A while back I received a promo from these guys and became a fan

after the first listen. Based out of Austin, Texas, they have 3 self-released studio albums and 2 self-released LIVE albums. Their most recent studio venture being named ‘Top Hat Crown and the Clapmasters Son’. The band was begun when 3 solo

singer/songwriters decided to join forces. One of those 3 goes by the name of Ed Jurdi and while on the road to a recent gig, he took the time to talk to me via cell phone for a while…

There are two-parts to this interview. The first part was featured in Issue #2 of 'The Tribe Newsletter'. In that part of the interview, Ed talks a little about each song on the 'Top Hat' album.. (The PDF for that newsletter can be viewed at these

links ---> PAGE 1, PAGE 2, PAGE 3, PAGE 4,  or you can request a Zip File of the entire newsletter via email at primal@splattertribe.tv.) The 2nd part of the interview is featured below. In this part, Ed speaks a little more in-depth on the band, music and albums in general. 

So remember,  Part 1 is in 'The Tribe Newsletter' Issue #2, which you can view HERE & Part 2 of the interview is on this very page and posted BELOW! Also, check out the LIVE Performance video versions of three 'The Band Of Heathens' songs from their latest release, 'Top Hat Crown and the Clapmasters Son' on this page as well! The YouTube link is to the right ---> !

Ed Jurdi: Uhm, a fair amount man. We're definitely away more than we're home, but I think the nature of Texas is (that) the state is so big. It's like, if we're a band from the northeast (of Texas), it would literally be like playing from Boston to Washington, DC and everything in between. That's how big Texas is and the number of places you can play. If you're driving, it takes all day to get across the state, you know?

The Tribe: You released your third album, ‘Top Hat Crown and the Clapmasters Son’ a little while back. What did the first two albums mean in the progression of you guys as a band that maybe we can hear on the new album?

Ed Jurdi: Well, I mean every record is kind of a snapshot of the band from that point in time. It's really like photograph, musically speaking. Like anything else, I think they kind of created the building blocks. I think with each record we explored some different stuff. Things (have been) building on top of each other from album to album. It's never like, with this album, lets just reset the button and start it over... Still though, with kind of learning what we have learned- by playing together and assimilating to each others styles- all these things are stuff you don't really talk about. It's stuff that just becomes second nature. We have gotten better as a band and all that goes into the new music that you're writing and the music that you're playing, and how the band interacts and plays together. Again, this record is a snapshot of where we were when we did it. I expect the next one to be the same thing.

The Tribe: It's hard enough for some bands when they have only one lead vocalist and/or songwriter, but you guys have three vocalists and chief songwriters, how hard is that to gel and how do you decide who sings what and whatever else?

Ed Jurdi: I think what you say is interesting. I think there's challenges in any situation. Like maybe a band that has one writer and one singer may have trouble creating enough material, you know what I mean? So, in one sense (with us), it takes a lot of pressure off with that. There are three writers and three singers, so nobody has to carry the whole load by themselves, and I think with that, we have found a lot of common ground and have been able to use the three of us as the voice of the band. As opposed to being three diverse singers, writers and players. Our three voices, and the songs we write, have become what the sound of the band is. The three people are actually one front man. I think within that though you've got three really distinct personalities and it can be a little bit of a strain sometimes, like when we're trying to figure out what material to do and how we're gonna present it- but ultimately, it works out. We've been doing it for 6 years. So far we've been able to come to a common ground on stuff. You know, things don't always go the way you want them to go exactly, but that's just being a band. That's life. That's just the way it is sometimes.

The Tribe: As far as taking the lead for a song, is that determined by what songs each of you have had more to do with, as far as, melody and/or the lyrics?

Ed Jurdi: It does verge away from that sometimes, but typically, whoever came up with the initial idea, whoever writes the bulk of the tune, is usually the person that sings it. We've had a few cases where that hasn't been the case, or we share lead vocals or something like that, but that's kind of the rule of thumb. We'll bat it around and everyone may try and take a stab at singing it, but typically, whoever is writing the song is the one singing it.

The Tribe: How much time do you spend spacing the songs on an album, as far as, making sure your songs aren't lumped in together or this song fits that song, or does that even come into play?

Ed Jurdi: Yeah, of course, I mean we still make records like their records. We're into the sequence of the record and the record having a narrative and story and there being a dynamic shift in the record- musically and lyrically. All of it is really important. So we do spend a lot of time on all of that. That's where having three people does make it a little more challenging. At the same time, it's really cool because you have some really different perspectives on it. We have a tendency to think different too, which is cool. We might come up with an idea that you (would have) never thought of. Like, "hey what if we put this song on before this song and put this song later?" "Oh, I never thought about that. It's a great idea though." So you kind of get out of the way of your own ego and obviously it can be something that is more beneficial.

The Tribe: How about the writing? Do you guys do a lot of writing while you're sound checking for shows or is writing a separate issue?

Ed Jurdi: Uh, it's both man. Writing is kind of a mystery. I do work at it more than I used too, than when I was younger. I'll try and take time to write and set down, as opposed to sometimes when I was younger I waited for inspiration to strike. But, yeah, it happens at sound checks. It happens in your hotel room. It happens when you're riding in the van. It can happen whenever.

The Tribe: I love the art of songwriting that you guys partake in and in my opinion, it is not out there enough these days. That being said, are there any other bands or songwriters that you feel deserve a little more attention?

Ed Jurdi: Man, there are a lot of great artists in Austin. There's a guy down here. His name is Drew Smith. He's really great. I don't know...there's a lot of great songwriters. There's another guy in Texas. His name is Adam Carroll. He's a really great writer. There's a lot of bands that are really great now...that I enjoy listening to. (There's) the band Delta Spirit, that I like a lot. There's a band in San Francisco called Vetiver. There're a really good folk band. There's a lot of really good music man. It's just a question of people finding it. Now all of this music is available to us all the time. The new challenge isn't having money to buy music all the time. The new challenge is actually finding it. You've gotta filter it out and find what you like.

The Tribe: It's almost over saturated at times and a lot of the best artists get overlooked...

Ed Jurdi: Sure. I think it's always kind of been like that though, you know? In a way... There's never really been, you know, with the exception of a few times in history, where the best music was also the most popular music.

The Tribe: All three of your albums have been self-released, is that something that you want to keep doing or are you looking for the right label? Do you find more enjoyment by self releasing it on your own terms?

Ed Jurdi: I don't know if it is really about enjoying or not enjoying it. It's more about each one of these projects is it's own thing and we approach it as such. Each thing that we have done so far, that was the best way for us to get the music out and done. If there was someone else that wanted to work with us, whether it be a label, or investor, or anything like that...I'm not, like, against that idea at all. I just think the important thing is that if you're an artist and a musician, you want to create and do what you want to do. Independently releasing them ourselves allowed us to do it exactly how we wanted to do it and release it exactly how we wanted to do it. But, if there was a situation (with someone) that enabled us to do that and (not) be financially responsible for it (laughs) that would be fine too,..

The Tribe: Are you an advocate of keeping records and/or albums alive? I mean a lot of people are calling for the death of albums, in general.

Ed Jurdi: Yes. I think my answer to both of those things is "Yes". I love vinyl. I have a lot of records and I love albums. I think the album is a really great, expressive art form, and I think the people that are calling for that... If you're the kind of person that has a short attention span and you want to listen to singles, and you want to listen to a couple of tunes...You know what? That's why we have digital music.... It's great. So you can listen to a couple of tunes. You can check it out and see if you like it. You can buy songs individually. I mean this is a great time to be a fan of music in terms of, you have unlimited choices on how you want to receive the music and absorb it, you know?

The Tribe: What about LIVE albums. You actually released two live albums before the three studio albums, any plans for releasing anymore LIVE albums?

Ed Jurdi: We're doing a two night stint in Denver in October and we're gonna record it and hopefully have another LIVE record come out of that. We like to keep new music coming out and I think most of our catalog, we haven't recorded LIVE and made it available. So it kind of presented itself with an opportunity to do that. We'll see how that comes out and if it is something that we are able to release.

The Tribe: Do you guys still do any solo stuff at all, or are you a band 24/7?

Ed Jurdi: Uhm...We're a band 24/7, occasionally if we have some time off, I'll go set in with some of my friends. I'll go play my acoustic guitar on a few songs and hang out with them. Do a little show or whatever. The other guys in the band, (do) the same thing. This band has really taken precedence (though) and is what everyone is doing. It's a fulltime thing and has been for a while.

The Tribe: I wanted to ask about the art direction of the CD. There is the name Joshua Martin Levy shows up with the art design credits and is credited for a passage featured in the inlay of the CD. What is the connection between him and you guys?

Ed Jurdi: He's a guy that we where just fans of his artwork and met him a few years ago. He's done a couple of posters for the band. When we where getting ready to do this record, we called him up and asked him if he would do some artwork for it. We sent him the music and that is what he sent us back. He's a storm trooper. He's great man. He's a great artist a great free spirit and he's got a lot of really cool ideas. So it's just really fun getting to work with him.

The Tribe: Did you have any left over songs from 'Top Hat...'?

Ed Jurdi: Yeah, there was a couple of songs that we will end up releasing at some point probably. There where a couple from the last record...three or four... There's always a few left over. We play them LIVE. Fans of the band, that come and see the band and stuff like that, I think they know about the tunes. In terms of from the studio, there were two songs we recorded that didn't make this record. We have been playing them LIVE. We'll probably release them through our website at some point this year and make them available for free. When you're making the record you want to have more than you need. It's a great problem to have. We wanted to make a record... We wanted to make ten songs that you could set down and listen to in one setting, you know? So, a couple of things didn't make it. It didn't mean we didn't love the songs. It's just a situation where they didn't fit in as well with everything else that we had going on.

The Tribe: Anything you would like to add in closing?

Ed Jurdi: We're just gonna be on the road touring and making records...Hopefully we'll be able to keep doing it and people will keep coming to our shows and supporting our music. Hopefully we'll be able to keep creating our art and doing what we want to do. www.bandofheathens.com     ~end