From left: Gordon, David and Esther LeBel are Edgore, a Morinville band holding their first EP release party May 25 at the Morinville Plaza. – Submitted Photo
By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville – Local metal band Edgore will be taking to the stage at the Morinville Plaza to celebrate their first EP May 25. The band, made up of Esther, David and Gordon LeBel, began in 2011 as a duo called ED. Bassist Gordon LeBel joined a little later adding the Gor in Edgore. The group’s name is an amalgam of band member’s given names.
But just as the trio chose their name from a mixture of their individual names, so too does their sound come from a mixture of individual talents and personalities. For lead singer David LeBel there is excitement in being able to share the band’s sound and identity with a growing audience.
“We’re writing our own music and we have a sound to put with our brand, which is Edgore,” LeBel said. “We’re excited because now we are starting to give ourselves an identity, and we’re trying to use that identity to reach out and relate to our audience.”
LeBel said the upcoming May 25 release party is the band making a statement to the audience and community that they are ready to start performing regularly as a band who is taking themselves seriously. “We’re ready to start doing something,” LeBel said. “This EP release party is us celebrating taking that step.”
LeBel said the band’s identity is summarized in their new triceratops mascot, also called Edgore. “That’s a fairly accurate representation of a lot of Edgore’s music,” he said of the jean and chain clad anthropomorphized dinosaur. “We’re not angry like a lot of these heavier music groups are. We don’t write music that is in defiance against anyone, but it’s still heavy and it’s still fun. A lot of people have said our mascot is like the guy you’d walk into the mosh pit and have fun with. You wouldn’t worry about him punching you or taking out a tooth. He’d pick you up if you fell down. That’s the kind of band we want to be. It’s the kind of atmosphere we want to enforce at our shows.”
That atmosphere will be express at the upcoming show, which is more than a concert. Admission to the event includes a buffet provided by the Morinville Plaza as well as a copy of the EP, both Edgore’s way of giving back to the fans that have supported them as they have grown.
As the band grows musically and increases in fan support, they are also looking to grow in number. LeBel said Edgore is currently seeking a drummer. Both he and Esther LeBel fill that role now, as well as guitars and vocals. The addition of a drummer would allow David and Esther to share guitars and vocals all the time. “Esther and I would like to work guitars and vocals full time,” he said, adding the two musicians have two different sounds. “If we could get a drummer and put us both up front at all times and blend it, then we’d have a unified sound.”
LeBel is quick to remind fans that even though the band is moving in a public direction, they are staying true to themselves and EDGORE and that it will stay that way. “We don’t have pride we’re trying to fulfill,” LeBel said. “We don’t have an image we’re trying to match. And we don’t have people we’re trying to satisfy. We just want to have fun.”
Fans and friends of the band will get to spend time with the musicians May 25 during the EP release party. Opening for Edgore will be At Her Feet, an Edmonton-based alternative, modern rock band Edgore has worked with in the past.
Tickets to the closed and licenced event are $25, including the buffet and a copy of the EP. Those interested in being added to the guest list should contact the band by e-mail at edgoreband@gmail.com. The band’s EP will subsequently be available at upcoming shows as well as Higher Grounds Espresso Bar in downtown Morinville.
ABOVE LEFT: Edgore is also the name of the band’s rocking triceratops mascot. – Submitted Photo
