by Kristin Chambers
It’s easy to imagine Orpheo McCord sitting on a mountainside in Ojai, California, taking care not to let the salt water that remains in his mustache from a late morning surf mix with his coffee as he sips slowly out of a chipped vintage mug. One of 10 members of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, McCord (percussion, drums, vocals) may or may not have actually been in that scenario, but that’s how I picture the members of this hippie-esque group, which boomed into indie fame following the 2009 release of the single “Home.” The image came easily, especially after McCord apologized for the late interview because he had to go catch some waves. Apology accepted, sir.
The band’s sophomore album Here, released in late May, takes on the 70s folk sing-a-long style thousands fell in love with. The band will be traveling to Florida in September to woo fans with their childlike family dynamic, appearing in both Orlando and St. Petersburg before heading to Australia. McCord was kind enough to chat with me about the tour, lead singer Alex Ebert’s brand new baby girl, and the hope of future surf breaks.
What’s it been like on the road with such a big group?
It’s been an ever-morphing experience that we’ve been doing for four years now. There are seven of us that have been in the band since the beginning, and we have had a couple of rotating members, which has evolved into a really beautiful place where the dynamic and the chemistry is really great. When we are all together, most of the time it is a really fun kind of festive feeling and we all get along and hang out together.”
Like a family sort of dynamic?
Yeah, when we first started playing there were certain things that would play out that would make things at the moment feel tense but we would always work through them because everyone does love each other. But now it’s really smooth and if something arises with somebody we can communicate it pretty quickly. Everyone is very supportive of each other and respects each other’s space.
How did Here come together and how do you feel it’s progressed from Up From Below?
When Up From Below was recorded, the whole band was formed for the most part around making that first record – like when Alex cleared the vision of what he wanted to create and him and Christian (guitar, vocals) – they have known each other since they were five years old – started working on some demos together. Then the recording process began and basically most of us came in through that project manifesting itself. None of us really knew how it would all unfold. Obviously the record did quite well and there was a lot of fame around “Home,” and we started touring a bunch off the success of that record and off the success of the last shows, and it was two or three years down the road when we were like, ‘holy moley, it’s time to make a new record!’
We started the process and ended up recording well over 30 songs, then it kind of just started coming out. A lot of them were rough ideas and others were a little more developed and we just kind of fleshed them out and then at the end of a couple months we had to sit back and figure out what we were going to do. There was talk of a double record, and we decided not to go that route, and so picked nine of the songs that we thought would be reflective of our record coming out in the summertime and just a nice follow-up from Up From Below.
Are you guys going to put the rest of the songs toward your next record?
We are going to release a third record sometime. We obviously haven’t set a date yet but we are going to produce on the sooner side.
Sometime this year?
You know, it will probably be next year. There’s still some stuff that we have to sort out with some songs – there are some really great songs and it’s going to have a different sound than the second record.
Like…how?
(Laughs) Well, I’d rather you wait and listen and hear. There is always a similar element in the sense that we use a wide array of instrumentation and contributing in different ways, so there’s always a common thread and the intention behind the music, but the palate varies a little bit from the second record. I don’t want to give away too much about it yet, we are pretty excited about it and I think you’ll appreciate it when it comes out.
You guys have such a fun, childlike dynamic onstage. Where does this energy evolve?
We definitely try to set the intention to be childlike. Sometimes before we go on, we huddle up in a circle and vibe each other out and get in alignment with each other, maybe say a little mantra like ‘we are children,’ or something that helps purify the situation. We try and set the intention of bringing that childlike sensibility to the experience and ideally carry that on through our lives on a daily basis and tap into that purity. We really just want to play and be playful and not take ourselves too seriously, and as much as we love music, it’s just as much a part of who we are. At the end of the day it is about having a good time and connecting with the people who are there to have the experience and keep it pure, and really just share with everybody on stage and everybody in the room.
Do you ever get tired of playing songs like “Home” and other fan favorites?
“Home” never seems to get tiring because we have such a strong response every time we play it, and there is so much joy you get to experience from the audience that it’s always exciting to play. Now that we have a lot of new songs under our belt, we get to develop them. One element to this band is that we never really do songs the same twice. They are all so fresh when we go and record them in the studio and they come out a certain way, and then as we continue to develop those songs; as we are performing them live they start to take on another life and they turn into something different, and it is really exciting to get to explore all of these new songs.
What are you guys up to in between tour dates?
My girlfriend and I are pretty serious surfers. We are about 25 minutes from a really good break.
Sweet, what do you ride?
We’re both into long boards, but we’re wanted to purchase some short boards, because I’m wanting to take it to the next level. Maybe a fish.
Me and Mark (guitar, vocals) are always trying to look for spots to surf when we can, but it’s always hard when you are on a tour bus since you leave at night and don’t have much freedom.
Do you guys ever play in any surf destinations?
Well, we are about to go to Australia. We have quite a few days off here and there in between shows, so Mark and I are definitely planning on doing some surfing when we are there.
In addition to putting out Here, you guys did a compilation with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips this year…what was it like putting that together and doing a show with him?
He’s got a lot of energy – always manifesting and creating all sorts of things. The first time we collaborated we performed at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where we did a version of “Do You Realize” in front of the bell tower at 6 a.m. It was pretty cool, and then we did the compilation. We were in the studio and he’d send us tracks and we would add stuff and send it back to him. It was fun working with him because I love the Flaming Lips, and it was fun to collaborate in any way with them.
Any other future collaborations planned?
Not at this point, but I’m sure some things will unfold with other folks. There are so many talented musicians out there.
Has anything crazy stuck out on your tour around the world so far this year?
We just got back from Europe and one of the things that stuck out is that in England, people are just totally ready to go into mud madness of festivals. It rains there so much that there is so much mud, and everybody is totally fine and totally content for 3 or 4 days in sloppy mud. I thought that was impressive because I don’t know how stoked I’d be in the mud listening to music, but they’re into it. I kind of admire their love for music and willingness to be in that environment.
So, rumor’s that front man Alex is expecting a baby?
Yeah, Alex had his baby a couple days ago. It’s a beautiful girl.
Is she going to be a new addition to the tour?
She’s a newborn and so it’s hard to say. And then there’s another two-month old from Josh (drums, vocals). We joke that we’re going to have a horn section coming.
See you just gave away the secret to the third album right there.
(laughs) Yeah, the family just keeps growing. I think the last tour we had 24 people on the road with us. So it really is a family.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are scheduled to play at the Beacham Theatre in Orlando on September 30th and at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg on October 1st. For more information visit www.edwardsharpeandthemagneticzeros.com.
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