Eddie From Ohio

http://www.valley-journal.com/article/20041111/COMMUNITY/922589012&parentprofile=search


Eddie from Ohio: Great tunes and a musical ‘legacy of hope’
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Eddie from Ohio: Great tunes and a musical ‘legacy of hope’

BY KATHRYN PRESTON

Special to the VJ

Patrons packed the house at Steve's Guitars last Saturday for the highly anticipated Carbondale premiere of Eddie From Ohio.

EFO's lyric-driven folk-rock, quartet harmonies, and urban/tribal rhythms lit up this small town with their world-class style.

Hailing from Virginia, EFO's first tune, “Virginia in My Eyes” evokes that end of a long road-trip feeling when the mountains rise up to greet you and you know you're in the home-stretch. “Walkin' in Jerusalem” is a traditional tune transformed into a bluesy-gospel, full of chutzpah!

Speaking of chutzpah, Julie Murphy-Wells’ lead vocals are quirky yet seductive. Always crystal clear, she belts like a siren on the bluesy “If You Love Me, Leave Me Alone” and growls like a lioness in the whacky ditty “The Bird,” a hilarious lament about road-rage. Her girl-next-door quality comes through on songs like “Baltimore” with its vulnerable honesty, and her tough-girl persona emerges on the darkly comedic “1,000 Sarahs,” winning the “angry-Alanis Morrisette-award.”

Speaking of awards, the band bestowed the “best audience participation” award on Carbondale for its enthusiastic interplay on EFO's version of the Beatle's “Come Together.” One of my personal favorites was the gritty break-up song “Adios, Lorena” which evoked shades of Johnny Cash, featuring Murphy-Wells and Robbie Schaeffer in harmonized song-speak.

Displaying his own professional prowess, Eddie Hartness, the drummer, performed a solo with one hand on the bongos and the other slamming his drum-set with his stick, creating a primal frenzy that rivaled Santana on speed! The only way it could have been better was if he had worn that thong! (Ya had to be there!)

Hartness also commented on the origin of the band's harmonies: “We started out playing stuff like Crosby, Stills, and Nash and the Indigo Girls.” Then, the band's harmonies evolved to a higher degree of complexity under Murphy-Wells' arrangements. She received classical training at Virginia Tech., while the guys went to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Murphy-Wells related that Hartness is a “natural Irish tenor” while Schaffer is “a classically trained bass.”

The band has a talent for comic satire with tunes like “Stupid American,” and “Loving Couples.” However, they become ultra-poignant with songs like “Einstein” telling us “ the faster you go/ the slower you grow/ until you're nothing at all” — a subtle reminder that while our country conquers other cultures, extinguishes other species, and destroys the very resources that sustain us, we are actually advocating our own demise in doing so.

Couple that with “This is Me” which suggests that pain and violence don't die with those who are killed in war, but actually live and grow in those who survive.

However, EFO lights the way to a brighter day with their closing number “Walk Humbly, Son.” Originally written by Michael Clem for his son, it could easily become the quintessential anthem for a new millennium, sewing the seeds of a new culture based on goodwill and unanimity.

Eddie From Ohio did more than merely entertain us, they left us with a legacy of hope.

(Kathryn Preston is a local resident who has been an actor, a voice-over artist and a freelance writer. She can be reached at kathrynshakti@yahoo.com)