1) AMO is all about celebrating Aussie music. Can you tell us who one or two of your favorite local songwriters/artists are, and what it is about them you love? What were some of the first Australian records you remember really getting into?

Eddie: I really don’t get out to see as many live bands as I would like these days due to writing music, family life and other things that demand my time. There are quite a few bands I’d love to go and see, bands I’ve heard so much about but just haven’t found the time to check out. I’ve heard good things about “Voyager” and “Vanishing Point”. I will definitely make an effort to see them live next time they are gigging in Melbourne. I have seen a couple of bands recently that floored me. I saw “Cog” play a gig not so long ago and they really put on a fantastic show. I wasn’t expecting them to be that impressive live but I couldn’t believe how good they were.

2) Can you tell AMO readers a few details about where & when you began working on your latest release? How long did recording take - what was one of the highlights?

Eddie: My latest release “Disrepair Part Two – The Pleasure Fled” was recorded in my home studio where I’ve recorded all the “Mechanical Organic” albums so far. I began recording at the start of the Christmas holiday season and basically finish just before I had to go back to work the following year. It was probably the most relaxed I’ve felt during a recording session and I really enjoyed the process immensely this time around. I guess the biggest highlight for me is the fact that I’m still able to produce music that is a little left of center. Since the birth of my first child a year ago I’ve really struggle to find time to dedicate to my musical endeavors. And at one point I thought that it was pretty much all over. But after finding the time to record my latest release, and really enjoying the process again, I’m really excited about the future of “Mechanical Organic” and I can’t wait to release more music in the near future.

3) Were there any specific ideas, musically speaking, you particularly wanted to capture with this recording? Anything you were determined to avoid?

Eddie: For the most part I really wanted this recording to be non repetitive and flowing. I wanted to write a length piece of music that continually morphed into something else, something unexpected. The most important thing for me was to have the freedom to express myself in any way, shape or form that appealed to me. In the past I’ve always felt held back by what others thought I should be playing. With “Mechanical Organic” there are no restrictions and almost anything goes. I don’t have to write songs with specific length in mind. I don’t have to try to be something I’m not. I don’t have to consider being commercial enough to be signed. I don’t need to worry about genres and whether an audience of a specific sub genre is going to get where we are coming from. I write really unique heavy music with a progressive/industrial/electronic twist, and I tackle subject matter that interests me, that’s all that matters to me. I think this kind of approach has given me a really unique sound that most people can’t pigeonhole. I think it’s really hard to be original these days and even harder to stand out in the current music industry. It’s hard to be unique without crossing the line and venturing into avant-garde experimental territory. In the future I’m looking forward to releasing more music that blurs the boundaries between genres.

 
4) Who’s been a big musical influence on your life - whether it be an album you’ve loved, a songwriter who’s inspired you, or just someone you know who’s compelled you to write?

Eddie: I generally answer this type of question the same way every time I get asked it. I believe that everything I have ever heard and experience has influenced the way I write music. I really don’t think I’ve been influenced by any one particular artist. I listen to a lot of really different stuff and I tend to get into some pretty obscure styles of music. I’ve always had a soft spot for the heavier progressive styles of music and I guess the bands that play that style of music have influenced my song writing the most over the years. I guess I’ve been influenced more by certain genre types rather than the artists themselves.

5) If you could have written any classic Aussie song in history - either widely popular or relatively unknown - what track would you love to be responsible for? Why do you like it?

Eddie: This is a really hard question for me to answer. My taste in music is very obscure and I guess most of the bands I listen to are from Europe or from the US. There really aren’t a lot of bands in Australia that have grabbed my attention over the past couple of years. That’s not to say there aren’t any good bands out there it’s just that my musical focus has been on bands from overseas.

6) What’s some of the biggest challenges a local artist such as yourself faces when it comes to the day-to-day reality of making music for a living?

Eddie: Making a living from playing in “Mechanical Organic” is a distant dream at this stage, and always will be I suspect. The first step would be to get the project to a point where it breaks even. With technology these days it’s a lot easier to produce music without having to spend big $$$$. Having a studio of my own means I can record without having to watch the clock and I can spend as little or as much time in there as we like. The flip side of that is that every other band can do the same. The market seems to be flooded with more music and bands than the industry/market can handle. It’s harder than ever to distinguish the gems from the trash because there’s so much product out there. As a result it’s much harder these days to get noticed and sell CD's.
I also think that piracy and the culture surrounding it is a major problem and to be honest I have no idea how that problem will be solved. Being an artist who distributes his own music digitally means that I have no manufacturing cost, no pressing cost and no postage cost which is great. I guess I’m hoping that CD’s will eventually fade away along with record companies that have made million. I would love to see more artists go completely digital and independent and sell their MP3’s and wave file directly to their fans. Cut out the record companies all together and give the power and wealth back to the artist. Slowly but surely more and more people/music fans are going completely digital but I’d love to see these people buying music directly from the artist instead of through I-Tunes or some other digital music outlet. All my music is available in MP3 format and can be purchased from the “Mechanical Organic” secure online store.

7) If you could only take one specific instrument to a desert island with you, it would have to be ____ because:

Eddie: Can a computer be considered an instrument theses day? Probably not. I’d have to say a Keyboard. It would have to have a good sequencer in it though.

8) If asked, what advice would you give to a young band or emerging artist who’s starting out? What’s something to avoid, or to keep in mind?

Eddie: Work really hard at your craft and if you are going to work with other musicians don’t settle for people who don’t suit perfectly. And most importantly don’t expect to make money from music. The music industry is a very tough nut to crack so be prepare to struggle for many years. If you get into music for the right reasons you’ll stand a better chance of actually surviving some of the major low point of being involved in the industry. And believe me there are plenty of stressful and depressing times along the way. Just put one foot in from of the other and forge ahead. Persistence is the key to musical survival so never give up.

 
9) Lastly, what do you get out of making music that makes it so special to you? What do you really love about it?

Eddie: I love the process of creating art and I consider every piece of music that I produce for “Mechanical Organic” a work of art.. The writing process always fascinates me and I’m always surprised when I come up with something that I consider unique and interesting. But the thing I love most about writing music, the thing that makes it worthwhile is that feeling you get when you know you’ve written something good. It’s a very satisfying moment.
Writing music for “Mechanical Organic” means so much more than just producing music. Music is a large part of the process for me but there are many more forms of artistic expression that I handle personally. I develop all my own CD artwork, I handle all the photography, I shoot and edit my own video clips and I develop and maintain my own website. I would imagine most independent artists would do the same due to budget constraints. I personally took on these responsibilities out of necessity but now I’ve grown to really enjoy them all.