Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros: an eleven –sometimes more– piece band is currently touring the U.S. on an album they released more than a year ago titled Up from Below. The album has garnered great reviews, and the group’s music has appeared in multiple commercials, you have probably been exposed to their most popular song Home.
The band was formed by Alex Ebert (a.k.a. Edward Sharpe) and his girlfriend Jade Castrinos as part of Ebert’s attempt to get his life back under his feet. Though they are most well known for their one or two very popular songs they also are starting to get recognition for their live shows.
This past weekend they performed at Austin City Limits a music festival in Austin, Texas that took place from October 8th to October 10th and is often aired on television. I happened to be there to enjoy this amazing music festival with fellow Mariemont student Teddy Murphy. We got there 15 to 20 minutes early and started making our way through the crowd. I, at this point, had been in love with the album but didn’t expect what was coming at all. I was able to make my way up near the front, probably about 20 to 30 people back from the stage.
After a good wait, 11 people poured onto the stage and set up at various instruments, only one was a synthesized instrument. I then noticed a tall man in a white nightgown-looking shirt, his hair up in knots. He had one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen.
This was Alex Ebert.
Throughout the show he would walk off the stage and up to the crowd standing on the rail balancing himself on various people’s hands. He even crawled over the crowd at one point. The show was overall very real and sincere. After seeing them I can say I would drive many, many miles to see them again. I was curious if other people were as amazed as the Austin City Limits crowd was. People for sure were as I read stories of his other shows. One such story was of them at Lollapalooza where the Magnetic Zero’s encore got the entire crowd to sit down as he walked through them singing their song Brother.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros closest show will be performed on December 4th in Chicago. The last planned show is January 30th, so it could be while before they come near Cincinnati, but it is truly an experience. I would suggest getting well acquainted with the CD before they do.
