2 notes &
Mr. Big
He lives on a ranch in Malibu and rescues animals when not making music. (dogs, cats & pigs)
On what music he listens to: “Anything without guitars. I hate guitarists.”
Favorite drink: Rum and coke
On India: I just don’t get why people here don’t keep their land clean.
Edness: (On the previous night’s party) “If I had my way, I’d have thrown the microwave, the sofa and everything else out the balcony as well.”
Ed Degenaro was the guitar faculty at Swarnabhoomi Academy of music for may & june. It wasn’t his first stint here in India as a musician and teacher and it looks like it won’t be his last.
The first thing you notice about him is his height. At 6ft 6” he is something of a giant by average Indian standards. The second thing you notice is his hair. It’s the first time I’ve seen GREEN dreadlocks. Yes, GREEN. Woah.
The next thing you notice..? His strut. He walks like he owns the land. That’s just it. Wherever Ed goes, Ed’s in Ed country.
The first time I saw him was at star rock (a bar in chennai where the bouncer once tried to slip me “chocolates”), where he totally owned the stage with his guitar and vile repertoire. With his head hitting the low ceiling (they were clearly not expecting a 6 foot 6 inch german guy to bounce around with a guitar) he had the crowd with him (it all started with him screaming “Turn up the volume m***** f*****s.” and from there; there was no stopping Big Ed, Monster Ed; with his no nonsense, quit fooling around and get me a drink while I stand here and watch attitude towards life, music and everything.
Ed is the epitome of youth and unstructured freedom. Unpredictable, wild, child like and sometimes atrocious.
But take apart the fooling around, the french; the matted green hair and you find a surprisingly charming, good natured 40 something talented composer and guitarist who has ‘Seen it’ and ‘Done That’ and created some brilliant music.
Watching him perform, you realize he is more than just a composer and guitarist, he is also an entertainer.
How best to describe his guitaring: Free form, fluid and energetic and goes beyond genres, timing and pulling strings.
But all this is just from me, a layman who knows next to nothing about guitars. You’d want to make up your mind for yourself, and not have advertising forced at you from all corners of the fucking globe. Suit yourself.
Ed plays at the Baked Potato, Studio City, CA and will be releasing his new album “Cosmic Barrio”.
