E-603
E-603 chats about cats, producing as a twelve year old and 'Air Bud'
E-603 sounds like the name of a robot from Star Wars, but E-603 is actually the stage name of Ethan Ward, a “mash up” artist from New Hampshire. Taking his initial from his first name (obviously) and the area code of where Ward is from. Creative names aside – E-603 has made a nice little career for himself in a short time. E-603 has shared the stage with Yo La Tengo, The Cool Kids and just recently finished up a tour with Passion Pit. You can download his “pay what you want” album Torn Up here.
HEAVE: What did you listen to growing up?
E-603: I listened to a lot of different stuff. I guess it kind of depends on what part of growing up. There are a couple of bands/ artists I have never gotten over and I still listen to all the time, such as The Misfits and Beck. I really changed it up a lot as a kid though I could go from CKY to Bob Dylan.
HEAVE: You started producing songs when you were 12. What, exactly, does a 12-year-old E-603 produce?
E-603: I used to produce stuff that was a lot more experimental. When I first started recording it was a weird period in my life when I would make really electronic music but I also would write music that sounded very classical. There are two tracks that come to mind one being a 8 minutes long piano piece with sounds and samples added electronically. The other being a more pop structured song that was pretty electronic, and at one part I converged the signal from my guitar and voice to create this really rad screaming sound.
HEAVE: How did it turn out?
E-603: The ideas were there but I feel like things kind of fell short of what they could have been.
HEAVE: You are doing the now popular “pay what you want” for your newest album “Torn Up.” But you, unlike others, give incentives if money is paid for the album. Has anyone taken you up on the thousand-dollar badminton/stay at your house for a weekend deal? I think the 200 dollars for flowers from your garden and pictures of your cats is probably the best deal on the Internet.
E-603: Yeah, my cats don't like to be very public so that is a very exclusive deal. Nobody has gone 100% on the 1000 dollar deal but I have played badminton with some buyers. It is also very difficult to freeze the flowers that I plucked from my garden in the summer so they stay fresh throughout the winter. It is a precise task.
HEAVE: Your first album got great reviews. “Torn Up” got even better reviews. Are you still in the “whoa this is happening to me” stage?
E-603: I am getting a little more used to it at this point. I am still a really small artist so its not like I have run into anything too wild and weird. I remember the first time I was "wait, people actually listen to my music?" It was when I first started playing shows and I was at this college and woke up in this girls room (there was no funny business) the morning after a show and I was going through her itunes and I saw E-603 and it surprised me.
HEAVE: You are on tour with Passion Pit. How is the tour going?
E-603: I love it. I am actually sitting in the "dressing room/backstage area" of the Henry Fonda Theater right now. Unfortunately, it is my last show with them. Also, some of the shows had to be canceled because there was a sickness issue. I like being with them because it is a very different setting from most of my shows, but they have a great following that is always ready to have fun.
HEAVE: What is the craziest thing to happen at one of your shows?
E-603: Well, a couple of weeks ago I was in the middle of my set and some kids were dancing on the table I was playing on. Which I totally support, and happens all the time. One of the girls managed to climb onto my back and was essentially getting a sloppy piggyback ride from me while I was playing. Kids were trying to take her off of me but I was into it at the time. Eventually, she slipped off of me or someone took her off. Its probably not the most crazy but it is the first to come to mind.
HEAVE: Is there any song or artist you wouldn’t ever put into the mix? A “I can’t mess with their work” type of thing?
E-603: No. I think there are some samples that carry more weight and almost more responsibility if you are to sample them. I think there are some samples that I may think twice about sampling but none that I would totally exclude from the sampling realm.
HEAVE: You are in another “joke” band called AIR BUD – a pretty awesome dog/sports movie. What other movies starring dogs do you enjoy?
E-603: Homeward Bound is great. I think Air Bud really appealed to us because there are multiple air bud films and 3 members of AIR BUD. So each one of us IS a different Air Bud film. Air Bud: Golden Receiver is Ryan McFarland Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch is Graham Valley and Air Bud: World Pup (also known as Air Bud 3 or Air Bud: The Next Generation) is me.
Posted by Wes Soltis on Oct 19, 2009 @ 9:05 am
