One of the newer bands to come out of DC’s Dischord Records is set to play live at Steady Sounds this Saturday, February 2nd. For anyone who is tired of music that fits any specific genre and ready to listen to some purely original jams, E.D. Sedgwick is a band not to be missed.
One of the newer bands to come out of DC’s Dischord Records is set to play live at Steady Sounds this Saturday, February 2nd. For anyone who is tired of music that fits any specific genre and ready to listen to some purely original jams, E.D. Sedgwick is a band not to be missed. E.D. Sedgwick is a one-of-a-kind pop-indie-rock-crossover “celebrity tribute” band, and a hell of an addition to Dischord’s 150+ release catalogue. Their latest release is We Wear White, which came out on Dischord in November. Their distinct flavorings of funk, soul, and post-punk create quite possibly the most gloriously diverse tunes to come out of the capital in some time.
Fronted by Justin Moyer, of El Guapo/Supersystem fame, the group has performed in many different manifestations since its foundation in 1999. Originally just Moyer dressed in drag, singing to an iPod, the group has grown to its current formation, which includes Moyer (E.D. Sedgwick) on guitar and vocals, Jess Matthews on drums, Kristina Buddenhagen on bass, and the soulful voice of JosaFeen Wells. Although, talking with Moyer, it seems as if the group is in constant fluctuation. “The people are definitely not sticking… we already have a new singer and our drummer is off and unavailable,” says Moyer. “But the format of it being a whole band with backup singers is here to stay,” he reassures us.
Their unique style brings to mind other jokey bands, such as labelmates Q & Not U, a band which Moyer says he has “seen live more than any person ever.” Moyer cites influences from Jello Biafra to Kool Keith, emphasizing that he likes music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. “They don’t want to be Bono,” he says. “Bono is like the opposite of what I’m trying to achieve.”
Why ED Sedgwick? Why the name?
It’s sort of a burden of history. I started this band over 15 years ago; all the songs were about celebrities, we had a very Warholian pose that evolved. I used to dress up in drag as Edie Sedgwick, but I don’t have a dress anymore, and I didn’t really want to change the name of the band, so I still have the same name because I think it’s important to remember your past. You know how people have useless organs? Like the appendix! It’s sort of like the appendix of our band. You know how some people have tails? Our name is kind of like that.
I understand you used to be heavy on the celebrity references, what do you write about now?
You know, whatever I find interesting. Such a terrible answer.. We have a song about prostitutes, and we have a song about vampires, we have a song about marijuana. It’s not because I’m into incest or drugs or vampires or prostitutes, it’s just sort of what comes out when I sit down to write lyrics. They’re a little surreal.
You used to dress up as Edie Sedgwick?
I used to don drag to perform. It was cool because it would fuck with people, you know, because I don’t think it’s very typical for straight men to do drag in the name of punk-cabaret, or whatever I was doing it in the name of… It was a cool way to engage an audience that wasn’t used to being engaged in a certain way. And also it made it more interesting to watch the show. For a while it was just me and an iPod, which is basically like karaoke. Now it’s not like karaoke, we have a full band. We are a rock band and we play rock songs. The whole A/V thing was just a way to make a guy who was just a karaoke artist seem to be more than a karaoke artist.
Where do you draw influence from?
Probably someone like Frank Black. I wouldn’t have said this a month ago, but I was listening to the Pixies this weekend and I realized that a lot of their songs are like songs I’d want to write. They’re about… the Bible, but they’re also about fucking, or they’re about drugs but about a surrealist film. They’re a little opaque, but they’re funny, and that’s the biggest thing. It’s like, I don’t want to be like Weird Al Yankovic or anything, but like I like when people’s lyrics are kind of off-kilter, and it shows that the artist isn’t taking himself too seriously. [For example] Frank Black, Jello Biafra, definitely like Old Dirty Bastard and rappers like him. Kind of like silly rappers like Busta Rhymes or Kool Keith. It just shows that they’re not taking themselves super seriously. They don’t want to be Bono. Bono is like the opposite of what I’m trying to achieve.
But you do take your music and career seriously, don’t you?
As a career? I don’t know if anyone can take music seriously as a career anymore. But no, I take it seriously. We’re not like a joke band in the way The Dead Milkmen is a joke band. I don’t want to be like that, but I do like it when you hear a song like the first track off Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers and there’s these guys talking, and you’re just laughing, like “Why is this guy talking about this?” And I feel like a lot of records don’t have those. I don’t feel like feel like if I listen to Arcade Fire there’s any moments where I’m like “Oh hahaha Arcade Fire!” You know? It’s more of a studious thing. And I’m tired of that. I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to be a in a serious political way.
What was one of your most memorable shows? Why?
I played a show once in Bulgaria at a movie theatre. We played on this stage through a PA that was like the size of my cell phone, and all these smoking audience members–they were smoking everywhere. They smoked inside, they smoked while we were loading in gear, they smoked while we were eating, they smoked while they were eating, they smoked between BITES! I liked that show because I really felt like a fish out of water, and I like to feel like a fish out of water. I basically designed my band to seem like a fish out of water. It’s like we’re these weird people–we show up, we have these white outfits, most of our band is with it, that’s very rare. I want people, when we show up, to be like “Who the fuck are these people and what are they going to sound like?” So hopefully it’ll be a shocking experience.
What is the future of the band? Touring? Another album?
We’ve made a bunch of new recordings, and we may release a record this way. We’ll probably do some singles or do a video or something, just trying to come up with new material and play as much as possible.
Do you think the current formation of the band is one to stick?
Well the people are definitely not sticking… we already have a new singer. Our drummer is off and unavailable. But the format of it being a whole band with backup singers is here to stay. Everyone is replaceable… except for me! But I’ll never go back to being a guy with an ipod again, it’s too depressing..
E.D. Sedgwick performs Saturday, February 2 at Steady Sounds (322 W Broad St.), accompanied by local punk band Hoax Hunters. The show starts at 5 PM. This FREE event is sure to be a memorable one. For more info, click HERE.
