Ed Romanoff

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Ed Romanoff talks about an orphanage song that changed is life, breaking up on holidays, and the advantages of having a mom from Pascagoula.

Ed Romanoff

Interview Recap

Ed Romanoff says he currently lives in New York but has spent a lot of time in the south and went to school in Virginia. Ed tells a story from when he was traveling with Mary Gauthier. They were doing a show in Alabama. He was asked how he wants to be introduced and where he is from. He told the emcee that he was from New York. But Mary jumped in and said, “No, No, No, Don’t tell them that, tell them your mom was from Pascagoula.” But when it came time to introduce the band, the emcee forgot to say that and just said Ed was form New York. Ed says the whole place went “ooooooh” and then the emcee then remembered and said “But his Mother’s from Pascagoula!” and the crowd went wild.

Ed Romanoff talks about what a great experience he had working with producer Crit Harmon. Crit helped Ed find that swampy New Orleans sound for the CD by experimenting with different keys. Ed Romanoff talks about the graphics for CD. They sent the songs to the graphics artist who came up with the New Orleans façade naturally from the songs.

Ed Romanoff sets up the centerpiece song “St. Vincent de Paul.” He’d been working with Mary Gauthier who was writing songs for her CD, The Foundling. She’d been working on a song about an orphanage because she grew up in one in New Orleans. Ed was also working on a song based on an orphanage. So they were working together and Mary Gautheir wanted to go take a DNA test to find out about her parents and she wanted Ed to go with her so she didn’t have to do it alone. Ed took the test too and found out for the first time in his life that the father he grew up with was not his biological father. So he had been working on an orphanage song when that life-changing revelation came to light.

[Calvin plays “St. Vincent de Paul” from Ed Romanoff’s debut self-titled CD. ]

Ed Romanoff talks about some of the guests on the CD. Tift Merritt sings on the CD. Ed says it was an amazing experience getting to hear her sing in the studio. Mary Gauthier helped write some of the songs on the CD.

Ed Romanoff talks about how he has a tendency to have relationships break up on holidays. That’s the inspiration for Breakfast for one on the Fifth of July.” Ed notes that

Dave Maddox plays drums on this song and he says in the bridge of the song he does some “fireworks drumming.”

[Calvin plays “Breakfast for One on the Fifth of July” from Ed Romanoff’s debu self-titled album.]

Ed Romanoff talks about how most of the songs on the album are autobiographical in some way. “Two Yellow Roses” is a murder ballad that happened in his town when he was in high school. There’s also a true story song called “Lady Luck.”

Ed Romanoff talks about the one cover song on the CD. He sets up “I Fall To Pieces” which was written by Joe Harmon and made famous by Patsy Cline. Ed says he wanted to do something very different with it. Ed says he likes the moody baritone guitar on this one.

[Calvin plays “I Fall To Pieces” from Ed Romanoff’s debut, self-titled album. ]

Calvin and Ed talk about how that’s a sad, dark, melancholy song.

Ed talks about how he has a Carrboro connection. He said that when he was searching for his biological father he research led him to a woman in Carrboro who might have been his sister. He’ll be coming down to Chapel Hill in early August for a show.

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Rotation 323

music set 1
Fire / Langhorne Slim & The Law / The Way We Move / 4:01
Angel Of The Morning / Merrilee Rush / Memphis Boys: The Story Of American Studios / 3:11
From The Valley / The Civil Wars / Mercyland – Hymns For The Rest Of Us / 3:25

music set 2
Two Lane Highway / D.L. Marble / Not The One… / 2:54
Mind Control / The Kernal / Farewellhello / 4:15
Sweet Senorita / Hobart Brothers w Li’l Sis / At Least We Have Each Other / 3:27

music set 3
Rufus Morgan / Chelle Rose / Ghost Of Browder Holler / 4:28

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The Americana Music Show is copyright 2012 by Taproot Media. The music and interviews in this episode are used with permission of the artists.

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