Unsigned Spotlight: Electric Sol
Electric Sol started out as a solo studio project by lead singer/songwriter Ed Sweet, who was writing a story about a band trying to make it big playing Native American casinos. He dropped the story but started making the music, and the live band formed after Electric Sol’s eponymous first release in 2016.
Please list your name.
My name is Ed Sweet, and my band/artist name is Electric Sol.
For starters, what bands were you a part of prior to your solo project, Electric Sol?
Electric Sol is my first foray as a singer/songwriter/musician. The recorded music I make is more of a solo project and our live performances are done as a band. The current EP, Accept Me, was produced by the incredible Dapo Torimiro in California, with vocal production and sweet background vocals by my awesome friend Lindsey Bair here in Arizona, who is also in the band.
What’s the origin of that name?
I was writing a novel about a band from Arizona that was trying to make it big playing Native American casinos. I like electronic music with soul, and the sun is a huge part of daily life here in the Sonoran Desert, so the name Electric Sol was born and given to the fake band I was writing about. It was months later that I realized “Electric Sol” has the same initials as “Ed Sweet,” so I guess the name is more personal to me that I had imagined. I never finished the novel, but I started making the music of that fictitious band and turned it into a real thing. We haven’t done any casino shows yet, but I think that would be fun.
What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
I mostly write about relationships, good and bad. Love at first sight is a theme that often comes up. The songs on the Accept Me EP are all pretty positive. The single Accept Me is written from the perspective of someone who’s moved on from a tough relationship with an abusive parent, authority figure, or annoying know-it-all. Together explores the value of finding someone you can be close to, even when you’re at your most vulnerable. I Appreciate You focuses on friendship. And I Think I’m Falling reflects on the nearly universal experience of finding love unexpectedly.
The new EP I’m working on covers similar themes: There’s so much material to work with around relationships that I doubt I’ll change my topics too much. The future EP has a song about how wonderful and touching music can be, and I guess in a way that’s a relationship song, too.
What artists are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
I listen to a lot of chill and dance artists. I love vibing off of instrumentals and seeing if they conjure up any lyrics or lyric ideas. My latest obsession is Satin Jackets, but I also like Nora Van Elken, Tourist, Dinka, Darius, and so many others.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to get into music?
I sang a lot as a little kid, but that passion went dormant when I turned eight or nine. Much to my surprise, Michael Jackson’s death had a really profound impact on me and made me want to sing again. It wasn’t until years later that I felt the urge to actually make music, but I still attribute it to him.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
My main ritual is to do my friend Lindsey Bair’s 9 Minute Daily Male Vocal Warm-up & Workout on her YouTube channel. I also wear a special ring on my right hand when I perform. It reminds me that I’m committed to my music and helps me do the best I can at each show.
What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
Definitely finding fans all over the world through Spotify and social media with the release of the first two singles on the Accept Me EP. I’ve connected with individual fans in places like Mexico City and Ukraine, and we have at least one listener in almost every country that has Spotify right now. Our biggest audiences for the single Accept Me are Netherlands and the UK, and I Think I’m Falling is popular in Spain and several Latin American countries. The fact that a little band in Phoenix, Arizona can have a global reach is pure joy for me. Plus, I guess I’m a bit of an analytics geek and Spotify for Artists satisfies that craving.
If you could tour with any musical act, past or present, who would they be and why?
I’d really love to tour with Penguin Prison, aka Chris Glover. I saw him/them perform at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles in 2017. It was one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to, with great energy, great fans, and just the right amount of dancing, happy people.
Penguin Prison has been a big inspiration for me, and I’d love to be considered in the same league someday. I really love connecting with fans in intimate venues like the Teragram and I have no delusions that I could ever do a stadium show.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I’d just like to thank you for these questions and for giving me a chance to share what we’re up to in the hopes that it resonates with people. What I really strive to achieve with my music, in addition to giving people something to dance to and maybe smile about, is to help people embrace their individuality and let their true personalities shine through.
Life is really too short to live any other way. I’ve always liked my weird self but even with a fair amount of self-confidence I hold back sometimes. I really hate it when I find myself worrying about what other people think: They should just “accept me” or F off.