MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you Eddy, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.
What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?
Eddy Mann: I picked up a guitar while in high school and it immediately changed my life. I was a painfully shy kid who went from having no voice, to a confident songwriter, who may not have been very good yet, but found a creative outlet and a platform to express himself.
MuzicNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?
Eddy Mann: My father was a be-bop pianist, and my mother passed down quite a bit of her culture through songs she sang to me, and looking back now I can see how they both were very influential in opening my mind to all kinds of music. Then there were some first generation rock guitarists like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton along with songwriters like Dylan and Paul Simon. I always went back to the originators of a style or genre to explore and study.
MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?
Eddy Mann: My message has been the same for quite some time now, I want to challenge people to live a more compassionate life and to embrace our differences. I have a niche, an audience that has grown to appreciate what I create, so it’s my hope that I’ll continue to grow in a way that inspires and entertains those who listen and support me.
MuzicNotez: What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?
Eddy Mann: I don’t really have a greatest concert moment, but a few months back I had an amazingly inspiring evening with ‘The Jost Project’ in Philly. They create and perform a nostalgic alternative-jazz-pop vibe that really lit me up!
MuzicNotez: Beyond being a musician, you’re also a worship leader among many other things. Both vocations are great pulpits for spreading peace and love. Do you use your music in your preaching’s?
Eddy Mann: I recently resigned from the worship leader position to allow for more freedom in performing and traveling, but while I was there I was encouraged to write for the church which resulted in the release of six albums. My last two albums ‘Dig Love’ and now ‘The Consequence’ are a departure of sorts, they’re more narrative about everyday life and the trials that are present, but though they may be written from a different place, they both incorporate the message of a peaceful existence fueled by a heart of love.
MuzicNotez: You’re latest release is the album ‘The Consequence’ which was released on November 8th. What was the motivation behind this release?
Eddy Mann: The battle call of the latest album is to ‘sway the consequence’ in our everyday interactions. The way we react in our daily life speaks volumes about who we are. The words we choose, the actions we take, the emotion we wear on our face all can ‘sway the consequence’ of each and every interaction we experience. I long for a world that sees through the one thing we don’t agree on, and focuses on everything we have in common.
MuzicNotez: Do you have a particular single from the album that’s a favorite of yours?
Eddy Mann: The first single ‘The Consequence’ has been a favorite right out of the block because of the challenge to each of us to make a difference in the world. I’m also really fond of a song called ‘She’s Me’ which speaks about the parent child relationship, while revealing the similarity between that and the dynamic give-and-take we have with our God.
MuzicNotez: What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?
Eddy Mann: As 2017 arrives I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio this spring to work on an album that was inspired by a 19th century artist, and I’ve also been invited to upstate New York to write with a couple of producers on a new worship project.
MuzicNotez: Anything else you wish to say about yourself or your music? Any message for your fans?
Eddy Mann: As always I encourage everyone to be in conversation with me through whatever social network or means that they’re most comfortable with… I love sharing and getting to know my friends, fans and peers in a more personal way. Technology has provided a way for us to be in relationship like never before. In closing, love on, and’ sway the consequence’