Every album has a thing where it's like, "How are we going to marry our four ideas and personalities?" The older we get, the more people become comfortable with their strengths and weaknesses. Being in a band with such a long history can be frustrating and slow, but ultimately it's so much more rewarding.
Ed DrosteI'd much rather speak up and stand behind something I believe in than worry about pissing off a couple hundred people. And if they're more pissed off than if I never said anything, well, sorry but not sorry.
Ed DrosteI do enjoy talking about how everything's changed and I'm fascinated by it, and I can spend my time worrying, like, "Are we going to appeal to teens?" But then, if I were to try to make a record for teens, I'd be doing exactly what I said I didn't want to do. That'd be posturing. And I'm watching other people trying to do that, and they all look stupid. But for some of them, it's working, so cash in.
Ed DrosteI guess everyone has their own definition of what folk is or pop or whatever. I find it incredibly hard to describe music these days.
Ed DrosteI've always loved to sing with somewhat vague lyrics so people can have their own interpretation and find their own meaning with it. I've become a bit more comfortable speaking about personal matters within the lyrics, but at the same time, there is an element where I'm not always sure how far I want to take it. There are certain topics that I'm discussing that I haven't explicitly explained to my bandmates. That's just for me to know, and I'm not going to talk about it anywhere.
Ed DrosteI don't want to do a gimmick. It's a bummer that that's how it is. I would say, personally speaking, consuming music now is harder than it was before. It's like being stuck in a slot machine. There's just so much noise. It's just constant noise. It's harder to clear your head and give the time to music that a lot of it really deserves. It's really crazy how different your relationship to an album or music becomes, even if it's digital, if you spend the $7 to $10 on it. It forms this relationship where you're not just going to throw it away.
Ed DrosteI have the right to speak up. If you don't want to listen, just unfollow. If you're so upset about it you can't even listen to my music, because you're upset that we're not supporting Trump or whatever, then fine. Don't. Don't listen. Moving on. End of story. I'm more disappointed in fellow artists that stay mum for fear of losing a handful of fans.
Ed Droste