it. The people in Dublin remind me a bit of the place I just moved, New Orleans. It's like the New Orleans of Europe. There's sort of a darkness, but a lot of warmth with it and I love it.
Would you expect to return for a headline show once you release your new album?
Yeah, yeah – in February I hope.
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros' self-titled third album is released in Ireland on August 23rd via Mumford & Sons' Gentlemen of the Road label.
Words by Killian Barry