Alex Ebert
Alex Ebert | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Alexander Michael Tahquitz Ebert |
Also known as | Edward Sharpe |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | May 12, 1978
Genres | Indie rock, psychedelic rock, pop rock, folk |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, composer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, multi-instrumentalist |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | Virgin Records, Rough Trade Records, Vagrant Records, Community Music, Echo Park Records, Werewolf Heart |
Alexander Michael Tahquitz Ebert (born May 12, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. He is best known for being the lead singer and songwriter for the American bands Ima Robot and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. On January 12, 2014, Ebert won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for his musical score to the film All Is Lost (2013).
Early life
Ebert was born in Los Angeles in 1978, the son of a
His full birth name is Alexander Michael Tahquitz Ebert, as his father took one of his son's names from his favorite climbing rock,
His father influenced young Alexander by playing music by artists like
Following a school project on
Career
Ima Robot
Ebert began writing and recording music (primarily rap) with his longtime friend
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
After years of his Los Angeles party lifestyle and subsequent drug addiction, Ebert broke up with his then-girlfriend, moved out of his house, and spent some time in rehab.[citation needed] During this time, he developed Edward Sharpe, his alter ego. "I don't want to put too much weight on it, because in some ways it's just a name that I came up with. But I guess if I look deeper, I do feel like I had lost my identity in general. I really didn't know what was going on or who I was anymore. Adopting another name helped me open up an avenue to get back."[9] Ebert developed Sharpe into a messianic figure, saying "He was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind, but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love."
Though the band would eventually grow into an ensemble of – at various points – even more than 10 people, Ebert began initial writing and recording completely alone, doing "the horn lines with my mouth or a kazoo on the demos" and "all the background vocals layering [him]self, pretending that there were people there."[8] The band began to take shape with the addition of singer Jade Castrinos, whom he saw sitting on an outdoor bench and immediately knew he needed to have a relationship with. Their resultant affair formed the seeds of what would become Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.[1] They started writing music together, and became a part of the art and music collective The Masses, which was partially started by some seed money from actor Heath Ledger.[10] While their relationship did not last, the group took off in a big way, and their group soon swelled to more than 10 members, some of whom had been Ebert's friends since he was young. By summer 2009, they were touring the country. Their first album, Up from Below, was released in July 2009. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on May 10, 2012, promoting their next album entitled Here, which was released on May 29, 2012. Their third full-length album, self-titled Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, was released on July 23, 2013. They again appeared on the Late Show to promote the album, performing the track "Life Is Hard".
On their most recent album, PersonA, Ebert tried to evolve, stating, "In a lot of ways this album does things that are missing." He went on to discuss why the name Edward Sharpe is crossed out on the cover, saying, "There was no character to begin with, so why not kill him? He never really was there. If anything, and at most, Edward Sharpe was a vehicle for me to get to slough off whatever I had become up until that point, and to get back to or sort of allow my pure self to come forth into sort of a clean slate."[8]
Solo career
In 2011, Ebert released his first solo album, Alexander. He appeared on Conan on September 12, 2011, to promote his solo album.
On August 4, 2015, it was announced that Ebert would appear as the lead singer on Avicii's single "For a Better Day" from his album Stories.
"Feel the Bern" was added to Ebert's SoundCloud[11] on September 30, 2015. The anthem celebrates the movement surrounding Bernie Sanders and compels people to "Feel the Bern", which was a slogan of Bernie's 2016 & 2020 presidential campaigns.
Ebert's second non-soundtrack solo album I vs I was released on January 31, 2020. Ebert has said that I vs I is “The most in-my-emotions, emo, self-centered album that I’ve probably ever made, but it’s been part of my process to get back to myself.”[12]
Theatre
Ebert wrote the song "Daddy Knows Best" for
Personal life
Ebert has a daughter with former partner Roehm Hepler-Gonzalez.[13] Ebert began a relationship with actress Jena Malone in 2019.[14]
Discography
- With Ima Robot
- Ima Robot (2003)
- Monument to the Masses (2006)
- Another Man's Treasure (2010)
- Here Comes EP(2009)
- Up from Below (2009)
- Here (2012)
- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (2013)
- PersonA (2016)
- Solo
- Alexander (2011)
- I vs I (2020)
Awards and nominations
Association | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Golden Globe Awards | 2014 | Best Original Score | All Is Lost | Won | [15] |
Grammy Awards | 2013 | Best Long Form Music Video | Big Easy Express | Won | [16] |
Tony Awards | 2018 | Best Original Score | SpongeBob SquarePants | Nominated | [17] |
References
- ^ a b "The Watch Newspapers – Dynamic Charismatic and Determined to Set the Soul Free". Telluridewatch.com. November 2, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Warren, Katherine (June 18, 2010). "Barefoot on a summer night". Telluride Daily Planet. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- ^ Advertise on MotherJones.com (January 4, 2010). "Music Monday: 15 Minutes With Alex Ebert (aka Edward Sharpe)". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ "Aanmelden bij". Facebook.com.
- ^ "Face Culture Interview With Alex Ebert". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
- ^ "Ruthless – From the upcoming album Another Man's Treasure". Ima Robot. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ kevin (June 2, 2010). "Video: Ima Robot, 'Ruthless' —". Buzzbands.la. Archived from the original on July 25, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Edward Sharpe Is Dead: Alex Ebert on The Magnetic Zeros' Pursuit of Failure, Identity, and Unrealism — TRANSVERSO". Transversomedia.com. April 1, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
- ^ McDonald, Scott (November 6, 2009). "Edward Sharpe, aka Alex Ebert, finds himself with The Magnetic Zeros". Sdnn.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ Randall Roberts (July 1, 2008). "Heath Ledger's Final Days Among the Masses – Page 1 – Film+TV – Los Angeles". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ "THE BERN by AlexanderEbert | Alexander Ebert | Free Listening on SoundCloud". Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
- ^ "Uninhibited Instinct & Creative Freedom: Alex Ebert on His Unapologetic Album 'I vs I'". Atwood Magazine. January 31, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- ^ "Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are creating a new "PersonA"". ihsstatesman.com.
- ^ "Her Love: Musician Alex Ebert in conversation with partner and actor Jena Malone". heromagazine.com.
- ^ "Alex Ebert | Golden Globes". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ "Alex Ebert | Grammy Awards". The Recording Academy. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- Vulture. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
External links
- Alex Ebert at IMDb
- Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros official website Archived December 26, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- Ima Robot official website
- Alexander Ebert official website